A lone cowboy on horseback navigates a narrow mountain cliff trail, illuminated by dramatic light against a vast, rugged landscape.

One of the neighboring estancia owner’s asked Lucas to come pick up a pony. We rode over earlier in the day and enjoyed some Argentine hospitality. As we were riding back the weather changed and made for interesting light.

Three riders and a dog press on through an endless, snowbound plain under a heavy, overcast sky. In pastel on linen, Wheeler captures the bitter cold and quiet defiance of gaucho life in Patagonia, with Lucas—ever the John Wayne figure—leading the way.

The poplars in Patagonia have incredible colors for a month in the fall. This is part of a group out for a ride. The colors were irresistible. I painted this in pastel on linen to try and capture the spirit of the day.

We left early from estancia Tres Rios with to ride for the day up the Collon Cura River. Stephan, the fellow in the red shirt is a professional polo player and he rides a horse like a dream.

The final painting in the series of three snow day paintings. The sky turned yellow as the setting sun reflected off clouds and mountains. Everyone is exhausted and shoulders are slumping. In a bit of a surreal symbol, I placed a cross at the far right side. It has words on it as a secret message to the viewer.

This is about the soul of a vanishing way of life. I tried to capture him in a bit of a surrealistic atmosphere. His horse is magnificent and his expertise as a horseman are the point of this painting.

This is a painting of my friend, Dick Gebhard on his all black horse, “Duke”. It was painted as a companion piece to mirror “Gaucho on a Palamino”. I sent Dick a picture of the Gaucho painting and he replicated the pose. This is also painted in very few colors.