VO
L 2

I’m surprised and honoured to have gotten this far, creating a second volume to showcase the amazing people I have connected with along this newly traveled road. It’s been inspiring to see people get excited about print, and so supportive about COWBOY COFFEE magazine, thank you. 

As I build VOL 2,  I am attempting to find structure and themes, having fun and letting the inspiration and interest come to me, while not following rules or templates. It’s a challenging task for a creator, or as I have been calling myself; an artist with no medium. The starving, tortured and frustrated artist, in need of a place to express the ideas that swirls around in our heads and our hands, this project has been a saviour. The slow time at work, while the privileged are away spending their winter days in sunny destinations. The need to create becomes intoxicating and the studio calls for many artists. Winter is a time to go within, attempt to hibernate, as the snow piles high and the cold is too unpleasant for manual labour. Though I know some of you have no choice but to brave it and get shit done despite its unpleasantnesses. Frozen water lines and colicing horses, is oh too familiar when the temperatures drop. I live in my red Shefields, Carhart toque and Sorrell boots, pretending I am fashion forward. One piece snow suit? Yes please. Though hat hair is a regular occurrence through out the year, something about toque hair, just seems grungier.  Trenching and the endless shoveling through the snow to walk the dog and get to the hay pile. The regular task of shoveling poo though, for me, is just simply off the table, I choose to wait for the great exposure of the spring melt. Which my already exhausted elbows and shoulders can feel its anticipation. 

The warmth of spring and the growing desire to sleep under the stars in the midst of grand adventures is bubbling up inside. Filling my entire schedule up with clinics, camping trips, rodeos, festivals and horseback adventures.  Watching the round pen thaw and thinking about colts to start and “Off the Track” thoroughbreds to restart, again. One day I will actually be able to do all the things I plan to throughout the winter, my imagination of time and resources always seems abundant when there is nothing much to do. 

Makes me think of becoming a snow bird and making my way down south to explore the deserts of Arizona, or the streets of Texas, maybe hang my hat by a beach in Mexico. The Canadian winter fantasy that we all cling to, “when I retire” or for my generation, “once I can work solely on-line”. It’s all part of our coping mechanisms to get us through the winter. I guess some people ski or snowboard and actually live for winter, but we aren’t talking about those people.

Making my way to the city is common for my winter weekend adventures. Vintage shops, live shows and art galleries keep the ball rolling and the western inspiration at the forefront when the clouds block the mountain views and every photo that is taken is a variable shade of grey. The concrete cowboy seems to be running through my ears as I meet with western lovers in city scapes, bashful at the fact they’ve never been on a horse or didn’t grow up on a farm. You can see the love and passion they have for the western dream. The gear heads and fashion nerds that know every fact about western wear; which fringe jacket came out for what style, which boots come from which era and why, and the hats. I have never seen such passion for western hats, every shape of crown, style of brim, bits of flare you can have custom made. Its a beautiful thing.

Concrete cowboys and western style fashion is with out a doubt influencing the city scapes, Beyonces’ new song is already way over-played. They sometimes call a lariat a lasso, but we love them and are happy to throw them on a horse for a photo shoot, or give them a little taste of the dream for a vacation. Dudes are the bread and butter of keeping businesses alive, thriving and teaching us how to look a little cooler. 

We’ve all gone a little country.