Piedra Canyon

 
Piedra Canyon

Acrylic on a reclaimed cabinet door

Image area: 12.5” X 22”

Last summer we packed a lunch and headed for the hills above Pagosa Springs to explore and go back to some potential fishing spots. However, after a big winter, those promising fishing holes looked much different; in one case, the torrent of the spring melt washed away the shore. In another, the river was a wide braid of shallow channels with not many places for fish to hide. Though the fishing wasn’t what we hoped for, the adventure was great fun—we tromped along the various forks of the Piedra River, got a few mosquito bites, and saw some beautiful country.

It’s difficult to capture the scale, depth, and drama of this canyon, not to mention the contrast of color and the layers of white and red and pink. A narrow trail runs along the steep shoulder of the far side; one of those trails where you dare not take your eyes from your feet.

This is the first painting on one of my “new” cabinet doors. We were lucky enough to find them at a yard sale, as I was nearly out of the original weathered doors. While these are not as rustic as the original, they still make a fine surface and I like that I can upcycle something with art. Though you can't see it in the photo, these doors have a raised center panel with a recessed channel that frames it and then there is an outer frame. I painted the recessed channel black, which sets the painting off from the outer frame.