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| Desert Cathedral 24" X 18 Acrylic on Canvas |
Long overdue, I bring you the completed painting of
"Desert Cathedral", a sideways view of the iconic Church Rock that
lives on the Navaho reservation along Highway 160.
I finished this piece a few weeks ago, but hadn't taken the
time to share it with you. If you remember waaaaay back to my last post, I was
inspired by paintings that began with a coat of rusty red that still shone
through in the final paintings. You have to look hard to see any of that color
in this piece, but it certainly was a fun way to begin a painting.
Working on this took me back to that broad expanse of
dramatic desert, tinted gold and orange by the late fall sun. It's a magical
place and although the ride across the Res is long, it is rich with beauty and
mystery, and it awakens something spiritual inside me.
I started another painting of the same subject on paper,
only starting with a deep-toned blend of purple and brown as my base. With this
piece, I am painting the light back into the scene--a very different approach
than starting with a mid-tone. This is still early on in its development, so
we'll see how it comes out.
It's been an odd start to the year. After two years of
record-breaking painting productivity, I've hit a chasm of inactivity. Familial
obligations and drama have occupied most of my free time and emotional energy.
I look forward to not providing the same to any of my remaining relatives as I
creep into old age. Sometime well into my 90s, I plan to keel over with a brush
in one hand and a glass of wine in the other—while plein air painting, of
course—because I love "outside." The coyotes will eat me and what's
left will return to the earth, while my soul quietly exits to the next plane of
existence. At least that's the plan...
But there is light at the end of the tunnel (figuratively) and
I'm finding my way back to the studio by way of my sewing machine. Not quite
ready to paint, I became focused on finishing a quilted cover for a down
comforter I started last year during a long stretch of snow. In a frenzy, I
finished it, and it has kept us nice and warm since.
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| The kitties like the new quilt too. At night they nestle in between and around us on top of the warm down. |
A few days ago, I started another quilt. I'd been thinking
about this one for a while. I'm making it from my grandmother's fabric
stash—just the red fabrics—because her birthday was on February 14th and it
seemed so right to do this now. It may take me a while—and it's quite likely
I'll return to painting before I complete this new project. But for now, the
smell of the old fabrics and the rhythm of the sewing machine provide comfort
and creativity.
As you can see by this post, I've returned to tell you about
my art, so I know that returning to the studio is not far behind.
