Courtney Wayne in Hondo 2019

Editor: So, here we have Felice House's 2019 oil painting, "Courtney Wayne in Hondo." It's striking how the shadows from the hat cut across her face; it gives her an air of mystery. What pulls you in when you look at this painting? Curator: Oh, that shadow play! It's like the West itself – both blinding and revealing. For me, it's more than just portraiture. I feel this connection to the tradition of plein-air painting, that direct response to the landscape... almost a battle with it, right there on the canvas. And the way she captures light, it reminds me of those sun-drenched afternoons riding my pony in west Texas! Do you feel that rawness? Editor: I see the light for sure, but “raw” feels a bit strong. There’s a softness in her eyes, even with the shadows, and the colors are very muted and earthy. Curator: Perhaps... and yet there is a defiance there! She is there in Hondo, not just visiting! It’s a powerful re-imaging of the cowboy ideal. Like she's whispering, "We were here too!" Don't you feel it rewriting a little art history even? Editor: Absolutely. Seeing her take a genre typically dominated by men and painting herself—and other women—into it feels both powerful and necessary. It certainly shifted *my* perspective. Thanks! Curator: Mine too! It makes you rethink what’s possible when you reimagine traditions, right? That’s the heart of it.