Lazy Shamrock Ranch

Every spring, all the ranchers would come together to brand the new calves at each ranch strung along the Blue River south of Kremmling, Colorado. All hands were on deck as the calves were roped, wrestled, tagged, inoculated, castrated and branded. The cowboys would laugh at my father for dousing the trash can lid of ‘Rocky Mountain Oysters’ roasting over the branding fire with whiskey to flambé the testicles before eating them. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with some of the other women, learning how to feed a crowd of hard working men, but I also entered into the corral to do my share of the work in the smoky arena that reeked of charred cowhide. This series of drawings were created years later in memory of the community ranching days to honor the way agrarians help each other out with the large chores that are needed to keep a ranch going.

Preparing the tag | pencil on cardstock | 4.25″ x 5.25″

Nostril pinch | pencil on cardstock | 4.25″ x 5.25″
In the collection of the McFaddin Ranch, Texas

Roped | pencil on cardstock | 4.25″ x 5.25″
In the collection of the McFaddin Ranch, Texas

Taggin’ | pencil on cardstock | 4.25″ x 5.25″

Dogged | pencil on cardstock | 4.25″ x 5.25″
In the collection of the McFaddin Ranch, Texas

Castration | pencil on cardstock | 4.25″ x 5.25″
In the collection of the McFaddin Ranch, Texas