Jim Perry
David Buetsche (Cincinnati, OH)
Mixed Media, Collage & Spray Paint on Canvas,
40 H x 30” W x 1.5” D
Artwork:
“Jim Perry” is part of my Forgotten Riders series, which investigates the historical erasure of Black cowboys from the American narrative. Through layered collage, archival imagery, paint, and weathered surfaces, the work reflects on how certain identities are pushed to the margins of cultural memory. The fragmented composition allows the figure to emerge slowly through abstraction and decay, emphasizing the tension between recognition and disappearance. By revisiting overlooked frontier figures like Jim Perry, the work challenges the mythology of the American West and confronts the systems that continue to shape historical visibility and omission.
Artist Statement:
My work examines the spaces where history, memory, and mythology begin to break apart. Through layered collage, abrasion, archival imagery, and distressed surfaces, I explore the ways cultural narratives are constructed and selectively preserved. In Forgotten Riders, erased Black cowboy figures emerge through fractured compositions that reflect both visibility and disappearance. The work confronts the mythology of the American West while questioning who is remembered, who is omitted, and how historical identity continues to shape contemporary America.