NARRATIVE: The American cowboy is an iconic symbol of our country. When Americans participate in international competitions, presentations, pageants, etc., and are asked to wear something representative of their native country, it is very often traditional cowboy attire, complete with the hat. When I was invited to participate in this show and viewed Glenn Beck's artifact collection, I was immediately inspired by the hat used in John Wayne movies.

Growing up, I idolized the cowboy lifestyle and nobody eptomized that more for me than John Wayne, sitting tall and tough in the saddle. I watched all his films and removed my hat and bowed my head every time I heard his voice recording of the "Cowboy Prayer" played over the loud speaker at the many rodeos I attended. Beyond his acting career, Wayne was a patriot and often expressed his love of country. In his 1977 book, "America, Why I Love Her," John spoke of overcoming divisions and prejudice, "America is made up of every race, color and creed under the sun. ...Our country stands today as the world's oldest living Republic. We are the greatest sociological experiement that the world has ever known. ...When we all tear down the walls of bigotry and prejudice and live in real harmony with ourselves and others, then we'll all say 'I am an American.'"

One of my favorite John Wayne movies is "True Grit," the film he received the Academy Award for "Best Actor" in 1969. This painting interprets the climactic scene where Rooster Cogburn faces off with Ned and his gang, holding the reins in his teeth and wielding a pistol and rifle in each hand.