The iconic F. McLintocks Saloon cowboy in Shell Beach is getting a makeover.
Ryan Castor, the owner and operator of Castor Painting, is in charge of touching up the statue overlooking Highway 101. 'Clint the Cowboy' was carved from a tree in 1983 by a Filipino woodcarver, Eusebio Dalay.
Castor says Clint's hat had to be repaired and repainted because it was rotted around 10 years ago. He did some research on paint colors to accurately reflect the time period.
A powered lift takes Castor 25 feet up the ground. He says this makes painting the eyeballs more challenging because the lift moves around so much. It is his first time painting a statue like this.
Right now, Castor is using 9 different colors including a new brass color on the rifle and white ivory handle on the pistols. “I was trying to replicate more of a henry repeating rifle which was brass and then on the pistol this time I upgraded him to an ivory handle so I thought that would be cool and so he got a little tuna and a little modification to make the colors pop a little more.“
Castor is a local painter and drives this stretch of Hwy 101 freeway regularly so he said it’ll be nice to be able to admire his work. He tells KSBY this project been a good challenge for him and given him an opportunity to hone in on his skills as a painter.
There is still more work to be done on the bottom saddle which is in the lower portion of the statue.
"It’s just really one of those neat things you get to do in your life an opportunity and it’s a real honor to be out here and work on something that is so iconic to the Central Coast.“
