What lies in a brand? Is it only an archaic artifact? Or, perhaps a name? In the case of this photo posted by artist Tom Dean, does the brand only drive a random price? What is the promise that lies in the name and does it warrant the $580 price tag on the t-shirt pictured? … [Read more…]
In Montana, branding remains a ritual for establishing ownership. An animal’s brand marks clear title of ownership, while branding itself is a honored ceremony in rural areas. A brand also is a tie to self-identity. My brand, the Wagon Rod, carries a rich heritage from the westering movement and the influx of individuals searching for … [Read more…]
Where’s Home? Less than a mile from the place I call home lies another set of buildings, barely visible across the grass and just breaking the southern horizon line. This was always “the home place” for my dad who was born and raised there. It was the land that my grandparents homesteaded, the place that … [Read more…]
The seeds of inspiration never cease to amaze me. Those seeds are planted and grow in both our physical and spiritual landscapes. Although they may find expression in a wider world, it is our viewshed that sometimes yanks at and always tweaks our creativity, reminding us how creativity is a gift that we dare not … [Read more…]
Extreme could well describe my Montana — high peaks or wide prairies, temperatures above 110 degrees in the summer or a shivering -60 in the winter. Clouded in myth and mystery, Montana seems to elude national news except as a place of unbridled recreational opportunities or as the home of a Unabomber. Movies like Robert … [Read more…]
“When I speak of home, I speak of the place where — in default of a better — those I love are gathered together; and if that place were a gypsy’s tent, or a barn, I should call it by the same good name notwithstanding.” ~ Nicholas Nickleby, “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” … [Read more…]
As I sit with my five-month old grandson, I often wonder what the day-to-day world would be like if our society slid into some type of dystopian existence in which we lost our collective voices, a.k.a. our national and state agencies, for the arts and humanities…. What if new car designers were nonexistent? What if … [Read more…]
[Note: I wrote this piece in 2012…and it goes a long way to explaining why we decided to place our family ranch in a conservation easement. The land, like art and our cultural heritage, does more than produce a buck (pun intended). Its space feeds much more. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving…and the gratitude to my … [Read more…]
Today our herd bull is standing in sunlit snow, energetically rooting around in his little pile of hay and looking for the choicest morsels of grass, with maybe even a sprig of alfalfa. After a period of smelling and tossing, he simply stands chewing, relishing the flavor, and gazing out at the far pasture, with … [Read more…]
And what connection, you may ask, does our Highland herd bull have to artists diversifying their income? Start with the fact that 80.6 million beef cattle exist in the U.S., of which 75% are Angus. These hornless cattle with black coats are considered the answer to efficient and affordable beef production, creating a situation known as … [Read more…]
