About the Artist - Ryan Drake
A Southern California native and a resident of Santa Clarita since 1990, Ryan has been interested in photography as a hobby for over 20 years. Currently serving as the Webmaster for the City of Santa Clarita, Ryan’s work has been featured in print, online and in television/film.
This particular image was taken at the 2008 Cowboy Festival of the popular vendor booth where Blacksmiths pound names into horseshoes. This image was also featured in the City’s 2009 Festival of the Arts “Art Stop Project”.
We’re pleased to present his photo “The Blacksmith” as our 2011 Festival icon.
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- "Wylie & The Wild West changed the water level in the cowboy entertainment aquarium." -Baxter Black, True West Magazine, August 2010
- ""Authentic is a tough word in the cowboy-song biz these days, but [Don] Edwards is warm and melodic. He makes the songs a nice reward after a long day on the trail." -New York Daily News"
- "Hot Club of Cowtown lit up the room. The band instantly brought hot-jazz and western swing to life." " -Angie Pyle, Tulsa Today, April 2010
- Sourdough Slim "There's no one else out there like Sourdough Slim. Catchy, uplifting, irresistible, jolly fun." -Darrell Arnold, Cowboy Magazine
- Chuck Pyle "Chuck is the whole package...melodic singing, witty lyrics and GREAT boots." -Mike Pengra, Minnesota Public Radio
- Sons of the San Joaquin "The Sons sing in a style as wide-open and relaxed as an afternoon loping across Montana." - - New York Daily News
- "We didn't have electricity and that meant we didn't have T.V. We had darn poor radio too. So that meant we did the strangest things at night ... we talked to each other!" -Waddie Mitchell
- Chris Isaacs "Chris Isaacs is the real deal—cowboy to the bone. The fact that he's also a great entertainer is icing on the cake….one of the best in the business." -Dave Stamey
