Inspired by conversations about the difference between strength and the willingness to continue.

Cowboy Up found its home during one of my favorite ways of sharing art.

After an exhibition, Dave invited me to bring a group of paintings to his house. Rather than choosing from photographs, we lived with the works for a while, moving them through different rooms and letting the spaces decide what belonged where.

This painting stood out because it carried many stories at once. The figures scattered across the landscape reminded me that a life is never built by one person or one moment alone, but by the people we meet along the way.

Eventually, Cowboy Up stayed.

Looking back, I like the symmetry of it. A painting about the people who accompany us through life found its place through friendship, conversation, and the simple act of sharing a home with art before making a decision.