Bob Callender Fine Art

My dad was a top drilling superintendent who would take all of us—I’m the youngest of 10—to the rig most all of my younger life. I’ve gone home, as a little guy, from those sites coated with drilling mud on my clothes and a big grin on my face. While out on a “Big Rig Adventure”, with my family, I’ve narrowly escaped being trampled by a herd of cattle by climbing up a windmill. Then I was stuck up there past dark in a pasture miles from the nearest civilization.(All while my brothers were working on the rig) But I always came home with stars in my eyes about the work my dad and brothers did! The family and people I've been around all my life have become my heroes and inspired me to have that never quit attitude, to be meaner than what I was working with, to treat a lady like a lady, that a man was only as good as his word, to do things right the first time and always be there to lend a hand. These people have always been bigger than life to me. That love for the oilfield and the families who trade their blood, sweat, and tears for a barrel of crude is what fuels the passion of my photography. I want to capture the heartbeat of every site, from the tiniest screw to the steel beams that hold everything together—just like I see those childhood adventures in my mind. I want my work to mean something, to stir your soul. To help you relive the sights, sounds, feelings of pride, and smells of the people and work that energizes America and the world! My hope is to inspire the best and increase pride in this industry. To remind you of the adventurous cowboy, being willing to press westward to make a living when there wasn't a way before. Toward the end of my dad’s life, we began to talk about all the adventures of life. As we were talking he said, “Bob if someone made a tape of the sounds of a drilling rig, it would be music to my ears.” This is when I realized working in the oilfield wasn’t just work but a passion with my family. I hope you feel that in my art.