As a father to 5 children, and a husband to my best friend for over 50 years, I’ve spent most of my adulthood navigating the political morass of modern business, fighting traffic, manipulating numbers for reports and serving others as a volunteer. In a different time, I would have spent my life hunting, trapping, trading and exploring the Wild West as a mountain man.
Now, my time is my own, and I spend it exploring the West as an artist and historian. My spirit soars as I daydream and turn my visions into art.
Kindred spirits know how I feel and hopefully can escape into my paintings with me. We can then enjoy the past together.
TrappersWildWest 
Now you can live your dream and still have your best friend by your side.
Yeah – too bad SHE doesn’t love the Wild West and great outdoors quite as much as I do.
Oops!
Just noticed that there is one special blog missing from your list of those you follow – http://sachemspeaks.wordpress.com . Think you’ll enjoy it.
Thanks. I’ll check it out.
Gale,
Great work and hope retirement is all you dreamed of…
Tom Mills
Hi Tom;
Glad you liked the paintings. I have always love history and the combination of painting, reading and doing keeps me alive. I also build flintlock rifles. I’m going to post pictures of them as well.
How are things with you and your family? Well I hope.
All are well. 16 grandkids..12 boys. Health is good. Teaching early morning seminary. Working on mission..probably next spring…traveling some…just had 44th anniversary…golfing ( 7 handicap)…finishing 1st book…2nd home in AZ….life is good and getting better all the time…love your art…can see you in your leathers in my memory…hi to Shirley.
I can’t begin to thank you enough for stopping over and following my humble blog-o-thing! I wish you the very best, not only today but well into the future. Be inspired and please take care.
Thank you. I’m enjoying your humble blog-o-thing!
Interesting blog!
Thank you.
Thanks – come by again!
Like the blog! I assume you are a fan of Jeremiah Johnson? One of my all time favorite flicks.
I do like the movie Jeremiah Johnson and old westerns. I have an obvious soft spot for the West!
I our art may be very different, but I feel you and I are kindred spirits.
Perhaps so… it seems we both like to imagine something that was or perhaps will be. I like your art.
Wow, I have gotten blank looks from younger folks when I mention Jeremiah Johnson, so nice to find some others who know what and who I refer to. That movie really impressed me. Heck, just remaining in my memory banks for so long is a real coup!
aw… Jeremiah Johnson is a classic – maybe there will be a remake, since that seems to be Hollywood’s way. Totally understand about the memory banks!
Thanks for the refollow Trapper. I am wondering if you have read any Aldo Leopold or Paul Shephard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Shepard
I haven’t. My reading has mostly been historical in nature, although I see that Paul Shepard does touch on topics that interest me.
Yeah, I though you might find him of interest because of how important hunting and getting back to that more fundamental mindset. You would probably also love Jose Ortega y Gasset’s Meditations on Hunting.
🙂
For the wild at heart and searching for open spaces old age is a treat. I fully agree with your feelings. Let art do what it will.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and liking my drawing “Lucy.” I like your paintings and plan on stopping by again.
We lived in Kansas and Arizona I love all things of the desert and western . How wonderful you can follow your dream now and share it with others as well! Namaste. . . . Anne.
Thanks – the West is amazing. It’s true, this old guy is proof that it’s never to late.
Trapper Gale
Thank you so much for stopping by blog! I appreciate 😃
Wonderful artworks and interesting blog you have. Looking forward to see more your posts😃
Absolutely – I’m glad to meet you and thanks for the nice comments.
Thank you so much for the like, dear~! I really appreciate it~!
You’re welcome.
Heya Trapper Gale, thanks for stopping by my site and “liking” my work! It’s much appreciated!
Glad to stop on by.
Thanks for dropping by and liking my Baby Death doodle!
It was my pleasure.
I very much enjoyed your gallery and will return again to view your paintings longer. Do you have any interest in illustrating western stories?
Thanks so much. Yes, I would be interested in illustrating stories – it would be an interesting challenge.
I was fortunate to marry my best friend too! I believe this makes for the strongest and most fulfilling marriage.
It definitely does. I feel even luckier, since I was crazy enough to get married at 18!
Wow!!! I married at 23 and it was a steep learning curve. 18 seems like it would have been a vertical wall.
It was, but all these years later I wouldn’t change it.
My hats off to you and your best friends for 50 years of marriage. Not to many people can claim that these days.
