Howdy and welcome to ZABELART

 

I Thank God I live in the American West, born and raised. I have had a deep burning passion for the western lifestyle and its dream and legend since I was a child growing up in northwest Colorado. A fifth generation native of Routt County where my family eventually settled following the move west from places like Scotland, Sweden, Poland and England by way of Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kansas.

​

I started my art/sculpting career at a very young age. In awe of true cowboys and cowboy artists, I dreamed, studied and ultimately lived the cowboy life and lifestyle with a passion. Reading and studying the lives and art of men like Charlie Russell and Will James, who realistically portrayed the experiences they lived. I was fortunate to have a real cowboy artist as an uncle and spent many hours and wet saddle blankets at his ranch and studying in his bunkhouse studio

​

In living my dream, I worked on ranches, cowboy'd, trained horses and worked as a guide on hunting and pack trips in the mountains and canyons of northwest Colorado. The rodeo "dream" grabbed hold of me at the age of 13, riding and competing on broncs and bulls through little britches, high school, pro-am and PRCA.

​

Educated in the spiritual life through studies in Biblical theology, God, in His Grace and Mercy called me through my Lord Jesus Christ to the ministry of reconciliation when I was 20.

 

Wilderness survival, tracking and living off the land has been a great part of my learning experience in Gods glorious "University".

 

 I have a strong admiration of the history and culture of the Native Americans. There is an ancient saying I love attributed to Tecumseh of the Shawnee, " When the Legends die there are no more Dreams. When the Dreams die there is no more Greatness,( my paraphrasing )". My hope and belief is that through God's grace my artistic expression can be a telling of such things as Legend. To portray the richness of our western heritage and inspire dreams to future greatness.

​

God Bless you,

Patrick