The Chase Is On

Description

The Chase is On
22.5″ x 16″ • Graphite on Paper • Signed Pamela Turnbow

The Chase is On is a deeply personal graphite drawing that emerged from a time of emotional urgency and artistic challenge. The image depicts a cowboy in mid-pursuit, riding hard after a calf across an open expanse—an iconic Western scene layered with symbolic weight.

While the horse and calf came easily, the cowboy resisted. Pamela redrew him over and over, frustrated by angles that refused to align—until she let go of what she thought was wrong and discovered the real imbalance. The lesson was not just in drawing, but in life: sometimes the problem isn’t where we expect it, and only when we release our assumptions can true progress be made.

Created during the early vaccine rollout of the COVID-19 pandemic, this drawing became a visual prayer for Pamela’s family and others desperately seeking protection. The chase felt personal. Some days she was the rider—determined. Other days, the calf—vulnerable. And still others, simply along for the ride, hoping for resolution.

This piece stands as a meditation on effort, helplessness, and persistence. It asks not which role we play, but whether we’re still in the race.