Pedro Saldarriaga "Rodeo Rider No. 10"

I’m originally from Medellin, Colombia and when I came to college in Texas I went to a rodeo for one of my photography class assignments. I was pretty mesmerized by the entire thing. The outfits, the riders getting ready, and obviously the horses. I didn’t realize it back then but cowboys and wild horses are used as symbols to represent the West. Fast forward almost 30 years, and I started a series of paintings that explores how we try to hold on to the idea of the West that development and progress are chipping away at. I use the rider and horse as metaphors to show that constant struggle. In some, I suspend both rider and horse with no ground to land on as an effort to illustrate their uncertain future. By omitting the horse or rider like in this one I hope to give a sense of what happens when we start taking out elements.

I like to figure out the concept for a painting first. I bounce that idea in my head and then I start to gather photographic references. Then I do a composite image digitally where I figure out the composition. I also do commercial work in advertising and design, so I’m sometimes influenced by that world.  I tend to do multiple sessions on a painting, building layers and glazes until I achieve the desired lighting. A lot of my recent work has a dreamlike quality, even though I start from a very real source, I like to give scenes a surreal twist even if it’s a subtle one. Hope you enjoy the show. Thanks for listening.