Cowboy's Honor

Wayne Scherer - a Cowboy at Heart

Left: Rasta Girl Fishing, by Wayne Scherer Cowboy's Honor by Ben Marshall I went down to San Diego last week to visit my friend, Wayne Scherer. He's not a cowboy but he somethin' almost as good. He's the captain of a 60-foot powercat. Wayne was also the youngest artist ever to be asked to join the La Jolla Art Association. Durin' the hurricane season, my friend spends his time at home in San Diego but the rest of the year he pilots his boat along Mexican shorelines. He got hooked on goin' south of the border after spendin' some time workin' on a tuna boat and once traveled the entire length of South America drawin' pictures and havin' fun.

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We like to drink Pacifico beer and just hang out when he's back in port. It's not much different than what I do up here in west Sonoma.

I met Wayne a couple of years ago when I took a break from cowboyin' and spent some time in San Diego as a reporter. A friend of his had some of his paintings at a farmers' market and I was transfixed when I saw them.

"He doesn't sell his paintings," she said. "He just keeps them under his bed and in his closet. He doesn't tell anyone about them." I called up Wayne and asked him if I could do a story on his art and was surprised when he said yes.

From the first time we met, I knew Wayne was a brother. Brothers and sisters sometimes find one another durin' life and it's a rare thing to happen. Wayne sat down on the floor in his livin' room and I took a chair. Then he pulled out some of the most amazin' things from his closet.

We've been fast friends ever since although we rarely get the chance to spend much time together since I moved home to Cazadero.

I do know, deep down, Wayne wants to be a cowboy like I am but, like me, he's lassoed to the world where he lives. Besides, some things you have to start doin' while you're young.

What Wayne doesn't know is I want to be an artist and captain a powercat like he does. I know I could have been both.

Unfortunately, it takes more talent than I have to ever be anything close to a Wayne Scherer.