Thanks. I suspect one day you will make the same claim.
Really cool site. I love the old west and should have stuck with a short dream from childhood and been an archaeologist. I also digg (2 g’s on purpose) westerns, Clint Eastwood and the movie Jeremiah Johnson.
Thank you for really being real. had you and 4 others start to follow after my “Think about it, some Real issues” post and was so excited and you are the only one that isn’t following to promote “make money on the web”…. they probably found me with some search spider? who knows?
Anyway, thanks so much I will follow back,
Blessings,
Kevin Scholl
Thanks for the nice comment – obviously I love the old west too. I look forward to reading what you have to say.
Trapper Gale
Hi there. Even though I don’t like the thought age wise…. Its great to be retired because you can follow your dreams. I love the Wild west stories also the Native American Indians. Your blog is extremely interesting so thanks for sharing.
Thanks – being retired is a mixed blessing – great to be able to pursue the things I love, bad because, yeah… it means I’m old. All in all though, it’s a good trade off.
Trapper, I enjoy your blog. I’m lucky. My wife loves the west. We have spent quite a bit of time @ Yellowstone. The last time we stayed in a cabin. The elk were in rut. (It was September). One of my favorite sounds is an elk bugling in the woods. In 2010 we took a road trip with our 5th wheel to Alaska. Gone about 2 months. Amazing! Enough material to paint for a lifetime.
Enjoy your retirement.
Phil Hewitt
Thanks Phil – you are lucky! Sounds likes some great trips.
thanks for following my blog and I wish you the very best with your interesting blog 🙂
Hi, thank you for supporting my Blog, I nominated you for the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award. You don’t need to re post or anything, it’s just my way of saying thanks for the interactions and support from you 🙂 – Gub – http://gubista.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/the-wonderful-team-member-readership-award/
Thanks… and you’re welcome.
So happy you are able to pursue your favorite things at last. I am doing the same. I appreciate that you read my posts and take the time to “like” them. This virtual sharing of blogs is like sitting around the virtual campfire talking story 🙂
It would be great to see your comments about what I post some time.
Thanks Julie – will do.
Thank you for coming by my blog! As you’ve seen, we are East-Coasters who have a fascination with the Wild West. My husband wants to move to Montana some day, so maybe one day we will live the dream! Thanks again for your visit! I’ll be following your here to live vicariously!
Absolutely, I enjoyed it. As you might have guessed I am partial to the West, but this whole country is amazing.
Agreed. I’m stunned every time I travel. Each place is prettier than the last.
Congratulation, I have nominated you for the Shine on Award for blogging. Please go to the site listed below. You need to tell some things (about7) about yourself, and nominate 10 or a few more bloggers and notify them of the rules and that you have nominated them. Shine On! Let me know if you have questions. http://talesalongtheway.com/2013/08/24/shine-on-award-2/
Namaste. . . . .Anne
Beautiful work. I’m able to dedicate more time to many past art interests now. Your work is very inspiring.
Cheryl at Artzzle
Thanks so much for the nice comment and for stopping by, I appreciate it.
Thanks for the like on my blog, Gale.
I love history also, and never thought about putting my two loves together, too many other ideas to paint about first I guess. But you have given me a new avenue to explore, thanks 🙂
I’ve enjoyed looking at the art on your blog, and it will be fun to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
You have an interesting blog! Thanks for visiting mine!
Beautiful art by the way! 😀
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I enjoyed your artwork as well.
Nice site, and speaking as a fellow artist, nice work. ~TD
Thanks for the kind words.
Hey Trapper, thank you for stopping by to like one of my paintings. It is very encouraging, when someone takes the time to have a look. I am looking forward to the time when painting is all I do. Unfortunately I have to keep working for a while yet. I really like your home sweet home painting. I love the bright colours contrasting against the tipi.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it. Home Sweet Home, is definitely one of my favorites as well. Good luck with your wonderful creative art, it is a passion, isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I can’t wait to paint full time someday. Your work is lovely and I look forward to following you and your work. Best wishes for a beautiful creative process and outcome!
Thanks for stopping back. Your work is beautiful, so I’m sure someday will be soon. Best wishes to you also.
Thanks so much for liking my drawing “Nikki” on my blog. I enjoy looking at your paintings.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Your work is beautiful. Scratch board can be a difficult medium, but you handle it beautifully.
