One of my favorite paintings by my dad.
A couple of years ago I visited a family members home in another western state and hanging in their hallway was this large oil painting of
Broken Bow Arch painted by my father, Byrd Bartholomew. Byrd really connected with that arch. He painted dozens of different versions. Along with twisted juniper trees, Broken Bow arch was his favorite oil painting subject. My mother and he hiked in there to photograph the arch regularly. When I saw the painting I barely remembered it. He painted it during the early 1970′s I know this because there is a similar composition hanging in a home in northern Utah. I really enjoy this Broken Bow arch painting because of the tree Byrd placed in the foreground. He really had a passion for the twisted junipers of Utah. The particular tree represented in this painting (and in others), he found growing along the side of the road between Calf Creek and Boulder. Utah in what is now
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Sadly for the tree and Byrd the road was widened during the late 80′s and the tree did not survive. I guess that he and the tree live on in this and several other of his paintings
.
Brigham Young University’s Herald B. Lee Library added a couple of paintings of Broken Bow Arch by both myself and my dad to their permanent collection a few years ago. In some future blog entry I will try and feature those four paintings.
A couple years ago my mother planned a family hike down to the arch for old times sake the group included my mother, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. More than 30 decedents of the artist, Byrd Bartholomew made the trip. As the last of the group was leaving the arch to hike back up out of the canyon I snapped this photograph. (This link will show you the location.)
Just for fun a reader in Texas e-mailed me an image of her Byrd Bartholomew version of Broken Bow. Thanks Amy.
Another Broken Bow by Byrd Bartholomew
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I’ve always loved your dads paintings! Always wished I could have talked my dad (Lani Bartholomew) into getting one. Your art is amazing as well.