As I noted a few posts back, Craig Rullman has embarked on a new film project, on the heels of the successful documentary film The Outside Circle: A Movie of the Modern West (available now on Amazon Prime). This next piece centers around the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association’s 25th Anniversary and a four-day saddle build project featuring the elite craftsmen in the field — Cary Schwarz, Troy West, John Willemsma, and Pedro Pedrini. Craig and Jarod Gatley went to Salmon, Idaho, April 2-5 to document the build. The stunning result is called The California Rose.
Now, if you’re a songwriter and somebody hands you an image like a saddle named The California Rose, you know what you need to do. So, yesterday, Mike Biggers and I sat down in The Bunkhouse on Mike’s ranch and got to work. Three hours later, we had us a song — The California Rose.
Don’t know how The California Rose will fit into the broader project, which is in an early phase yet. But we got ’er done and still liked the song in the morning, which is always a good test. Mike and I have played music together for many years now, and he’s an ace songwriter — but until recently we haven’t co-written. This one never would have seen the light of day without collaboration. I had an idea and a verse and a chorus, but was completely high-centered; I just couldn’t get the narrative to bend in the direction it needed to go. Mike got out a tow strap, pulled me off the rock I was high-centered on, the wheels got traction and off we went. It was really fun, a satisfying way to work, and I reckon we’ll do more of it.
When the time is right, I’ll share a recording.
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The TCAA describes their mission:
The Traditional Cowboy Arts Association is dedicated to preserving and promoting the skills of Saddlemaking, Bit and Spur Making, Silversmithing and Rawhide Braiding and the role of these traditional crafts in the cowboy culture of the North American West.
I’ve done a bit of riding in my day, but I’ve never worked cattle and make no claims to “cowboy” status. For me, “cowboy culture” is part of a broader template of Continuity & Persistence of “frontier” values and life-ways. As such, I am most pleased and honored to be a part of an artistic project that seeks to help us “hold on to the West.”
Craig Rullman has embarked on a new documentary film project that centers around an epic four-day saddle build in Salmon, Idaho, on behalf of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association.
SQUIRES RUSTICUS says
One of my thousand and one regrets in life, is that a saddle I ordered from Monte Beckman (Pendleton, Oregon) didn’t get built.
I’d made friends with Monte when I was working up in Washington and Oregon. I’d get down to Pendleton and do a cursory look around the town (it was a wonderful place to be at the time, people so friendly, I miss those times). Usually in the afternoon Monte and I would get a meal, or do something on Saturday night. My plan at the time was to get a Wade saddle built at Hamleys (I’d befriended the staff there too, including the manager Pat Beard, who is a wonderful man).
Monte was making a beautiful saddle with a scroll to his leather work, much like a gun engraving. Monte use to be partners with the great silversmith Ernie Marsh, Monte building the saddles, then Ernie doing the silverware. Monte had been a saddle maker at Hamley’s also. Monte knew many a person, wss kind of a celebrity, and we always had a great time. His Uncle was Bub King, cowboss at the IL, long ago.
Well as the months passed I decided I order a saddle from Monte, then have a Hamley made at a later date. Monte just had 2 orders ahead of mine. Everything was golden….
As I left Pendleton just before Christmas I put down my fee. I’m thinking we went to the Rainbow Room to celebrate and have chicken that they were famous for.
A week or so later, Monte had a stroke, that put a damper into his career. He opened a short-lived saddle building school, then closed his shop. For awhile he had a saddle shop at his house.I continued to send money up, until I was told not to send anymore until the saddle was finished.We stayed in close contact, but Monte never was up to building the Wade’s Wade as we called it. Monte wanted to be recovered from the stroke to do the tooling we agreed on.
Then sadly, I got a call that my friend had passed on. The saddle was never made, and I never got one of his fine saddles. Although a few years ago I tried to purchase one of his used saddles, that got bought before I could latch on to it. Then Hamley’s changed, was bought out. I never got back up into the territory again. I’ve got a Hamley saddle, but not the one I wanted made.
But then again in 2008 when I was getting a Merkel Double in 470 NE (engraved with elephant and cape buffalo), and the AYA No. 2, my “fake” girlfriend had money problems, and well I regret that too….ALL OF IT !!!
JimC says
Ah, man, that’s rough.