The Art of Cathleen Palumbo

New Painting: Faces Series #35

2012-01-10T15:15:00.002-07:00

Web Page Link: Click Here

New Painting: Faces Series #34

2011-12-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: El Rito Morning Light #1

2011-12-16T14:54:00.002-07:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: El Rito Sunset #1

2011-12-10T19:05:00.001-07:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

The full moon was rising in earth's shadow last night. The pink glow above the blue on the horizon at sunset is caused by earth's shadow, according to astronomers.

New Paintings: El Rito Sketches of Light

2011-12-08T21:28:00.001-07:00


Link to Web Page: Click Here


Link to Web Page: Click Here

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: Faces Series #33

2011-12-08T21:26:00.001-07:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: Faces Series #32

2011-11-12T16:19:00.001-07:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Messengers Ready for Flight

2011-11-01T19:15:00.000-06:00

Nestled in the leaves, all alone is a small plant creating beautiful seeds. Little messengers ready for flight. Saying their goodbyes to each other, making plans for a long winter snug in the ground where the earth shares its secrets for growth.

One more softness amid the spiky, prickly landscape. One more reminder to lighten up if you want to fly. One more reminder that a seed may be tiny but within it is the potential for an entirely new plant. One more reminder to release those seeds and let them find their own new world.

The sun sets and lights up the dead and dying leaves that have given us such golden beauty this fall. Life and death joining in a dance.

November 1, 2011 ~ Sunset in the Driveway

New Painting: Faces Series #31

2011-10-30T17:16:00.001-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: Faces Series #30

2011-10-27T01:52:00.002-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: Faces Series #29

2011-10-23T17:33:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

El Rito Studio Tour

2011-09-28T09:14:00.001-06:00

Click on the photo for a larger view.

The El Rito Studio Tour is this weekend. I'll be at the Mercado, stop #2. Hope to see many familiar and new faces!

For more information, visit the web site or the Facebook Page.

New Painting: Faces Series #28

2011-09-10T00:05:00.001-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting: Faces Series #27

2011-09-05T17:36:00.001-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Beauty at the End of Summer

2011-08-26T16:39:00.000-06:00

August 26, 2011

Here we are at the end of a hard summer. Epic fire season now turning to flash flooding. Sunlight dropping out of sight earlier, just enough to feel a change.

The vines surrounding my front porch have given everything they've got to now heavy grapes. Their once freshly sprouted perfection now beaten, eaten, and depleted of life. A marvelous transition signalling the approaching period of rest and regeneration.

One year ago tomorrow I arrived in El Rito, already beaten, eaten, and depleted of life. Ready to find a home to begin again. This year my efforts have born fruit and a place to share it: paintings are hung in a show and the El Rito Studio Tour is nearing (October 1 & 2).

I have always loved the Fall. Perhaps more than ever this year as I have the energy to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

August 26, 2011


August 26, 2011

August 26, 2011

New Painting: Faces Series #24

2011-08-26T14:36:00.003-06:00


Link to Web Page: Click Here

detail from painting

New Painting: Faces Series #26

2011-08-17T16:18:00.001-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

About Face Exhibit

2011-08-08T17:12:00.002-06:00

Six of my Faces Series paintings are included in Northern New Mexico Regional Arts Center's exhibit: About Face.

The opening reception is August 12, 2011 from 5 to 7 pm. Refreshments will be served and there will be music by Los Norteños - Mindy Mendez, Mark Talley, Eric Peterson.

The show is up until September 10, 2011.

One Grape at a Time

2011-08-08T16:57:00.003-06:00

Grapes - August 8, 2011

Day after day I plod along toward various aspirations. At the end of most days it seems the oft-heard refrain rises up: "ordinary things seem to take longer the older I get." Maybe. I like to think it is more a case of "less unnecessary things crowd my day" which gives me a greater appreciation of those ordinary things. It may even be that I've learned to expand time in a way that feels like slow motion.

Taking a look back over a week, a month, and especially a year, I can see great progress and many achievements. Most of them of significance to me though perhaps not visibly so to others.

Grapes - August 8, 2011

Yesterday the grapes began to turn purple. One grape per bunch at a time. Do the others look on with admiration and anticipation of their own growth? Are they excited, encouraged? Have they held back to watch one of their own be the first to change out of the needs of their particular bunch?

Amusing thoughts. Beautiful grapes.

Grapes - August 8, 2011

Faces Series Poster-Style Prints

2011-07-24T10:11:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Poster-style prints are now available for the first twenty paintings in the Faces Series. Sizes and prices are:

5" x 7" ~ $15

8" x 10" ~ $25

11" x 14" ~ $35

16" x 20" ~ $45

For order information visit the web page.

New Painting: Faces Series #25

2011-07-23T19:06:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Am I Not Beautiful?

2011-06-27T21:57:00.000-06:00

Cactus Blossoms

I see these cactus plants everywhere among the sage brush. It always seems to me they can't quite decide on a form. Arms and legs twisting to find their own direction, oblivious to the rest of the plant. Like the juniper tree, it won't conform to a particular shape.

Cactus Blossoming with Las Conchas Fire Cloud on the Horizon

To my delight they are blossoming pink flowers all across the scraggly desert. A momentary softness that is simply stunning. As I look closely at these delicate flowers, surrounded by every kind of harshness, I cannot but hear the cactus speaking out, "Am I not Beautiful?" The implications reverberating out into the universe and touching the deepest spaces within me.

Cactus Blossom

Crane Beach Series Book

2011-06-25T15:46:00.001-06:00

The Crane Beach Series paintings (#1 through #12), 5 Swans, and Dune Tree are now available in book form. Three poems inspired by Crane Beach and photos are included as well.

Below are photos of the cover and a few pages from inside the book:

My web site has been updated to include ordering information for the books now available: The Faces Series Book One, Crane Beach Series Paintings, Enjoying Art, and a new offer for ordering small prints.

Pricing and sizes for Crane Beach Series are:

8" x 11" hard cover book: $80

7" x 9" soft cover book: $45

Pricing includes shipping and tax via UPS ground or USPS within the United States.

To order, send an e-mail to: orders@cathleenpalumbo.com

Payment can be made with an electronic check or credit card through my PayPal account. You do not need to have an account with PayPal to use this service.

Faces Series Book One

2011-06-16T11:10:00.000-06:00

The first 22 paintings in the Faces Series are now available in book form. Below are photos of the cover and a few pages from the inside.

