July 31st 2026 | DAF

Cowboys no. 8 | Richard Prince, 1980-84

It’s a shame I was not born in the wild west. And let me be clear. There is no role in the wild west that I think I could fulfill or would want to fulfill, but I just know I was destined to exist in that time period.

I feel like my bones yearn for the saloon. I could push open a set of saloon doors with as much familiarity as getting out of bed in the morning. It’s honestly hard to believe the wild west even happened without me being there.

The man in this photograph could very well be the brother of my past-life self. I feel akin to all cowboys of the wild west. I can’t even see this man’s face, and I know he is an old friend.

I’ll exist my gold rush fantasy for a second to talk about how I love how vivid and warm the browns in this photograph are. It’s like sepia film but brighter and better because of how the cowboy and horse are contrasted by the cool grey background. Sepia can’t give you cool gray like this can. Brown is a finicky color, but it might be the color that has the highest pay off.

Stay tuned for more thoughts about the color brown. I can’t fully gather my thoughts right now, but I know I have a lot to say about brown and its impact.