Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Hurd felt the pull of ranch life from an early age. But he left New Mexico at 17, first enrolling at West Point and later moving to Pennsylvania, where he decided to become an illustrator. In Pennsylvania, he managed to secure an apprenticeship with the renowned painter N.C. Wyeth, and the two men bonded over a shared interest in cowboy life. Hurd eventually married Wyeth’s eldest daughter, the painter Henriette, and the couple began to look for opportunities to return to New Mexico together. In 1934, Hurd purchased a small ranch near Roswell, and in 1939 he and Henriette decided to stay there permanently.

Hurd produced many of his best-known works in New Mexico. Depicting the daily rhythms of ranch life and labor, paintings like The Fence Rider trade human for natural drama, portraying the subtle yet impactful effects of the expansive New Mexico sky.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)