Tom Lovell: Storyteller With a Brush Page: 53
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Direction and color became critical.
Though many current Permian Basin residents have
never heard of camels crossing the West Texas desert,
books and magazine articles on the subject abound.
Many of these were sent to Tom Lovell along with a copy
of the detailed report filed with Secretary of War Jefferson
Davis by the military man who attempted the Texas camel
expedition in 1859.
"In this report the conditions of doing reconnaissance
exploration of the area between Camp Howard, Fort
Lancaster, Fort Davis and the Rio Grande are vividly and
fully described," wrote Mr. Abell in May 1970 to Lovell.
"We are also enclosing part of a Texas road map. I have
marked (as near as I can figure it) the route taken by
Lieutenant William H. Echols, Bureau of Topographical
Engineers, as described in his reports."
After receiving the first pencil sketch showing a cara-
van of camels and men crossing near a rocky area, he fol-
lowed this with additional comments about these strange
beasts of burden. "Camels are, to me, tall in stature and
somewhat unstable because of their center of gravity
being so high; and with a 500-pound load strapped
securely on top they
would be extremely
'top-heavy.' If a
camel were going up
or down a steep
incline it could easily
make a slip in its
footing and create a
hazardous and dan-gerous situation," wrote Mr.
Abell. "The camel, being quite
intelligent, could decide to
walk on its knees going up
a steep incline. Would it
not be more interesting to
show a portion of the trail
as being very steep.. .and
two of the camels walking
on their knees until this <
portion of the steep
ground is surmounted?"
Lovell made a trip to Big Bend National Park and then
responded, "After our meeting I realized that more action
was desirable, and that the character of the terrain would
have a direct effect on the animals and men. With this in
mind as we explored the area, each succeeding vista was
considered as a possible setting. In short, we had a good
look. After studying my color photos and maps I decided
the real character of the country lies south of the
Persimmon Gap down into the Park and west along the
river, just where Echols passed.
"I have taken the liberty of introducing the large fore-
ground rock for compositional purposes but the vista to
the west is the real place. A hazy somewhat overcast sky
would afford a change from the cloudless blue morning
sky and bright sun of both the Coronado and Comanche
paintings."
Lovell's color sketch was similar to the final painting,
showing a camel slipping on the rocky ground and anoth-53
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Kelton, Elmer. Tom Lovell: Storyteller With a Brush, book, 2005; Midland, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1127711/m1/59/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Library and Hall of Fame.