I am in the middle of updating my web site to include the book. The pricing and sizes are:

12" x 12" hard cover book: $125

8" x 8" soft cover book: $75

Pricing includes shipping and tax via UPS ground or USPS within the United States.

From time to time the printer offers discounts, so always check with me before ordering to see if there are any available. Currently, an offer is available allowing me to reduce the pricing until June 20th.

Discounted pricing effective through June 20th:

12" x 12" hard cover book: $75

8" x 8" soft cover book: $45

Pricing includes shipping and tax via UPS ground or USPS within the United States.

To order, send an e-mail to: orders@cathleenpalumbo.com

Payment can be made with an electronic check or credit card through my PayPal account. You do not have to have an account with PayPal to use this service.

New Painting: Faces Series #23

2011-06-14T12:55:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

The Grapevines Right in Front of Me

2011-06-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

Leaf Emerging on the Grapevine May 15, 2011

Gardening and the identifying names of plants have never been easy for me. Sit me down at a computer and I'm off and running without a snag. Such is the nature of my world. While I watch the slow unfolding of spring in my new environment everything is a surprise and a wonder.

The front of the house has what appear to be very dead vines clinging to the posts and eaves. All winter I would look at them and wonder what kind of leaves they would bring forth. I never get tired of marveling how things that appear dead are just resting until spring. And the truth is, I really didn't care what they were called.

Mid-May a pink emergence came from the vine, still dry and unchanged. At last! Life is emerging not as a simple green leaf but pink. At least for a moment.

Leaf Emerging on the Grapevine May 15, 2011

Leaf Emerging on Grapevine May 15, 2011

Leaves Emerging on Grapevines May 15, 2011

In the suspense of spring the desire for nature to show us the way out of the dormant shell of winter has a push and pull for me. I want to savor those moments of emergence while I feel an impatience for it to be all flushed out and verdant. 'Don't go too fast! Ah, come on, I'm sick and tired of winter.' Not unlike my daily balancing act with my own journey.

With hungry eyes I walk out the door every morning to enjoy the amazing growth of this plant, still unknown to me. One day it sprouted something quite new, extending my curiosity along with it.

Grapes Emerging May 29, 2011

Fresh green vines sprouted along side the dried out ones and the leaves were getting bigger and bigger. Overnight. All that creation having lingered through months of cold and waiting found the right time to let loose. Dead indeed.

Grapes Emerging June 2, 2011

Then the mystery dissolved. A friend came by and casually remarked that they were grapes and would be edible. Grapes! Grapevines! How could I not know that! Because they don't stick up out of the ground and wrap around a pole in neat rows? I laughed at myself for a long time and also found great happiness in the revelation. I may not be in Italy, a place dear to my heart, but I've got grapes!

Grapevines June 2, 2011

New Painting - Faces Series #7

2011-05-25T11:43:00.000-06:00

Link to web page: Click Here

It is most unusual for me not to complete a painting, but 2009 and 2010 were tumultuous years and I have a few from 2009 especially that never got finished. With great relief and some difficulty I finally finished #7 of the series. It was in progress when the time came to pack away all my belongs last year.

The impetus to finish it was a book that I've completed of the first 22 faces. I'm crossing my fingers that the printed copy passes muster. I'll post more information on that when it arrives in a couple of weeks.

Four Corners Region GeoTourism Map Guide

2011-05-13T18:30:00.000-06:00

National Geographic has put together a site called Four Corners Region GeoTourism Map Guide covering a radius of a couple hundred miles from Four Corners. It is a collaborative site to highlight the natural, historic, and cultural sites unique to the area.

GeoTourism is focused on tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place: environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.

My entry has been approved and is listed in our area of the map. (click here to access link)

Anyone can nominate a place on the map, it takes about a month for approval. You can also comment on each location. It is a fun site to explore, even if you are not planning on taking a trip.

Snow Blessings on May 1st

2011-05-01T18:15:00.000-06:00

Snow Lilacs

The winds have been ferocious this spring, normal for this area but new to me. Dust swirls, near hills and mesas are obscured by smoke and dust. The lack of moisture this winter is a concern for everyone. It didn't take me long to appreciate any kind of weather that brings water.

This morning the weather predictions held true and we have been blessed with snow falling quietly all day. No wind. The gentle light reflected into the house feels like a dream. The earth is pacified. The birds take baths on the branches. A little bird hopped up to the back door and stood on the welcome mat looking at me looking at her. A jackrabbit ventured out into the open just long enough to suspect something and loped off. We're wrapped in a blanket of pure peace.

Snow Apricot Tree


Jackrabbit


Jackrabbit

New Paintings - Faces Series #21 & #22

2011-04-23T20:21:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

It's a Fine Day in the Neighborhood

2011-04-22T15:26:00.000-06:00

Red Tail Hawk flying over US Hwy 285 in Ojo Caliente.

My neighborhood is quite large in my mind. I've taken to driving a circle from El Rito along NM Hwy 554 across to US Hwy 285 down to NM Hwy 84 then up to NM Hwy 554 and back to El Rito. For variety I'll go the reverse direction. This takes me through Ojo Caliente along 285 and the outskirts of Espanola through a town called Hernandez on 84. The whole circle is about 45 miles.

Red Tail Hawk flying over US Hwy 285 in Ojo Caliente.

Along this route I am becoming more and more familiar with subtle shapes and colors in the landscape, making me feel like I actually know where I am. The coming of spring, long awaited by everyone in the northern hemisphere, has me searching for green. I want my eyes to fill up with bright spring green.

South on US Hwy 285 near Hernandez.

South on US Hwy 285 near Ojo Caliente

As I began my journey today, I had the good fortune to catch a photo of a sight that puts a smile on your face. The happy dog doing his job with a smile on his own face.

Spring Green and a Happy Dog

It is truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

South on US Hwy 285 near Hernandez.

South on US Hwy 285 crossing the Rio Chama River near NM Hwy 84.

New Painting - Faces Series #20

2011-04-13T19:04:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Busy As a Bee

2011-04-02T15:15:00.000-06:00

Link to the movie: click here.

It is a glorious spring day of sunshine and blossoms in Northern New Mexico. As I walked out the door I heard a buzzing so strong yet at first could see nothing. I made a little video with my camera's movie feature, a bit blurry but fun. The buzz you hear in the video is from the hundreds of bees busy with their business. As a treat, a bird sings for a short time. Such fleeting moments of sheer delight never get old.

