Cattle Drive '76
Danny Pierce.
Cattle Drive '76. Shorewood, Wis.: Red Door Studio, 1977. 43 x 55 cm.
Call Number: (BKRT)(FOP) N8217.C75 P4x
COLOPHON: Cattle Drive '76 is the 6th folio-book to come from the Red Door Studio. Printed directly from the wood blocks by the hand rubbing process on Tableau, Technical Paper Corporation, Boyalston, Massachusetts. Protective sheets, Strathmore Pastel, Strathmore Paper Company. Cover box designed and made by the artist. No. 9 of 25.
"We were driving through northern New Mexico towards Cimarron when I noticed the black silhouette of corrals along the road. As we approached I saw dust and then smoke mingling with it. The C. H. Ranch was branding cattle. We stopped and watched for several hours. Later we visited a former Alaskan friend and through him I was invited by the Davises, who own C. S., to join them for the fall cattle drive when they bring the herd out of the mountains to the winter pastures on the home ranch. The Art Department gave me leave to make the drive.
"Cattle Drive '76 is the largest of my limited edition books. I printed each wood block by hand on Tableau, a paper similar to the Japanese papers, and made slip covers for them with Strathmore pastel paper. The lining of the box cover are the cattle brands in New Mexico. The design of the skull with brands and the title on the spine were done with relief etching on zinc plates.
"Except for the printed title page, and the dedication and colophon texts (which are handwritten), the book is comprised entirely of a suite of 30 prints.
"This book was fun to do as I relived the experience of being a cowboy as a boy. Fun because I knew it was only for a day or two."