Now on view at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas, is SaddleUP: Texas Ranching Tradition, a new photography show featuring the work of Joe Vitone. 
Joe Vitone, Herding cattle in Jeff Davis County, 2016, photograph
Joe Vitone, Cowboys saddled near Jeff Davis County, 2016, photograph
The exhibition, which opened March 4, features Vitone’s images that “portray tough people living on a tough land doing a tough job,” the center notes. “In Jeff Davis County, ranchers, cowboys and their families work the arid semi-desert of far West Texas, where rainfall is rare and the soil only grudgingly produces grass and brush for livestock to eat. In contrast, Lavaca County ranchers work the Southern Texas Plains landscape where post oak, elm, and pecan trees provide shade and cover from the weather, and grass is more abundant on more fertile soil. However, ranchers in both areas struggle with drought, fire, cattle ticks, and finding enough hired help. In these two diverse landscapes, such hardships and trials are part of the ranching life.”
A visitor admiring the photography of Joe Vitone at the exhibit opening.
Vitone is a documentary fine art photographer who lives in Texas. His images not only show working cowboys but also Texas landscapes.The exhibition continues through September 4, 2023. For additional information visit the website www.ranchingheritage.org. —
Powered by Froala Editor
