Mountain Men – New Work by Lonnie Cullers
Lonnie Cullers’ painting Mountain Men transports us to another time, following two men and their horses through a frozen woodland path in the mountains of Virginia. Their rugged coats and alert expressions echo a hard-earned knowledge of the land—men who live by instinct, grit, and camaraderie.
Lonnie has long been drawn to early American history, particularly the rugged independence of frontier life. As a longtime member of the North-South Skirmish Association and a lifelong outdoorsman, he brings a personal connection to the era’s textures and tools: powder horns, buckskin, and handmade saddles. In fact, he has a replica outfit of the Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen, the western Virginia unit that fought in the Revolutionary War.
There’s a quiet narrative in this painting—of scouting new terrain, of survival, of brotherhood. The wintry trees form a stark, beautiful backdrop, a reminder of the silence and challenge of the highlands in winter. It’s not hard to imagine this ridge could be somewhere above Fort Valley.
Read more on the Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan%27s_Riflemen
