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“I grew up in Southern California. Technically ‘The West’, but about as far removed from the West of my imagination as you could get.
As a child I dreamed of the other West. The one of cowboys and Indians and wide open spaces where men rode tall in the saddle and your horse was your best friend. The West I had seen in countless movies and television shows. The one dreamed up by Zane Grey, John Ford, Howard Hawks and John Wayne. You know, the real fake West.
Like many young boys of my generation I wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up. What I didn’t know then is that one couldn’t do both, that is, be a cowboy and grow up.
But some years back I had a wonderful job where I got to live out that dream and play cowboy everyday. I suppose it was only natural that the experience would find its way into my art, and for the past decade or so my work has been flavored with images from the mythic West.
As an artist I find this ‘Imaginary West an incredibly fertile source of inspiration. Not as historical drama or morality play, but as a uniquely American mythology that simply begs comment. My approach is to reveal this mythology by interweaving the classic icons of the West with surrealistic imagery and (I hope) a touch of wit. The result is often something like ‘Roy Rogers meets the Twilight Zone’. If it makes you laugh, smile, nod in agreement or simply scratch your head and wonder, then I have done my job.”
See more of Dave Wilder's work at: www.wilderarts.com
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