Painting, seeing, waiting…

After a day of shoveling snow and cutting down trees in the yard I sat down with tiny brushes and worked for hours on this little painting, 7,5 x 6,2 cm.

While working on this piece I was again reminded about how painting is waiting. The oil colors have to dry and leaving the work without really having found what you want to paint is difficult. But it is also a slow process to learn to see, it takes time to explore and realize what is right there in front of you. It seems like I subconsciously know what I am seeing but it takes a while before I become aware of it. The next challenge is to transfer that knowledge to my body, my fingers, so I can paint what I am seeing…

Ojo Caliente with Sammie, exercise…

It is demanding to have a dog. I had to give Sammie a good workout (I probably needed one too) so we drove north to Ojo Caliente and I rode my bike up a rough jeep trail to a peak with a good view, past some old mines. Sammie did really well.

At the end of the trail, time for a quick lunch break. Just a few degrees above freezing, some wind, sweaty from the ride, it got cold quickly.

One more selfie, of course…

It was great fun going with Sammie. She stays close all the time, but on the way down she shot off like a lightning bolt and let me ride fast. She got a terrific workout and was very calm and content all afternoon, evening and night!

Back home, time to work. Started a small Pocket Art piece of a friend. Found a plywood piece with nice texture. Will see if I can keep that visible during my struggle to find the eye.

Another piece for the sculpture.

On my bike ride in the desert above Ojo Caliente I found this old shovel high up on the mountain. Maybe it has been used by the miners? The rusty surface has a beautiful range of colors. I hung it on the front of the sculpture.
This morning I woke up to a changed scenery! 3 to 4 inches of snow and more is coming down.

Buckman Mesa with Samantha

So, finally I did the Buckman Mesa hike. I did not have to go alone. I had an excellent hiking companion, my neighbor’s dog Sammie. We bonded on this hike and are now the best of buddies. I wonder if she will go back to her owners when they return in a few days? (She will probably be overjoyed to see them.)

Buckman Mesa with Otowi Peak to the left. It looks mystical and alluring from below.

A quick and steady hike to the top. The obligatory selfie. View to the south-west, Rio Grande snaking through the landscape below. Cold and windy. No lunch here.

Sammie taking a moment of reflection. Sure footed and a great hiker. She will keep me busy and get me in good shape by the time I return her to her owners.

View to the north, Black Mesa and San Ildefonso Indian Reservation.

On the way back we hiked near the rim. Vertical walls of the mesa, better play it safe. The Jemez Mountains and Los Alamos (where the atom bomb was invented) in the background. Rio Grande below.

Sometimes it is necessary to stop and look down at the wonders you might step on.

Almost ready to descend the mesa. The Sangre de Christo mountains in the background. Santa Fe is at the foot of those mountains. The snow covered peaks are about 12 000 feet high (4000 m). Good skiing up there.

Back at the bottom. Sammie is exploring the canyon walled arroyo. These walls are very soft, basically sand that has collected over the ages when the river has transported sediment as it has cut it’s way deeper and deeper into the landscapes. An arroyo like this is basically a dry river that can suddenly become very dangerous if a flash flood comes rushing, as a result of heavy rains far away.

Almost back at the car after just under three hours of hiking. The southern tip of Buckman Mesa towering behind us. A very nice experience.

This time: Desert Fun, the sculpture

This is as far as I have come. When I set out to work on this piece and decided to call it Desert Fun, I had no idea it was going to look like this.