TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN) — Colorful murals, fine art, paintings and sculptures all capture the scenes of the Southwest. It's a way to freeze time in a landscape that seems to be ever changing, but today, I discover a space and a sculptor who uses a keen eye to capture moments that fade from memory.
"All America lies at the end of the wilderness road. And our past is not a dead past, but still lives [with]in us. Our forefathers had civilization inside themselves. [We still had the wilderness outside]. We live in the civilization they created ... What they lived we dream and what they dreamed we live." T.K. Whipple (paraphrase)
From the sides of countless Tucson buildings to public parks that host shadows from the desert's not so distant past, artistic expression seems to be the best way to connect with characters of another time; sharing the space with larger-than-life images that could tell a story or two.
James Thomas Park's "El Vaquero" is just one example of a moment seemingly frozen: A cowboy from a bygone era.
It takes a current cowboy and artist like Dan Hickman to craft images like these into existence.
"We call this the homestead."
On a recent cloudy weekday, Dan and Jeanne invited me to their home which is more like a ranch or an old Western town even, than a typical suburban lot.
"COVID came along and we decided let's do this and give ourselves something to do... this is where I do small things. {The} Studio's over there. That's the nicest building we have," Dan told me.
It's part theme park, part Western heritage museum with facades of a barber shop or mercantile.
"They came out in covered wagons. The people today would never be able to do that," Dan said.
"A lot of times on cattle drives this goes right along with the herd."
Dan wants to preserve the grit of those pioneering spirits with pieces collected outside.
Jeanne works on her pictures and paintings inside.
"There's a lot of inspiration here in the Southwest and I love it out here," Jeanne told me.
Their love of art in all forms forged a bond that keeps them putting paintbrush or pencil to canvas or paper.
"We both have the instinct in us to draw and to paint and to create," Jeanne said.
The crown jewel of this enterprise could be the Bunkhouse Studio itself.
"This is my studio, yes... During the day, I don't do a whole lot. But I come in here at nighttime. Until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. That's when I do most of my work, all my painting and my sculpture," Dan said.
Some of his creations include commissions but he doesn't make a whole lot of money. It's more for the satisfaction of seeing each piece through from start to finish. Something "El Vaquero" gives back 15 years after it was placed for the public to enjoy.
"I don't know how I stumbled in on that but I was so thankful that I am... that I did... I'm very proud of him. He's my favorite."
Much like the bronze statue, Dan is set in his ways. The ways a Western world that doesn't gloss over the difficult details of the past.
"I've enjoyed living this life. It's been a good life."
He's worked to capture the dignity of all men both well known and world famous to those who lived in relative obscurity; native peoples and pioneers alike.
"It's their whole culture. How they lived and how they survived. You know they lost a lot in their day," Dan told me.
A line from author T.K. Whipple repeated in Lonesome Dove perhaps best captures the feeling of sculpting the Southwest to preserve a culture, colorful or cast to stand the test of time.
"What they lived we dream and what they dreamed we live."
Learn more about Dan Hickman's "Bunkhouse Studio" here
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Dan Spindle co-anchors Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9 and is an award-winning storyteller whose work has earned him honors from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmys, the Associated Press and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists for both anchoring and reporting. Dan is passionate about history and loves to explore the Grand Canyon State. Share your story ideas with Dan by emailing dan.spindle@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or X.
