Early Life and Artistic Foundations Peter Hurd, born Harold Hurd Jr. in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1904, was destined for a life intertwined with the American West—a destiny subtly shaped by both familial expectation and an innate artistic calling. Though initially steered toward a military career with an appointment to West Point, Hurd’s heart lay not in drills and discipline but in observation and creation. This pivotal realization led…