Ramble OnAI

Two riders pause among the golden trees in this autumn scene by Mark Maggiori, a French born artist who has become one of today's best known painters of the American West. The figure in the bright red and white blanket turns to look back, while the second rider sits quietly on a darker horse. There's a calm, unhurried feeling here, as if the two have stopped mid journey to share a word or simply take in the woods around them.

Maggiori built his reputation by carrying on the tradition of Western painters like the famous cowboy artists of the early twentieth century, but with his own modern touch. He's especially loved for his dramatic skies and his rich use of color, and you can see that skill in the way the yellow leaves seem to glow against the shadowy tree trunks. Interestingly, before becoming a painter he was a musician and even fronted a French rock band, and the title "Ramble On" borrows from a Led Zeppelin song, a small nod to his past life. The result is a quiet, warm picture that invites you to slow down and wander through the forest along with the riders.