I was looking at your art and immediately thought of a Canadian artist you may not be familiar with – Cornelius Krieghoff. The Art Gallery of Ontario – in Toronto – has about 5 rooms of his paintings. He painted of his time and area and in a very romantic way. For a long time his work didn’t get the recognition it deserved but now he is considered a national treasure. You are looking back at historical times. Do you paint of the life today? That will be of interest to the next generations – like Krieghoff’s works.
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and comment. There are many not so well known, but excellent painters out there. On your suggestion I looked up Krieghoff – and enjoyed his work. As for myself, the contemporary work I do is mostly graphite drawings of people. The inspiration for my paintings comes from my love of American history – particularly that of the West.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Much appreciated 🙂
You’re welcome. Beautiful photos.
I’m interested to see you build flintlocks – that’s brilliant! (I looked to see if I could search for some images of them here and see you have me as a ‘great link’! I’m flattered – thank you very much!)
I love the idea behind your blog; the simplicity, albeit of a hard life, of the past is appealing. We have become so tangled up in the ‘must haves/dos’ of the modern world that we’ve lost touch with where we come from.
Thank you for taking the time to post such a nice comment. I will be putting together info about flintlocks – I’ve been building them for a long time and learned from excellent teachers. I agree, it does seem we have lost touch and so many of the ‘must haves/dos’ aren’t really important after all.
Please be sure to let me know when you post about your flintlocks as I’m really interested. Hopefully I’ll see it anyway but just in case …..
Will do :).
Thanks for liking my post about oystering on the Chesapeake Bay! I look forward to reading your blog, Trappers Wild West.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I’ve been crabbing, but never oystering, so I found your post quite interesting.
Thank you for visiting and the like of my post “Two Become One”.
You’re welcome.
Thank you for reading and liking my piece about Tonto in my blog, mrpipponders. You sound like our sort of guy and we will keep an eye on what you write.
I thoroughly enjoyed your Tonto post and look forward to seeing others. Thanks for stopping by.
Trapper Gale
Do you prefer oil or acrylic?
I paint in acrylic. Oil is beautiful, but can cause health issues – which I’m trying to avoid!
So good to see someone making the most of their retirement and declaring that ‘it is never too late’ and that modern life hasn’t ground you down as it has so many others. You sound like you are having a ball – good for you!
Thanks, KnitNell. I’m definitely enjoying retirement.
Gale, I think your art work is amazing, and I am in love with the Wild West as much as you are. As a Brit, that part of history fascinates me so much more than our boring kings and queens. Maybe I will do a ‘Ten best Westerns’ post on my movie blog, in honour of you!
Thanks so much for the great comment. Your kings and queens are fascinating, but boy the Wild West definitely holds my heart. Look forward to your list of best Westerns!
Just a note to thank you for visiting Cry and Howl. At times I feel that I was born in the wrong era of time; I often picture myself as a cowboy riding a big buckskin with my six shooter and Winchester strapped to my horse, my dog trotting along side … “I should have been a cowboy!”
This is an awesome site and your art work is outstanding! I know you’ve heard of William W. Johnstone. I’ve read more than 60 of his books … Eagle Series, The Last Gunfighter, many of the Mountain Man books … etc.
Anyway, thank you again and know that you’re welcome any time.
Steve
Thanks for your great comment. Those were interesting and challenging times, but there was a freedom then, that has been lost today. Cry and Howl describes how I feel about today, so I’ll definitely be by again.
Trapper,
Thanks for the like. I enjoy your work as well. My wife and I both love the West.
Trapper, just checking in. I’ve come by to visit, looking forward to see what’s new on the canvas. Looks like you are out of town, maybe? Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. I checked out your “Upcoming Events”, and I noticed one location … near the Rogue River. HA! If that is not a wild name for a river, I don’t know what is. I’m out. T
Thanks for stopping by and checking on me – I wish I was out of town, but I’ve had a bad run of health problems that have put me down for the count. Hoping to get back in the studio soon though. Your message really made my day, so again, thanks! And yes, Rogue River is wild :).
I am one of those who is blessed to live in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. I love your work. We live simply up here – wood stove for heat, etc. – and do not miss “civilization” at all. Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I am pleased you liked what you read. ~Katrina
Sounds like an ideal life to me… Thank you for returning the visit!
Trapper