New Painting - Life Begins Anew

2011-03-30T15:06:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

This painting was begun on the day my niece was having her first child. I was still in transition, in my fourth temporary abode since arriving in New Mexico, but able to use my oil paints for the first time in six months. The wind was blowing and wailing like a banshee and my emotions were bursting out with as much force as a child making its entry into the world.

It sat for four months while I settled into my permanent home. Now the winds are blowing like a banshee again and Spring is in full swing. Time to complete the birth.

New Painting - Faces Series #19

2011-03-27T21:15:00.000-06:00

Web Page Link: Click Here

New Painting - Faces Series #18

2011-03-23T18:27:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

New Painting - Faces Series #17

2011-03-17T18:53:00.003-06:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Experience Saturn

2011-03-15T11:48:00.000-06:00

Every day I tune in to Astronomy Picture of the Day to see and imagine life in outer space. Today there is a video of the approach to Saturn that was filmed by the unmanned spacecraft Cassini. It is beautiful and remarkably inspiring.

5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.

New Painting - Faces Series #16

2011-03-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Link to web page: Click Here

New Painting - Faces Series #15

2011-03-03T18:00:00.000-07:00


Link to web page: click here

The Intoxicating Smell of Juniper Trees

2011-03-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Juniper Tree

A picture may be worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, but it can never give you the experience of smelling the earth, feeling a tree's texture, hearing the song of a bird, nor the thousands of other visceral reactions your body has while walking in nature. The joy of making art is remembering those beautiful moments tucked forever within and finding a new expression for them. There is no substitute for being in nature, playing with its impressions opens new pathways within the self that are no less joyous.

This is the first spring I am to experience in New Mexico. I arrived in July of last year so it will be my last season, completing the cycle. The smell of spring has been in the air for a couple of weeks. My cousin described spring in the high desert of Nevada as a battle between winter and summer, a very apt description of the changes here in Northern New Mexico as well. But spring is here alright. Yesterday afternoon the red-winged blackbirds arrived. They know. What a comforting sound and a treat to have them nesting in the willows near the house. For me they bring many happy memories of walking in the marshes on Plum Island, an assuring warmth seems to flow from their trills.

Above El Rito in the Carson National Forest

Now that the mud has dried up a walk in the hills is possible. The wind had not begun its daily lashing as I strolled up the rocky hill. Though it was only 45 degrees, the sun is so kind here. It warms with greater intensity when the clouds and wind leave it alone. Soon I was smelling the most sensuous odor for just a few seconds, then it was gone. What was that? I'd walk up to a tree and sniff it. Not the same. But walking along, there it was again. Sage would drift past and mingle with the new smell. All around me are juniper trees, full of mountain bluebirds. It has to be the the juniper. Yet when I walk up to them and bury my face in their delicate branches, I can't get that smell.

Hard dirt and earthy smells like sage are wonderful especially when the air has the sweetness of morning. Juniper brought an intoxicating beauty to this cocktail and I drank it with ecstasy.

One more secret revealed from within this quiet landscape.

New Painting - Face #14

2011-02-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Link to Web Page: Click Here

Winter Morning

2011-02-09T13:00:00.001-07:00

Morning Sunlight

The elements drew a picture of softness this morning, sharing their contributions as delicately as notes from a mellow piano. A little sunlight glowing through a tiny shower of large snowflakes. The trees casting their blue shadows upon the brilliant white. Dormant flowers holding bouquets of clouds waiting for the wind to toss them hither.

Winter Morning

New Painting

2011-01-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

Link to web page: Grand Canyon #3

I began this painting shortly after returning from my round trip journey across the United States in 2009. I let it be for nearly a year to be sure it didn't need more work. After unpacking it from the crate the other day, I realized it was indeed complete.

There are several photos of close-up details on the web page.

Watching the Wind Dance

2011-01-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Wind Playing with Snow

Wind is not my favorite element. One day we had fresh snow, the kind that reminds me of grains of sand turned light as feathers. The wind was dancing its own peculiar rhythm, gathering the snow from the roof and playing with it while the sunlight bounced crystal clear light off the tiny flakes.

Amazingly, I was able to capture this dance with my little Flip video camera. Here is the link to the YouTube video: Wind, Snow & Sunlight.

Life's Beautiful Impressions

2010-12-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Magpie

How many times have I hit an invisible wall, falling stunned in frustration and bewilderment like this magpie must have done against my window. Never realizing that I may have left a beautiful impression of flight, never knowing that someone else may be seeing the delicate and perfect contours of being.

I may never wash the window so that the sun shining from a particular angle will always remind me to take life as easy as a toddler learning to walk and laughing at my frequent falls.

Cattle Traffic

2010-12-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Cattle Drive, Center of El Rito

There may come a day when the strangeness of daily life is no longer strange. I hope it takes a long time. Then again, when strangeness overload happens, it is difficult to keep steady. Having just unpacked but not organized all but my paintings in my new home, even my own belongings seem to have taken on a new life.

I set off for Taos to do my food shopping the other day, a 50 mile drive through the scarcely populated hills and plains, across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. On the outskirts of Taos there are tiny clusters of houses off the grid, some built partially underground. It is an other-worldly feeling.

But before I could get on my way, I ran into a cattle drive in the center of town. Neighbors moving their cattle, I know this because the dog I spotted makes his rounds of marking around my house daily.

Cattle Drive, Center of El Rito

As I sat in my car snapping away with my always-available-camera, I was happy and grateful. For years I sat in traffic jams from Philadelphia to Boston that could last hours. Here I am in a tiny community where the only traffic jam I'm ever likely to encounter consists of a few dozen cattle irritated at being driven to a new pasture.

It may not seem like such a big deal to others. In our information obsessed world we gulp in other people's experiences like air. But in that gulping only an infinitesimal fraction of the visceral impact of those experiences is grasped, if at all. I've been pondering what in the world has driven me to this place where nothing is like anything I've ever known. A great deal of the answer is still a mystery to me but one thing has become quite clear. I am challenging myself with a practical re-birth, relearning everything about life on the planet earth. Each moment of the day, every particle of matter, is a brand new experience. There are no expectations.

Immersion in an environment is true learning and fully living. There is a great treasure, a gift to myself in these first moments of new life. They exist in everyone's life, but we begin to take them for granted and appreciate them less and less. I'd like a little more familiarity to help keep my head on and my feet on the ground, but overall I'm having quite an experience and wouldn't trade it for anything.

