C O M A N C H E

The word alone was enough to paralyze with fear the settlers of the early Texas frontier. The Lords of the Plains, as the Comanche became known, began their existence as an obscure Shoshone tribe, scratching an existence from the steppes of what is now Wyoming. They would rise from that obscurity as soon as they were introduced to the horse.

No other people in the history of the world could claim to be better horsemen than the Comanche. Indeed, they were not merely mounted on horses, they seemed to become a part of the horses. With their new found prowess, the Comanche rose from their meager existence of squalor and starvation. They extended their territory from Wyoming through the great plains of Texas and into Mexico. The Comanche became an empirical people, and conquered their way into ruling a vast nation.

I grew up in the heart of that nation, the land known as The Comancheria. It was, of course, many years after the Comanche had disappeared from what would be my home of the prairies of North Texas. I nevertheless felt a connection with them. As a boy, I fancied that if I listened hard enough, I could hear the thunder of the hoof beats throughout the pastures surrounding our country house. I would imagine that it was a raiding party, absconding with the plunder of a successful raid, and heading towards the safety of the staked plains where they could never be found. I could envision a hundred different scenarios involving Comanches as I played amongst the prickly pear and rattlesnakes of my boyhood home.

There is no doubt that the most famous of all Comanches was the Last Great Comanche chief, Quanah Parker. He was the son of Chief Peta Nocona and a captured Anglo girl named Cynthia Ann Parker.

Quanah was known for his ferocity and fearlessness in battle, but he was revered for leading the Comanche into a relatively prosperous existence, (at least for reservation natives), during the post-Plains Indian war period. He was as exalted in Texas History as Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, and will forever be part of the lore of the Lone Star State.

Quanah is the subject of this painting. I chose him for more than sentimental reasons, though I would be lying to say that didn’t play a huge part in the decision. I am fascinated with the striking features: the high cheekbones, the piercing eyes, the manicured hair carefully wrapped in fur. He was an imposing man of an imposing stature, a giant of a Native American standing at six feet tall. This was suited to the size of the painting, which at 36” x 24” is by no means a small watercolor painting.

The painting method is an experimental one for me, as well. This is actually watercolor applied to a gessoed board and manipulated in a subtractive technique. The subtractive technique is achieved using clean water, and in some places, sandpaper. The effect is one that lends to the antiquity of the subject, a reference to the sepia images we see of tintypes produced by the photographers of the old American West. The textures created lend to the ethereal, mythical characteristics for which Quanah is known.

This piece is indeed a favorite of mine, if for no other reason than I am in love with the seductiveness of the subtleties of texture and values. The method of painting itself captured me. I am fortunate to say that it is part of a private collection that will give it the love that I feel it deserves. That, my friends, is the ultimate reward for an artist…