The subject of Don Weller’s watercolor, a cowboy preparing to rope a cow, is no relic of the past. Team roping, in which two horse-mounted riders work together to rope a cow’s head and heels, is as essential to ranches today as it was in the 1800s. This critical ranching chore has become a standard rodeo event, the only event in which men and women compete in mixed gender
teams. In Don’s sure hand pigment and water combine to create an iconic image of rider astride his steed. The confidence and skill of the rider is apparent in his posture. The confidence and skill of the artist is apparent in the loose yet calculated brushstrokes and his treatment of the highlights and shadows.
A blending of two long held passions, art and horses, has led Don Weller to produce an exceptional body of work. Raised near Pullman, Washington, Don received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Washington State University. He then pursued a successful career as an illustrator and graphic designer in
Los Angeles. The next chapter of his life brought him back in touch with the horses and cattlemen of his youth. Working on a book project for the National Horse Cutting Association, Don travelled throughout the West painting cowboys in action. Today Don and his wife Cha Cha live in Oakley, Utah.
