Bathed in luminous golds and flashes of electric color, this mixed media piece captures the untamed spirit of the American West through a contemporary lens. The rider and horse are a reimagining of a historical photo from 1912 of Prairie Rose riding Gin Fiz.
As a girl from Ohio who majored in fashion design, I found Prairie Rose's story to be enchanting! Born in Ohio, she was drawn to the West and rode her way into Wyoming legend at a time when women were typically on the sidelines.
By the early 1910s, she had transformed herself into one of the most famous, daring, and elegant saddle-bronc riders in history, competing in costumes she designed herself (think ostrich feathers, sequined blouses, and wide-brimmed hats.)
In 1912, Prairie Rose entered a massive, grueling four-day bucking horse competition at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Her partner for the event was Gin Fiz, a notorious renegade horse known for terrible, unpredictable twists. After 4 straight days, she was officially crowned the winner and the new champion.
When she was lost in a Wyoming blizzard years later, she was identified by the championship belt buckle still at her waist.
18” x 14” Mixed Media on cotton, framed in 1.5” deep natural maple
Bathed in luminous golds and flashes of electric color, this mixed media piece captures the untamed spirit of the American West through a contemporary lens. The rider and horse are a reimagining of a historical photo from 1912 of Prairie Rose riding Gin Fiz.
As a girl from Ohio who majored in fashion design, I found Prairie Rose's story to be enchanting! Born in Ohio, she was drawn to the West and rode her way into Wyoming legend at a time when women were typically on the sidelines.
By the early 1910s, she had transformed herself into one of the most famous, daring, and elegant saddle-bronc riders in history, competing in costumes she designed herself (think ostrich feathers, sequined blouses, and wide-brimmed hats.)
In 1912, Prairie Rose entered a massive, grueling four-day bucking horse competition at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Her partner for the event was Gin Fiz, a notorious renegade horse known for terrible, unpredictable twists. After 4 straight days, she was officially crowned the winner and the new champion.
When she was lost in a Wyoming blizzard years later, she was identified by the championship belt buckle still at her waist.
18” x 14” Mixed Media on cotton, framed in 1.5” deep natural maple
