“If you grow up in Texas, like I did,” says Victor Blakey, “you will start to think of the cowboy as the absolute definition of a real man. He is the rugged, hardworking figure in the saddle that will do whatever it takes to get the job done. This belief is also reflected in my artwork.”
Riding Gringo, oil on canvas, 40 x 30”
Blakey’s subject is the iconic man of action. When he starts a painting, he creates a backstory of the man in my painting: Where is he going? What he is trying to do? 
Too Late to Turn Back Now, oil on canvas, 30 x 24”
“In this context, the cowboy is a metaphor for man’s struggle to survive. My process starts with the face. It must depict strength,” he says. “The expression in the eyes must make the viewer believe that this is a personality formed by hardship. So his face must be weathered and sunburned and aged beyond his years. The surface details of his clothing must have dirt and sweat stains. His saddle must be cracked and faded. He is a working-class hero, part myth and part history. The colors in the painting must be bold with bright highlights.”
A Sound of Danger, oil on canvas, 28 x 22”
Blakey continues, “I try to use red when possible. The figure must be placed in a wide-open harsh landscape. The horizon needs to seem far away and lonely. Also, it is important to have a big bright blue sky in the painting. In Texas, the cowboy is a symbol of what it means to be a real man, and my work attempts to reflect that point of view.” —
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