I Actually Live Here

2010-12-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

In 2005 I visited my brother in Northern New Mexico for a few days. We went to Chaco Canyon where I was inspired to write a poem called "The Wash." On our journey through the back roads to reach I-25 at the end of my stay, we passed by the Rio Grand Gorge south of Taos via Highway 68. I was quite moved by the view at that time.

The Rio Grand Gorge. Fall 2005. From Hwy 68.

What appears to be a wide open plane dramatically tears apart into an unseen depth. My breath catches every time I see it and the desire to look over the edge is thwarted by inaccessibility. That is, until now. The drive from El Rito to Taos via the back roads is void of traffic and houses for the most part. Once you reach the Rio Grand Gorge there are two ways to get to the other side. One takes the bridge and the other descends into the Gorge.

Rio Grand Gorge Bridge. Fall 2010. From the west rim looking northeast.

Rio Grand Bridge. Fall 2010. From the west rim looking south.

Every day I am out driving I say to myself, "I live here. I actually live here!" No matter how often I've seen something, it thrills me in a new way every time.

Descending into the Rio Grand Gorge from the west rim. Fall 2010.

The Rio Grand River from the bottom of the Rio Grand Gorge. Fall 2010.

The Rio Grand River and Gorge from the Visitors Center on Highway 68. Fall 2010.

The plain and Rio Grand Gorge from Highway 68. Fall 2010.

I am at a loss for words to describe the enormity of the feelings experienced as I traverse this new land. But my poem came to mind as I turned it over in my mind. For now it seems the best expression of the mysterious atmosphere that arises.

Two New Faces

2010-12-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Link to web page for details: Click Here

New Painting

2010-12-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Link to Web Page for details: Click Here

This is the first oil painting I created after moving to New Mexico. I had so many ideas and emotions that I just let them pour out in a visual stream of consciousness.

Truly Home

2010-11-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

There was a time in my life, before I dismantled it, when the beauty of nature waving at the sky caught my attention and held it timelessly nearly every glance outdoors. Even indoors for that matter. I'd find myself lost in the expansive simplicity of color, shape or movement. Diving into worlds of sweet mystery.

Tumbling across the country and still not rooted, those moments of mystery have been shorter and less frequent, unfortunately. It has been a long, strange trip but I have no regrets.

Today as I sat peacefully in my chair I glanced out the window to see the delicate grass waving to the sky, its nearly invisible shape a feather of light. Once again I was lost in the familiar world of mystery that is beyond simple and full of delicious softness and vibrant color.

Truly I am finally home.

Snow at a Proper Distance

2010-10-22T21:16:00.000-06:00

Snow on the mountains viewed from El Rito, NM.

It has been 36 years since I looked out on a distant mountain range to see snow-capped peaks while I enjoyed the relative warmth of 50 odd degrees. Yesterday this beautiful sight greeted me from the front of the house looking southeast. I've given up trying to identify exactly what I am looking at, perhaps one day I'll know. Does it really matter?

Since arriving in New Mexico I've been disoriented in one big way: I can't name the parts of the landscape. People who have lived in the same place for years give direction and name places with such ease while they fly over my head like nonsense words. Though nothing so far has been as confusing as learning the back roads of the area north of Boston where I lived so long. Nor the tangled mass of Boston's streets (those I never mastered).

Instead, my mind has been busy imprinting the beauty of the landscape and its massive scale. Every time I take a drive in any direction I feel my mind spread out with virtual wings. A gravitational wave not unlike the movement of the ocean keeps me aloft while the very practical body keeps the car moving.

The mountains that hold El Rito in a wide embrace, keeping their distance, are constantly changing themselves. In many ways they feel like a mirage with the haze, light and clouds reshaping them every day, unable to decide on a definite form.

It is a moment in time that I am enjoying much the same way I do when I first begin a painting, so much is unknown and waiting to be discovered.

Faces Series #11

2010-10-07T14:40:00.000-06:00

Faces Series #11 Link to Web Page

Feast Your Eyes on the Skies

2010-10-05T21:39:00.000-06:00

In the Land of Enchantment the sky can be the deepest blue without a cloud in sight for days on end. To a newbie like me this makes me feel as if time has been suspended. Yet when the clouds come and the sun sets, the feast begins. I've never appreciated rain like I do now.

At the moment I am living in El Rito, New Mexico. It is 7,000 feet above sea level, tucked in between long fingers of mountain ranges and mesas, on a relatively flat bowl of desert. It is 15 miles northeast of Abiquiu and 55 miles north of Santa Fe. I've compiled a set of photos of the area and posted them in my web site's photo gallery: El Rito.

When the rains come and the wind blows, I'm in heaven. There is so much to see and feel. Light and landscape change so quickly, time sprints. Rainbows arrive.

The nights are silent and so dark that on a clear night you can see the Milky Way and infinite stars blinking. Shooting stars come and go. The coyotes talk to each other from every direction. How I wonder what they are saying.

When ravens pass overhead you hear them before you see them, their wings beating the air with heaviness. There are more birds than I can name and some of their songs fill my heart with pure joy. Magpies frequently make a racket on the porch early in the morning. But they are forgiven when I see their brilliantly contrasting black, white and blue.

This is a place of great stillness and abundant creativity. There is a vibrant library, a community college, and many artists. The annual open studio tour was this past weekend and I enjoyed meeting many wonderful people.

Finally a New Face

2010-09-28T18:18:00.000-06:00

Link to Web Site Page

In my current state of transition it has been quite difficult to pick up where I left off on my Faces Series. I've had to adapt to using oil sticks, which are the closest thing to painting I can manage, after trying out everything else in my supplies. I like them. It feels like a cross between painting and drawing.

It feels so good to be getting back in the groove!

Ubiquitous Symbols

2010-09-22T16:31:00.000-06:00

I've started another new blog today, inspired by the hen and rooster figurines present in nearly every home. It is an experiment in participation. Hopefully, others will be inspired to share their stories and photos. Here is the link: Ubiquitous Symbols.

Softness In the Desert

2010-09-02T17:46:00.000-06:00

Flowers in the Pecos National Historical Park

Growth on a badland hill.

The desert is a foreign country to me. Being an alien in this land is a dance with steps I don't know. Standing still works sometimes. The sun and moon appear to rise over the horizon faster than I've seen before, making me feel I'm unable to keep up.

I sit down to draw the landscape around me and spin into another world so strange it seems I've lost touch with reality. My mind is saying, "they're mountains and hills in the distance with a flat expanse in front." My emotions are whirling with a feeling they are no such thing. They don't feel like any mountains and hills I've seen before.

