Our thanks goes to the Pastel Society of New Mexico for putting America’s Drawing Cowboy, Darryl Willison Jr., on our radar. Back in July, the society’s newsletter mentioned that Willison’s pastel painting, Dare to Dream, won the print competition for the 2007 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (Oct. 6-14), which meant that his image would be reproduced as a serigraph print for the festival.

Willison's work can be found in 13 galleries throughout the west. “I have been an artist all my life, drawing with whatever I got my hands on,” he says on his site. “I am self taught in all aspects of what I do, driven by the curiosity of the outcome.”

Also on his site, he explains Dare to Dream was inspired by the color and beauty of the annual event. See what he’s talking about here, and have yourself a colorful weekend.

image from whimsicalwest.com