Oil on Canvas, 35 ½" x 63"

By the time the white man began to visit the Permian Basin in significant numbers, the dominate Indian tribe was the warlike Comanche. This Lovell painting depicts the triumphant return of a Comanche-Kiowa raiding party from its annual trip to the interior of Mexico to its village near present Ft. Stockton. The warriors have painted and decorated themselves and their horses for the grand entry into their village.

Oil on Canvas, 34 3/4" x 56 3/4"

J. A. Slaughter operated the large and historic U Lazy S Ranch in Garza County of West Texas. This Lovell painting is set in 1924 and depicts a hypothetical gathering of men prominent in the development of Permian Basin oil and gas production. Slaughter invited these geologists to his ranch to enjoy a chuck wagon dinner, hoping they might find inspiration to explore the drilling possibilities on his ranch.

Oil on Canvas, 21 ½" x 36 ½"

Like pioneer women for generations before them, wives of the early oil men followed their husbands into sometimes desolate environments, yet managed somehow to make a home. Lovell's painting celebrates the resilient spirit o f these women. The setting is a wildcat driller's camp. The young bride has finished her morning wash and has walked out into her vast open "yard" with tin plate in hand to feed her flock of "chickens," a covey of blue quail.

Oil on Canvas, 35 ½" x 45 ½

It was the responsibility of the landman to negotiate with owners of the mineral rights for authority to explore for oil and gas. This scene that Lovell painted was based on an actual event described to him by George T. Abell, an independent operator in the Basin's development. It is near midnight and the futures of the farm family and of the oil man hang in the balance. The landman is offering the farmers money from the oil lease and the farmer is considering the risks and the benefits. A decision must be made.

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