Ever been to a Rodeo? One of the most amazing events is called bareback bronc riding. This event involves a cowboy getting on the back of a horse with only a rope to hang on to. It’s brutal. The cowboy gets slammed against the horse’s back as it leaps into the air trying to buck off the rider. Even though a ride only lasts 8 seconds, it can feel like hours to the cowboy aboard the bronc.

Ed Anderson has the amazing gift of being able to express movement and drama in a static painting. This horse has contorted himself into an impossible position and yet it fits with the action and the crazed look in the bronc’s eye. The reddish-brown of the horse stands out against the yellow-brown of the dust of the arena while the cowboy's clothes look like they are flying apart with the energy of the ride.

Art by Ed Anderson.