Old Hwy 44 Road

In Northern New Mexico the land is not always flat for miles and miles. It is full of surprises, mixtures of shapes and colors, gashes and gullies, and most impressive to my senses, delicate softness perpetrating the hard, prickliness that predominates. It was the softness of a particular shade of light green that drew me into this land to begin with. In my excursions I find the soft, colorful, delicate flowers are everywhere. And tiny leaves on innumerable weeds emerging at the slightest drop of rain.

Flowers in the Lawn

Here a lawn grows what others call weeds while I see delicate individuals with the good sense to color the landscape of hard soil with beautiful greens, whites, purples, reds, and yellows! Yellow. It feels best of all.

Along Old Hwy 44 Rd.

Late Afternoon in El Rito

If you cut open one of those prickly plants you'll find moisture, softness, nourishment. But our brave little ones are baring it all without any thorns. Should the lawnmower cut them down or the rains end, they'll be back up in no time.

Though I feel like a real tenderfoot and have only been here for just under two months, I'm beginning to navigate the extremes that show themselves every day. At times I find myself truly lost, unable to construct my surroundings well enough to move. That's the signal to be still, find some familiar object I've toted across the country and wait for all my parts to catch up with reality.

A Little Bit of Santa Fe & Pecos

2010-08-18T00:41:00.001-06:00

The Plaza, downtown Santa Fe. Museum of Fine Arts is behind the booths.

Last week I finally got myself to Santa Fe for the first time, spending the night in the center of the city a few blocks from the Plaza. I've never been in a city like this before, it truly is different. (That's what Santa Fe means: The City Different.) Lucky for me there was an art fair in the Plaza and I loved walking the streets, being with the people and seeing all the creativity.

It was a beautiful weekend with temperatures in the high 80's, brilliant white clouds against the deepest blue sky all lined up above the adobe cityscape. For those who haven't been to Santa Fe, a little peek at the downtown is on my photo gallery. (There are three sets: downtown, Audubon Center on Upper Canyon Road, and a group approaching the city from the north.)

My first impression is of peacefulness. Order and peace. The architecture has to conform to the adobe style contributing to the sense of order. There are plants and trees on all the streets I ventured down. The poor Santa Fe River is nothing but a creek. For a city it felt very quiet.

The next morning I west to the Audubon Center at the end of Upper Canyon Road which is lined with so many art galleries it rather boggles the mind. Then the road becomes residential, all the houses tucked behind adobe walls. Quite beautiful. The center has a nice set of trails amidst the trees with occasional views of the surrounding mountains.

I find the approach to the city from the north interesting. The land is spread out although it is hilly with suggestions and hints at houses tucked into the sides. Mountains rise up in the distance with a basin holding the city at its feet. The photos aren't so great because I took them without looking at the camera while I was driving, but you get the idea.

My next investigation was to Pecos, about 25 miles east of Santa Fe. Leaving Santa Fe to the south you join up with I-25 North, but you're going east. The land opens out broadly again then begins to weave through plains with wave-like mountains rhythmically spaced and peppered with low, round trees. Soon denser mountains present themselves, but turning off to Pecos the land opens up again to butt up against the mesas that run southeast into the distance.

Pecos, entering Pecos National Historical Park.

It was another gorgeous day, upper 80's, a bit of wind and brilliant sky. The land is not flat but is open. Tender grasses stretch out over hilly land full of a variety of plants and trees. The ruins are approachable and make a stark contrast of red against the green. The trail is only a little over a mile and is paved. A set of photos is posted on my photo gallery: Pecos NHP.

This was a major trading spot between the Pueblo farmers of the Rio Grande and the hunting tribes of the buffalo plains. They were here from 1100 A.D. When the Spanish came, trading continued. It has a wonderful feeling about it, a rich land that nourished many people for centuries.

It gave me a surge of energy to be in Santa Fe. So many lovely areas in northern New Mexico and all quite different.

Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch

2010-07-30T18:24:00.000-06:00

The Chama River Looking Toward Abiquiu

I had a wonderful adventure traveling to Abiquiu and the Ghost Ranch a few days ago. It is a bit of a dance around the weather, hoping for clear skies or at least light rain and not monsoon.

From Hwy 550 you head east on Hwy 96. The two-lane road winds its way through different beauty. This is the northern edge of the Jemez Mountains. Between Regina and Gallina the earth pushes up in the same manner as the ridges near Red Rocks in Colorado: a tipped over table top on one side with jagged rocks showing on the other side. So instead of a smooth sided peak, the earth reveals how it has been shoved up at an angle. Sometimes the flat land is broken by smaller, separate peaks and other areas are rising grandly in a long ridge.

The next beauty is in Coyote where the land opens up into a canyon of deep red rocks and the peak of Pedernal. At this angle it has a shape like the Matterhorn, but viewing it from other angles it is not peaked at all but is more like a rectangle.


Viewing Pedernal Peak from the West on Hwy 96

The canyons in this area are interesting because there are huge rocks of a different color sliding down the deep red sides in a rather haphazard way.

Shortly after this, the road rises above the canyon up to a mesa where you can stop to view the Abiquiu Reservoir and Dam. From this vantage point you can see the Ghost Ranch way beyond. A few more miles down the road is the junction of Hwy 84. To the left, northwest, is the Ghost Ranch and to the right, southeast, is Abiquiu. Technically, all of this is in Abiquiu.

It was here that I first began to get the feeling that I wanted to live in this area when I drove through last Fall. And that feeling arose in me again as I made my way to the town.

What is visible from the highway are only two buildings: on the left is Bode's, a general store, gas station and coffee shop; on the right is a tiny Post Office. A road leads up the hill to the Pueblo of Abiquiu. There is no pavement, just soft but firmly packed dirt. The road opens into a small plaza. A church to one side, a library across from it. The buildings are all adobe style. On either side are two very narrow roads. I could see a sign for a gallery just down one of them.

A little confused, I went back down to Bode's to see if there was any information. I found a nook with books, mostly about Georgia O'Keefe who moved there in the mid 1940's and stayed until her death 40 years later. I bought a book written by a man who was a native and thought this would be a good place to start learning about the town.

Determined to find out something, I went back and walked into the gallery. The artist came out and we chatted for a long time. He makes scultures from cottonwood trees and told me he was also a native and that his father and grandfather had helped Georgia O'Keefe build her home. We exchanged information about ourselves and will certainly be in contact again.

