Nat Love
David Buetsche (Cincinnati, OH)
Mixed media, collage & spray paint on canvas,
60 H x 48” W x 2” D
Artwork:
"Nat Love” is part of my Forgotten Riders series, which examines the erasure of Black cowboys from the mythology of the American West. Built through layers of archival imagery, collage, paint, and abrasion, the work reflects on how history is preserved, distorted, and selectively remembered. The figure of Nat Love emerges through fractured surfaces like a cultural ghost, confronting the romanticized narratives that have historically excluded many of the people who shaped the American frontier. The distressed composition mirrors the instability of memory itself, revealing how identity and historical truth can become buried beneath generations of omission and myth-making.
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.