Brilliant Bulls on Parade

Created in collaboration by Jesse Littlebird and CS Rucker.

On this massive linen canvas dyed a brilliant scarlet, an abstract mountaintop made up of quilted patches of brilliantly patterned fabrics rises in the foreground. Among the array of forms and symbols that adorn the red sky and snow-capped peak are jutting horns, multi-colored lightning bolts, and mismatched eyes gazing out at the viewer.

'Brilliant Bulls on Parade' is part of a body of work that includes 'Bulls Pile-Up No. 75' and 'Enlightened Buffalo Souls Coming Down from Tetilla Peak No. 12,' which artist Jesse Littlebird refers to collectively as “pile-ups.” These layered, metaphor-laden works incorporate diverse mixed media and recurring themes such as Tetilla Peak and the plight of the American buffalo.

Speaking on ‘Brilliant Bulls on Parade’ in Episode 74 of the Blue Rain Gallery Podcast, Littlebird shares:

“This is a fabric piece that I created in collaboration with my friend, CS Rucker… We’d been wanting to do a contemporary fine art piece that incorporated quilting, hand dyes, and paint... We hand-dyed the linen canvas, there are lines of spray paint across, and the rest is fabric.”

Adding to the meaning of this captivating, large-format work, Littlebird calls ‘Brilliant Bulls on Parade’ an “expression of soul mis-chief and devotion to putting your best foot forward.”

To learn more about Littlebird’s collaborative creation of “Brilliant Bulls on Parade,” and his other available works, watch and listen to Episode 74 of the Blue Rain Gallery Podcast.