Ju Ming originally studied traditional wood-carving where he displayed a natural skill in creating lively works. He subsequently developed a passion for the craft and moved on to sculpting his own creative free forms. His early works were inspired by local Taiwanese culture; the pure simplicity of village life encapsulated by water buffaloes, chicken, historical figures and other subject matter from folk custom. Ju Ming's first exhibition at the National Museum of History in Taipei in 1976 was the beginning of a serious career as an artist. Some have described Ju Ming as "new life emerging from the shadows of tradition"or "Master Craftsman Ju Ming" During the peak of revival of interest in local culture three years later, Spring Gallery held an exhibition of Ju Ming's works. As a result, Ju Ming was henceforth seen as a symbol of the local Taiwanese culture - water buffaloes and Ju Ming were perceived to be of equal significance. "Cowboy and Cow"is Ju Ming's early work from 1978. Ju Ming sculpted what he was familiar in the childhood, the cowboy and water buffaloes in the field, and crafted to a work of art.