Farewell To Thee
Farewell To Thee
By Jonathan McAfee
Farewell To Thee is a powerful, high-energy 36 x 36 inch mixed-media painting on canvas, freshly completed by Colorado-based artist Jonathan McAfee. This large-scale work centers on a weathered cowboy in a contemplative pose, a cigarette casual between his lips with a plume of pink-toned smoke drifting upward. The composition is a brilliant example of modern Western storytelling, pulling the viewer into a complex landscape of memory, mortality, and survival.
McAfee explodes the traditional Western narrative by surrounding the central figure with an array of striking, symbolic motifs. The canvas features a raw, detailed sketch of a skull in the lower left, a coiled rattlesnake poised in the lower right, and a haunting, stylized skeleton outline wearing cowboy boots emerging from a dark void in the upper right.
Technically, the piece is a masterclass in texture and color juxtaposition, utilizing a mixed-media approach of oil, acrylic, and pastel. The palette is dominated by intense, fiery yellows and deep, blood reds, framed by an orange graphic border that contrasts sharply against dark, abstract brushstrokes. A gridded pattern and a tiny sticky-note style sketch of a cactus add a playful, contemporary edge to the heavy thematic layers. It is a deeply visceral, thought-provoking piece that captures the rugged endurance and existential weight of the American West.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 36 x 36 inches
- Medium: Oil, acrylic, and pastel on canvas
- Artist: Jonathan McAfee (Colorado-based)
- Framing: Please contact the gallery for framing options.
- Style: Neo-Expressionism / Modern Western Gothic