A Long Day

This piece took a year and a half to complete due to the illness I was going through. The reason the scene moved me was because of all the darkness that seemed to represent the tribulation I was living through. The minimal amount of light in this piece I felt so keenly with my my own life at the time. For days I’d go into the studio to attempt upon this work in progress, but lacking the strength, would collapse in defeat.

I envisioned myself as the cowboy. His posture is stooped and spoke to me of my own exhaustion and illness I was experiencing. Although tired and worn after his day’s work the cowboy is still dedicated and has a job to do. This concept I felt in relation to my own experience. In depth of darkness it would have been easier to give up… nevertheless, somehow I had to work to get better and stay dedicated to my recovery. The dim light beam shining faintly down on the cowboy and his horse matched my own dim ray of hope in life.

The horse’s expression of hope is the soul of this work. Among all the darkness and exhaustion the horses’s body is erect and full of life. His body wraps around the weary cowboy almost as if embracing him. The eye of the horse, the most important of all, exemplifies the incredible amount of strength I pulled from to get through those tough times.

The carving in the post stands in fond memory of a true friend I made during my illness. The title not only indicates the cowboy’s Long Day but also my lengthy recovery and this work’s lengthy completion.

-Andy Mast