Western Art News
A Life Well Lived
The Brinton Museum honors collector Mick McMurry with
a new show featuring work from Zachary Pullen.
A
rtist, illustrator and
muralist Zachary Pullen
was about to begin
work on a series of commissions
when the person who had
commissioned him, collector
Mick McMurry, died in 2015.
The project, based around the
Cowboy Code of Ethics, would
never come to pass.
Fast forward four years later
and Pullen has completed work
on a similar series of work meant
to honor McMurry and his life,
and the show will open August
10 at the Brinton Museum in Big
Horn, Wyoming. Cowboy Ethics
— A Life Well Lived will feature
10 murals, each one highlighting
one of the Cowboy Code of Ethics
as well as a part of McMurry’s life
and career. “I present the Cowboy
Code of Ethics through his life,snippets of his life,” Pullen says.
“He was given his work ethic by
his father—a lot of us are—so
I really highlight that in each of
these paintings.”
The code of ethics are: Live
each day with courage; take pride
in your work; always finish what
you start; do what has to be done;
be tough, but fair; when youmake a promise, keep it; ride for
the brand; talk less and say more;
remember that some things
aren’t for sale; and know where to
draw the line.
Works in the show include
Live Each Day With Courage,
showing a man working on an oil
pumpjack, and Finish What You
Start, showing a figure sitting ona piece of heavy machinery at
nighttime.
The show opens August 11
with a reception and gallery talk
with Pullen, and the exhibition
continues through October 20.
For more information about
the show or museum, visit
thebrintonmuseum.org.Clockwise from left:
The Brinton Museum
in Big Horn,
Wyoming.
Zachary Pullen,
Live Each Day With
Courage, oil on linen,
48 x 48"
Zachary Pullen, Finish
What You Start, oil on
linen, 48 x 48"