The Wild Ones
Original Acrylic on Metal
The Art of Dan Abernathy
 
Keeping Wild Horses as part of the Code of the West
With this piece of art I pay tribute to the wild horses of the West. According to the federal government there are about 70,000 wild horses left in the West. That’s a decline from about 2 million at the turn of the 20th century.
 
The horse as a species evolved on the North American continent. About 12,000 years ago, horses went locally extinct here, but not globally extinct. When the Spanish brought horses back to the continent in the 1500’s, they were reintroducing a native species. Horses played a significant role in our nation’s history, from building the West to fighting alongside soldiers in wars. They are the living symbols of the pioneer spirit of the West.
 
As we believe that wild horses are beautiful to see running across the prairie, these horses' fate for a good life is threatened and we are forgetting the cowboy culture. It is an American treasure, and there wouldn’t be cowboys without horses.
 
When seeing the wild horse roaming freely on the high desert of Wyoming, just for that moment, we borrow freedom and feel alive. - dbA
 
This piece is available for purchase. It is drawn on cold pressed steel using acrylic paint pens. The background metal is rusted and painted. Allowing the paint to mix with the rust creates a unique, weathered color and expression. The edges are wrapped in patinaed copper. The back is finished and has D-Rings for hanging. Overall size is Approximately 26” X 50”