I love to look out over this alfalfa field, and watch the clouds roll in, bringing the cool wind with it.
“Tom at Work”
This an artist friend of mine named Tom. I got to spend a week in the work shop with him taking a class called fantasy bird house building. It reminded me of being with Santa during July, and it wasn’t just the white beard and jovial disposition. First he had us sketch out our houses, and then with a chuckle and a twinkle in his eye he would brainstorm on how to make our dreams come true. My bird house was a beautiful church with not one, but two stained glass windows, lots of elaborate iron work, a copper roof, and he let me build much of it with a baby on my hip. What a great week, my 7 year old learned to use a drill press, and my dream house became a reality.
“Afternoon Showers”
The days are so hot and bright. I love the way an afternoon storm is like a sigh of relief.
“The Painted Desert”
If you have ever been here, you know why they call it the painted desert. Wow! I get to use all the crayons in my box, with out embellishing the colors.
“The Red Sand Hut”
The red sand hut is a cross between a shanty town in South Africa and a Norman Rockwell painting. It is what happens when you mix brothers, sisters, and friends old and new, and you give them an afternoon of device-free down time. They built the hut into the side of a Mesa with scraps of lumber, drift wood, and old metal. Then they defended it with stick swords and metal trash can shields. As I painted this, I loved playing with the lost edges between the kids skin and the red dirt. It seems that if their skin and the dirt weren’t the same color when the day started, they became more and more so as the afternoon passed on.
“Showers to the West”
I love when you can see rain falling near the horizon. We have such perspective when we are able to step out from within the storm.
“The Clouds Are Building”
These clouds fill me with a sense of awe.
“Watching for Rain”
Today I make my yearly trek from the Lone Star state into the Land of Enchantment. For those who follow this blog, we will spend the next month in the painted desert. I am so glad you are coming along.
“The Burning of Waldo Canyon”
“But clouds bellied out in the sultry heat, the sky cracked open with a crimson gash, spewed flame-and the ancient forest began to smoke. By morning there was a mass of booming, fiery tongues, a hissing, crashing, howling all around, half the sky black with smoke, and the bloodied sun just barely visible.” -Yevengy Zamyatin
I like to think of myself as an adventurous person, but as I painted this painting I thought of J.M.W. Turner and I realized I am not so brave. Turner would tie himself to the mast of a ship in a storm, and he ran to paint the burning of the parliament building in 1835. I painted this painting from a photo a friend from Colorado Springs sent me, no smoke, no danger, no noise, no heat, no immediate fear. For all who have no choice but smell the smoke, feel the heat, hear the roar, and fear the losses: of your homes, your community, and your precious forest, my heart and prayers are with you.
“Reaping What We Sow”
“Out of gardens grow fleeting flowers but lasting friendships.”…Beverly Rose Hopper
I felt a bit like Tom Sawyer when I asked my fiends for help in the garden this week. I hoped we could make a trade: help me in my garden, and you can have produce, fresh eggs, and show your kids a “morning on the farm.” They came. They endured the 100+ degrees, and hard work. I am humbled. How can we value the seeds of asking for help, and the fruit of growing friendships? That harvest awaits us always…..
