Wayne Brooks

With his knowledge and mastery of the action of a horse, artist Dyrk Godby has captured the pure athletic skill of a barrel horse and its rider spinning around a barrel in his depiction of Women’s Barrel Racing for this year’s Sister’s Rodeo poster.

Both physical and mental communication between the horse and cowgirl are easy to imagine through Godby’s painting of one of the most popular spectator events at the rodeo. The cowgirl aids the horse through balance and guidance, against the backdrop of a brilliant high desert sunset illuminating the sky amid the Three Sisters Mountains.

The expansive mountain landscape has become a traditional aspect of the Sisters Rodeo posters.

“Our beautiful outdoor setting is part of what brings old and new fans to our rodeo year after year,” said Tom Crowder, rodeo board member. “The mountain view makes our rodeo unique, and we like to promote that.”

Godby’s talent as an artist whose paintings, drawings and leather tooling are often reflective of his own life experiences is an ideal match for the Sisters Rodeo poster, an honor he enjoyed last year and is pleased to have been selected for again.

“Sisters Rodeo brings the best in the sport to the rodeo,” he said. “Doing a painting for Sisters is an honor.”

Godby has been painting for more than 30 years, with an attention to detail that brings cowboys and ranch animals to life on canvas. He paints what he knows, garnering inspiration from his life as a rancher.

A Western artist whose work is desired by collectors nationwide, Godby was recognized by America’s Horse in Art, the American Quarterhorse Hall of Fame Museum in Amarillo, Texas in 2009. He was also honored as the American Paint Horse Association Artist of the Year in 2006. He has repeatedly received Best in Show honors and People’s Choice honors at Western art shows across the nation.

The 2014 Sisters Rodeo Poster can be purchased in Sisters at Leavitt’s Western Wear, Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop, Sno Cap Ice Cream and Open Range, and in Bend at The Boot Barn and Desperado Western Wear.

— Courtesy of Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo