“I paint the American spirit: people from an era when we had to be strong to survive,” says Morgan Weistling. The advance of the American frontier, from the Alleghenies to the Pacific, forged not only the geographical boundaries of this country but our national character as well. “Life was played out at the cutting edge of civilization. For all the trials they had to endure, daily moments and memories of family life on the frontier are not so distant that they do not resonate with and inspire us today.”

The night’s camp site has been selected and work has begun on the evening’s meal. The chuck wagon represented to the cowboy not only an island of civilization out on the range but also home for The Chef’s Daughter. This state of the art kitchen may not come equipped with a sub-zero refrigerator but it could travel hundreds of miles through any weather. As rough and tumble as any day moving cattle could have been, even the most ornery of ranch hands would have found a soft spot in his soul when he came into camp and encountered Cookie’s young daughter after a hard day’s ride.