A late evening sun on the horizon glows orange through the rising dust. Men and their horses moving thousands of head of cattle out west through rugged, undiscovered land. The first cowboys; men who share the same ideals and hardships but blaze on with grit and determination. This is the image in a young boys mind as he holds his great uncle's branding irons.

Such were the early years for Roger S. Goodnight. Inspired to pursue a discipline that would allow him to share his visions with others, he attended the Art Center for Design in Pasadena, California where he studied under the renowned artist Dan MaCaw and the late Burn Hogarth. As an illustration major there, Roger gained a reputation for his remarkable attention to detail which led him into a twenty year career as a commercial artist. He has since transitioned to commissioned paintings and fine art.

Never content to merely draw a picture, Goodnight relies on an imagination that goes well beyond surface details. The family stories he inherited from his grandmother crossing The Oregon Trail by covered wagon and of the adventures told of cattle drives from Texas to Colorado, which became known as the Goodnight-Loving trail. These have instilled in him a fascination and a passion for the spirit of the subjects he paints. It is this attention to subtext that gives Roger's art such intensity.

Roger Goodnight has an awareness and an ability to get inside the heart of his subject to capture a dramatic moment. Infused with a rare empathy, Goodnight's paintings reflect the depth and honesty of the artist himself.