A prospector sits with his burros. Compliments of Gila County Historical Museum.
Harmon settled on the burro for a series of smaller bronzes depicting the role of burros in settling the West. From their invaluable role as beasts of burden to their usefulness as a cheaper form of transportation and harness animals than the horse, burros have helped to write history.
“A worthy man is still worthy even penniless. A donkey is a donkey even if he is finely saddled.” A Turkish Proverb.
“To carry his load without resting, not to be bothered by heat or cold and always be content: these three things we can learn from a donkey.” Anonymous
Excerpt from the magazine of Western History dated 1891
Identifying the burro as “the first locomotive to ascend Pike’s Peak”, the writer goes on to say, ” I have seen one of his kindred loaded with dynamite, picking his way upward along the trail. Without the burro as a fore-climber, it might have been impossible for the “iron horse” to ascend to the summit…”
The Series currently includes 5 pieces.
Burro with Pack Saddle. A common site throughout the West, where burros were used extensively in mining.
Burro w/pack saddle
The burro always carried the burdens. A mighty little character but quickly forgotten.
50 Qnty
H5”XW5”XL7”
Jenny & Colt
Jenny & Colt
Always close to the heart is the scene of a mother and babe. The artist has captured the look of this in the piece.
50Qnty
H6”XW7”XL5”
Burro with Wood. Here a burro brings home firewood
Burro w/wood
A common burden for the burro is packing the supplies. The artist picked the pack to be wood as scene remembered by the viewer.
50 Qnty
H5”XW5”XL7”
Come Alittle Closer
Come Alittle Closer
One of the jobs a burro does is to babysit with the children. The artist created a scene commonly seen with two little cowboys and trying to catch a ride. One little guy uses the stump while his partner tries to pull the burro for mounting – “Just a little closer.”
50Qnty
H6”XW5”XL7”
Come Alittle Closer- the girls
Commissioned:
A recent piece is based on ‘Come alittle closer” but is commissioned by a client who has two granddaughters and wished to have them featured instead of boys.
Did you know?
The term burro sprang from the Spanish term for donkeys. They were the preferred “beast of burden” by many who recognized their hardiness under harsh circumstances. Larger burros are generally descended from Spanish stock and smaller burros from Mexican stock (which had origins in Europe.)
Some recent press about burros:
The Wild Burros of Oatman Arizona
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wleTVLTMf5U[/youtube]
LCG
frankie