This card is #1 in the "Just Wishing" series of  cards, which show this young man growing up.

Even if they started riding at a young age, every kid who grew up on a ranch experienced watching while the older cowboys rode off.  You play and use your imagination of THE day when you can go with them.

This painting began a long series of Christmas cards for the South Texas Children's Home in Beeville, TX. 

There are full-sized prints available in our Giclee Print section and coffee mugs and coasters in our Gift section.

This is #2 in the Just Wishing Series.  The young boy is excited as he sees his new horse being brought to him.  He won't need his stick horse anymore!!

He is trying to temp his new colt into coming to him for feed so he can easily catch him

Success!!  Now for his first ride!!  Hold still, don't spook!  Go easy.

Lost a boot in the process, but, SUCCESS!!

Finally! Not left behind, but can ride along with Dad.

2nd generation is here with a new foal to train.

Lots of spirit in this new little one.

From a boy to a young man leaving home.  Riding his first horse and carrying his possessions, including his guitar, on his newly trained colt.

Santa on on his way!

A very cold night, but the Christmas Eve service was worth it!

A great day for a hayride!!

"If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -- II Chronicles 7:14 KJV

There is also a bronze, coffee mug/coaster gift set and a Giclee print available for this piece in those sections.

When you are far from other playmates, a baby burro makes a pretty good companion. 

Anytime you move a herd of cows and calves, they can get split up.  Periodically, you need to stop and let them find their momma or baby.  Lots of "cow talk" going on.

It may be Christmas and very cold, but all the chores still have to be done and the animals taken care of.

The elusive, majestic Rocky Mountain Sheep is not often seen, even by those hunting them.  They are known for their climbing ability and the rams for their extreme head-to-head butting during mating season.

The mule deer is found throughout the Rockies and is so named for its very large ears.  These deer can grow quite large and are greatly sought after by hunters, whether with a gun or a camera.

Bill grew up on ranches and had his own horses for most of his life.  He was very good friends of Hank Wiescamp in Alamosa, who was a nationally know breeder of quarter horses.  They had a lot in common, but their appreciation for horses was at the top of the list.

The evening before the season opens, or were they sleeping in?  You decide.

Bill did a couple of paintings of Rocky Mountain sheep, this one with "just the guys" hanging out together.  Amazing animals.

"Oh no you don't !!"  Come back here!!

Fall is one of the most beautiful times in the San Jaun mountains which form the west side of the San Luis Valley where Bill spent about 50 years of his life.  He also spent considerable time hunting in this area, but all the while, studying every detail so he could later put it in a picture.

It's a cold, snowy winter, but the road is still passable.  The stage stop ahead looks really good!!

A Royal elk is probably the largest animal in the Rockies and thinks he is king.  (Probably rightfully so)  The number of tines on his antlers is what makes a bull a "Royal" elk.  This one is a 6 x 6, sixe tines on each side.  7 tines on each side is also considered a Royal, but they are very rare.  

This beautiful autumn painting shows this beautiful animal with his herd that he has won.

This picture is totally different from many of Bill's works.  It was inspired by the Parker Rance on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Although he never actually saw the rance, he was always intrigued with the idea of raising the cattle on an island and the difficulty of getting them to market.

This is one of Bill's most outstanding paintings.  He captured a day in the life of a cowboy in one painting.  

Start in the top left and move clockwise.  You see them getting up at the chuck wagon, getting their horses, gathering the cattle, bringing them back, working them, then finally headed back to the chuch wagon at the end of a very long day.  From sunup until sunset.  Such was life on a ranch.

Bill did two very similiar pictures of a buffalo herd, one in the winter and one the summer. Living in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, with about a 90 day growing season, he was very accustomed to winter.

This painting was a favorite of his wife, Fay.  It has never been on public display, but has spent its entire "life" handing in their living room.

There was a time when doctors made house calls, even in the dead of winter.  Bill's granddad was a country doctor and was the inspiration for this painting.

Their life together began in a dug out. A beautiful evening makes a great time to go by the old home place and reminisce about how life has changed.

The original painting is one Bill gave to his wife, Fay, and has never been on public display. Bill spent a couple of years of his early childhood living in a dugout.   

Everything cannot finish the trip. The brakes on these wagons were not great. A steep hill required dragging something (a tree) to aid the brakes so the driver didn't lose control. At times weight in the wagon had to be reduced, so some things had to be left behind. 

She had hoped she would be able to keep this personal piece to start her new life, but it couldn't finish the trip.

Chico Cantina, a watering hole for the cowboys

Periodically, Bill enjoyed the challenge of painting a subject that was not normally considered his area.  This Wood Duck shows his ability to capture the look and feel of a totally different style and provides a unique opportunity to have his work, yet a very different look.

This painting was originally done for the cover of the Paint Horse Journal.

A good cutting horse is a very valuable tool for the cowboy.  The horse's ability to "Cut Out The Strays" allows the cowboy to stay on his horse rather than get in some dangerous situations on foot trying to separate the herd.

Taking time for a cup of coffee before heading out for the day

A Palisade of cliffs make a great backdrop for a peaceful camp by a mountain lake.  The backdrop for this painting is very close to the Post Office Rock painting, near Wagon Wheel Gap, just down the Rio Grande river from Creede, Colorado

How did they move the mail in pioneer days?  Everyone traveling could help.  There needed to be a well-known drop off so the mail could be picked up or left as it made its way to the recipient.  The traveler became the postman.

This Post Office Rock is between Wagon Wheel Gap and Creede Colorado.  In today's world, if you turned around from the view in the painting, you would see Colorado State Hwy. 49 and just across the highway, flows the Rio Grande River.

Burros have a capacity to carry large loads for long periods of time and are very sure footed, so they were a common site in the old west.  He is loaded and patiently waiting to move on.

Each morning the Trail Boss gives out the instructions for the day.

This painting captures the Rockies in the background while the man riding shotgun is ever vigilant protecting his cargo and passengers.