When I got home and started to read the book I learned that I had been talking to the eldest son of the man who wrote the book! For those who are interested, the book is called "The Genizaro & the Artist" by Napoleon Garcia & Analinda Dunn. Published by Rio Grande Books (nmsantos.com).

I decided to try a few roads around the town, looking for a higher place to view the landscape. It is a bit confusing and I wasn't sure if I was trespassing or not. Admittedly I was very timid, but I did get a few shots of the mesas and bluffs. (I've put a link to my photo gallery next to my web site link for better viewing of the photos I'm taking out here.)

Since the Chama River flows through this valley there are lush green fields and trees at the bottom of towering mesas to the west and bumpy, flowing desert to the east rising gradually and peppered with round trees and bushes of every changing shades of green.

About 15 miles northwest is the Ghost Ranch. The weather was holding out, as you can see from the photos, a dry 85 degrees! Perfect. Here I found a bit of paradise being managed by the Presbyterian Church. The history of the ranch goes back to 1880. If you want to check out their web site, here is the link: Ghost Ranch.

I found that I can come here and walk around on all the trails if I like for free. The area is much more open, an alfalfa field is right outside the main office. The trails wind around the property and into the canyons behind as well as up behind Chimney Rock. A little to the north of the property the Lavender Hills spread out with brilliant color.

When I got home I felt terrific. Although not a lot happened on the outside, I felt movement and a surge of affirmation that I had made the right decision. Much is yet to unfold, but the first few pages have begun to turn.

Valles Caldera

2010-07-24T12:52:00.000-06:00

A double rainbow appeared last night; the view is from our driveway.

I took a trip to Jemez and Valles Caldera yesterday. The rains have arrived and they can come down something fierce, but I set out early and hoped for the best.

The route is NM 550 south from my location, then east on NM 4 through San Ysidro, Jemez Pueblo (the Indian Reservation), Jemez Springs, then Valles Caldera National Preserve (a mere 9 miles from Los Alamos), about 40 miles in all from 550. I set out to find Bandelier National Monument but when I reached the soft meadow of Valles Caldera I was entranced.

The wide open spaces begin to close in fairly quickly as you leave 550 and head up San Diego Canyon passing through Jemez. Water in the canyon also brings the lush greens in stark contrast to the suddenly deep red earth.

San Diego Canyon just south of Jemez Springs

The road winds up into heavier forested areas creating a greater feeling of being closed in having just left such expansiveness. There are many places to stop and observe the landscape and a few trailheads. Jemez Springs while lovely is tightly etched into the canyon walls.

I was at my limit of being closed in when the road suddenly opened out into a surreal meadow that invited me to take a rest. Bluebirds were everywhere. Though the dirt road that takes you to the visitor’s center is only about a mile from the highway (and you can see the cars in the distance) there is complete silence in the middle of the meadow.

Entering Valles Caldera from Hwy 4

Bluebirds in the road on my way out of Valles Caldera

The above photo is on my way out when a flock of 10 to 15 bluebirds were escorting me or else telling me to stay and feed off this paradise. I cropped a couple of sections below. The bird with its wings spread is barely visible in the big photo: to the lower left of the picture.

Valles Caldera is a National Preserve that is managed by the Valles Caldera Trust, a wholly-owned government corporation. Here is the web address if you want to look at it: VallesCaldera.gov. It covers about 10 square miles and access is very strict. Permits are limited and required to walk anywhere on the property. They have van tours but you can’t get out of the van.

Here I was in the remains of a volcano crater that had a peacefulness akin to my idea of heaven. Every care, worry, weight, just dropped away. I took a short rest in my van and had a nibble of food.

As it is a working ranch, there are black cows in pens right next to the parking lot. Bluebirds perching on the rails and pecking at the ground. Prairie dogs are given special attention at the far end of the parking lot with orange flags near each hole. Someone is doing a scientific study of them.

The people in the visitor’s center are extremely pleasant and love to talk about the place. I felt quite welcome and got the feeling they really loved being there.

The rains began to fall in their unique way. The sky contains so many different sections of weather all moving in different directions. To the north it may be pleasantly blue with fluffy white clouds. To the south there will be two or three different groupings of storm clouds full of lightning and thunder each pursuing their own course. I’m so used the wind blowing in the same direction and the sky having a uniform weather system; I’ve got a lot to learn about this area!

It was a great experience and a good feeling to venture out. Everything is so far away! But always worth the effort.

The Hummingbird

2010-07-18T22:28:00.000-06:00

It's been a long Spring and Summer for me. In this time I have transitioned from Atlantic Ocean to the high desert of New Mexico. My possessions have been packed up and stored, my home sold, and I've trekked across the country with those things most valuable to me to begin a new life in Northern New Mexico. Like the rest of the Western Hemisphere, it has been a very hot summer on my journey. Temperatures have mostly been in the high 80's to high 90's with the humidity dropping significantly as I made my way across the border of Texas and New Mexico.

For reasons I find difficult to explain and understand, I have a need for this dry place with the most spectacularly open space and vivid changes in color and shape. The heat and vast space are rejuvenating my body and soul.

I arrived at my brother's home a week ago to find that a hummingbird has made her nest on the ceiling of the porch using a hook as a base. The two chicks hatched the day after my arrival and we are witnessing a rare sight as she nurtures her young. Today we saw their heads just above the rim.

Like a chick myself, I am just beginning to become aware of the reality of being here. I've begun drawing and relaxing to some extent today. Already I have many ideas for paintings. In the coming weeks I'll begin to explore the area around Santa Fe for a place to settle and expand. In meantime, I am being nourished by the generosity of my brother who knows and loves the southwest.

Just a Peeper Away

2010-05-31T15:01:00.000-06:00

An odd thing seems to have developed, at least in my perception: spring felt like it would never fully flesh itself out and yet the dunes are in bloom nearly two weeks ahead of normal. Today may be my last walk through the dunes for many years, or my last. The mosquitoes are in full bloom as well.

Some of the areas that were flooded are still small puddles and they contain tadpoles! The very black, plump squiggles were swimming excitedly away from the edge with just the slightest movement on my part. If I stood still, they sat still.

On dry ground next to the puddle were many tiny frogs among the grass and sage. Peepers? I wasn't sure what peepers looked like so I "googled" them. Sure enough! The tadpoles and the frogs were both peepers in two different stages.

The blanket of yellow was unfolding throughout the dunes as the woody hudsonia gives its yearly show.

