Self Care Cowboy

I made these images over the first lockdown, for a digital end-of-year show made on hot glue.

They are based on the image of the cowboy. Created to sell content in the form of dime shows, rodeos, TV, radio, and film; the cowboy is a largely fictitious cultural figure.

I wanted to explore the idea of digital and physical spaces and capture the boredom and liminal feeling many experienced during this time. I was inspired by the computer interfaces of the 2000s. The colour palette also felt very current at the time.

I created the character to highlight the absurdity of trends and the surreal nature of how the internet enables their widespread adoption. The self-care cowboy is an exploration of the commercialized 'Self Care' trend and the inherently commercialized cowboy.