Morning Wind

20” x 16”
Oil on Canvas
2026

This painting began with a simple drive across the Parsons ranch on the Blackfeet Reservation. It was early morning, and I was on my way to check on Rusty when the sky stopped me.

The wind that comes off the Lewis Range can be relentless. It rattles windows, bends fences, and sweeps across the prairie with a force that shapes the land itself. Yet somehow those same winds often leave behind the most remarkable skies. On this morning, a long band of cloud caught the first light of day and ignited in shades of gold, orange, and rose against the cold blue dawn.

The old wagon wheels in the snow seemed to belong to another time, standing quietly beneath a sky that was anything but still. I pulled over and took a photograph, knowing the moment would be gone in minutes.

This painting is my attempt to preserve that brief meeting of wind, light, and memory—a winter morning on the reservation when the sky demanded to be noticed.

— Bob Parsons