Tender greens are floating up out of nowhere every place you look. There is nothing more visually soft than the grass deep within the pines of the dunes. And of course, the pine cones are busy producing a fresh crop.

While the parking lot filled with people celebrating Memorial Day, I was the only soul within the dunes. No human tracks were on my path, just the little creatures who make the fascinating patterns scattered in stories written by our feet.

Sadness Had a Destination

2010-05-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I visited my favorite spots at Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. The greens and blues were so rich and alive they penetrated my skin and bones. It was one of those days when the temperature, sunlight, breeze and general disposition of people is in perfect balance. Effortlessness. Deeply relaxed. Pure joy that encompasses everything and nothing in particular.

To my great surprise the marsh has been transformed. The grasses (phragmites) that were mowed down just a few weeks ago are springing up anew, undaunted and with great vigor. What made me think they wouldn't? All I saw was death, something gone that was once there. I used that symbol to evoke and digest the massive changes happening in my life right now. Sadness had a destination, a conduit to pass from inside to outside. Creativity flowed through the experience and my way was cleared of debris.

As I walked among the new life in the marsh, I understood just a little more deeply how nothing is ever destroyed, but simply transformed.

Around May 1, 2010, I took these with my cell phone camera.

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May 28, 2010 the same places looked like this:

Maybe I Will, Maybe I Won't

2010-05-16T09:56:00.001-06:00

I planted myself near the edge of the water to drink in the smells, sounds, and sights with my coffee. The tide had just turned and I had done my good turn by carrying a stranded moonshell to the water.

It is a fascinating junction, that place at the very edge of the water where rivulets turn to torrents and disappear in the course of 6 hours. Water is rushing inward meeting the steady stream of water rushing outward. They meet right here. Their currents overlap and mingle. Each going their own way. Who's to say what part of one has now joined the other.

A man with a tiny tot crosses the tiny junction, a perfect picture. Suddenly she decides this is as far as she is going. Little legs stamp, arms flail. Frustration escalates to tears. Forced tears, I'd say. The coat comes off and is thrown to the ground. Eventually, the mother is called back from further down the shore via cell phone, possibly a bit of private time cut short by the demands of a little one uncertain of the changing current.

Blind Folks Learning to Make Movies

2010-04-22T08:49:00.001-06:00

This is a marvelous story in the Boston Globe today about blind students learning to make movies.

Link:
Boston Globe Story: Blindness is no barrier in filmmaking class.

'Til the Cows Come Home

2010-04-20T18:37:00.002-06:00

The birds are in full swing at Appleton Farms. Bluebirds, redwing blackbirds, and a host of many others were performing a symphony around the Kentucky Gate. The wind was quite still so I was able to capture a nice 3 minute video. (Links to my YouTube videos are listed on the right side of the page.)

With the grass turning greener every day and the buds promising more to come, the farm is a great place to meander in spring. You can watch spring emerge inch by inch.

The cows were close to the fence today giving me an opportunity to photograph them and have a little chat. The mayflies were already harassing them. I always feel like they are more curious about who and what I am than I am about them. Unique individuals.

Here are a few acquaintances from today:

New Painting in the Faces Series

2010-04-18T13:53:00.000-06:00

Another new face has been uploaded to my web site. Links: Faces Series #9 - Drawing; Faces Series #9 - Painting.

Floating Buds

2010-04-17T15:54:00.001-06:00

It is a cold, dark, rainy day in the rain saturated northeast. While driving along the beautiful Waldingfield Road in Ipswich, I felt inspired and uplifted by the contrast of blackened tree trunks and brilliant yellow forsythia while tender blossoms hung far above the dreary branches.

Forsythia is a steady voice during the ups and downs of early spring. Sometimes it feels like winter will never end!

A new poem has been uploaded to my web site with the painting sketch. Floating Buds link.

The Piping Plovers have Returned to Crane Beach

2010-04-13T16:45:00.002-06:00

The piping plovers are back looking for a good spot on the beach to make a slight indentation and lay an egg or two. It will be a challenging year for them as the dune erosion and high water table have reduced the available space just beyond high tide where they nest. It was wonderful to hear their voices and see them do their unique waddle-run today.

My intended destination was blocked off due to the flooded dunes. The boardwalk just inside the entrance at the far end of the parking lot is under water and pretty dodgy according to the ranger. The entrance about half a mile down the beach was flooded as well.

The talk among the rangers was that no one knows how long it will take for the water table to go down. Inside the dunes will be out of bounds for a while. Good thing it's getting warm again!

For the curious and those who may know the area, a few shots of inside the dunes during different times are below.

Taken June 10, 2007, just inside the dune entrance that is about a half a mile down the beach where you decide which direction to go.

Taken April 13, 2010, in the same location as the above photo.

Taken May 19, 2009, from the above location except from the intersection that is now a pond, looking back towards the beach.

Taken June 10, 2007, at the second intersection within the dunes. This pool is always there but changes size all the time. It doesn't usually block the trail though.

Taken March 21, 2010, from the same location as the prior photo. This was the last time I was able to enter the dunes from the parking lot. We've had more heavy rains since then.

A Bowl of Wind in the Sky

2010-04-11T16:02:00.000-06:00

A new poem with painted sketch has been uploaded to my web site. I usually use photography to accompany my poems but this time, a painting sketch seemed most appropriate.

A Bowl of Wind in the Sky link.

Plum Island Icon Has Left Its Mate

2010-04-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

Somehow I imagined the "misplaced trees of the marsh" would always be there. I and many other regulars to the Parker River Wildlife Refuge have our own names for the couple of trees sitting out in the middle of the marsh at the North Pool Overlook. The tall one with a bite out of it and the short wide one next to it were my subjects for several paintings (Misplaced Trees of the Marsh). I'm sure they were the subject of many artists and photographers as well. Last week I found myself in the Twilight Zone as I drove past and found reality had rearranged itself.

There are many changes inside the refuge these days. The water levels are so high that the Marsh Loop at Hellcat Lookout has been closed off. Then the rangers cut down the grass (technically called phragmites) because it is destroying the native vegetation. It seems that my Avenue of a Million Whispers is a non-native species getting out of control.

The above photo was taken August of 2008, the Avenue in its full glory. Today I took the photo below from the opposite end of this Avenue.

I love visiting the refuge and noticing every little change of season and tide. I painted its icons and imprinted them in that mysterious place inside of myself. When I drove down the road I said hello to the trees like old friends, always hoping for some new inspiration to pop into my mind. Walking along the marsh's Avenue I'd listen for those far away secrets of another world and in the spring the added song of the red-winged blackbird.
Since the freedom of digital cameras came along I've taken thousands of photographs of my favorite places over and over again. Sometimes I ask myself, what I am doing? Now I know. Although I'll miss the tree and something else will rise in the marsh, I'll have a wealth of images that come to life every time I look at them.

New Face in the Series

2010-04-04T19:34:00.000-06:00

New faces in the series, both the drawing and painting, have been uploaded to my site. Links: Faces Series #8 drawing; Faces Series # 8 painting.

Shifting Sands at Crane Beach

2010-03-19T17:13:00.000-06:00

March 18, 2010

This is the first dune entrance from the southernmost boardwalk off the parking lot.

The tides have been cutting this piece away all winter.

It wasn't until I moved to the ocean over 16 years ago that I truly began to appreciate constant change. My daily walks on the beaches of Plum Island and Crane Beach are never the same. Over time the dunes have receded or been reshaped. Tide pools come and go.

Things happen slowly, imperceptible to many. The recent storms brought a few more dramatic changes which caused one man to exclaim with sadness and bewilderment. I found myself explaining the tides and the progressive eroding and changing happening all the time. I don't think he wanted to hear this. It seemed more comfortable for him to believe that the tides behaved the way he remembered them on a summer day and that this was a devastation.

I know about global warming and rising ocean levels. But we're talking about sand. Wind and water move sand. Nature makes a new landscape every day, take a look.

As I searched my photo collection for a few samples of change, I felt the changes within myself. Remembered who I was in that moment, felt the shifting sands that had rearranged themselves within my own body.

Here are few moments in time viewing Crane Beach from about a half a mile south of the parking lot, just outside the entrance to the second dune entrance.

November 11, 2006

March 19, 2010

These are a little closer to the edge of the dunes and not as far south as the above photos:

February 21, 2007

May 25, 2009

New Painting - Spring Flurry #2

2010-03-16T18:14:00.000-06:00

I've uploaded a new painting to my web site, Spring Flurry #2.

New Painting in the Faces Series - #6

2010-03-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Another new face has been uploaded to my web site: Faces Series - Painted - #6.

New Painting in the Faces Series - #4

2010-03-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

A new face has been uploaded to my web site: Faces Series - Painted - #4.

New Painting in the Faces Series - #5

2010-03-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Another new face has been uploaded to my web site: Faces Series - #5.

Crane Beach After the Storm

2010-03-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a storm lately, nearly 60 mph winds ripped trees up by their roots, cracked them along their sturdy bases and threw them on our energy source: power lines.

The sound was remarkable during the storm. Unearthly roaring, like the voice of change calling its name. Even in light of the damage and inconvenience, it was a marvel. I felt a great clearing and enjoyed the silence. Our electricity sources so much noise.

Today I took a walk through the dunes at Crane Beach and got some close-ups of the uprooting. The gatekeeper told me the huge pile of trees in the parking lot was from Castle Hill, the mansion on the hill within the property. They are still clearing away more fallen trees up there.

So we begin early spring cleaning. Shaking off the things we no longer need, clearing the way for new growth.

Rocky Mountain National Park #2 - Unleashed

2010-03-01T13:09:00.002-07:00

A new painting has been uploaded to my web site: Rocky Mountain National Park #2 - Unleashed.

I had been struggling with the first painting in this vein, Rocky Mountain National Park #1 - When Glaciers Melt. A tension was building as I struggled. Sometimes I just can't seem to translate the whole of what I want to express in a painting, at least to the degree that I consider possible. There is always a gap between what I want to express and what I create. A good humored balance between pushing and letting go is vital.

When I finally said "enough" and let go of the first painting, I had to release the energy that had built up. Hence, Unleashed.

Invisible Snow Storms

2010-02-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

We've been spared the great snow storms experienced further south so far this year. The past week has seen predictions of six inches of invisible snow. I like the idea of invisible snow storms. If the weatherman says it is going to snow but you never see it, that's fine with me!

Again, we were to have a pile of snow this morning and found nothing. After a while, you sort of get disappointed by the un-eventfulness. So when the snow did begin to fall in swirling big flakes late this afternoon, I was happy. It is a beautiful, fat snow, fully visible.

New Painting - Rocky Mountain National Park # 1 - When Glaciers Melt

2010-02-11T21:06:00.002-07:00

A new painting has been uploaded to my web site: Rocky Mountain National Park #1 - When Glaciers Melt. This painting is inspired by my trips to Estes Park and Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park. This area also inspired my poem, When Glaciers Melt.

A Nibbler Revealed

2010-02-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I posted a picture of these mysterious "pineapple" pine cones and wondered how they came about. I find them scattered on the ground under the trees in the dunes of Crane Beach. (Mysterious Pine Cones) Today I solved the mystery! It seems that a little critter likes to nibble away the petals of the pine cone. At the foot of a pine tree I found two burrow holes and a mound of pine cone cores, petals, and a few ready for eating.

I can't believe I've never seen this before! Some days it pays to keep your eyes on the ground. My focus was to gather any freshly fallen, closed cones to take home. The last time I passed this tree, about two weeks ago, only the petals were piled up at the base. We have red squirrels as well as gray ones so I suppose it could be one of them.

Somebody sure had a feast!

New Painting - Plum Island #3 - Ethereal Doorway

2010-01-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

The ethereal doorway mentioned in a previous post has been transformed into a painting and uploaded to my web site.

Link to page: Plum Island #3 - Ethereal Doorway

Sculpting from Within

2010-01-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

Although it was only 32 degrees Fahrenheit today, the wind was kind enough to calm down and the sun found plenty of clear space in the sky. The horses were happy, the dogs perhaps more so. There is nothing more joyful than watching a dog run like the wind with ecstatic freedom possibly seldom experienced during its day at home.

White foam gathered in clouds as the waves shaped it over and over, like an artist stepping back from the painting to observe then approach to push the paint around a bit here, a bit there.

I was thoroughly enjoying this image in my mind, taking a few pictures, when three young women from Austria, India, and Israel who are presently working in Boston, approached me to inquire about the cause of the foam. They were convinced it was toxic and probed with their lovely thinking minds probable solutions, evaluations, actions. Now, I'm as concerned about pollution as most conscientious people and frankly sometimes think way too much, but this conversation was a bit like someone bursting into my studio and taking my paintbrushes out of my hand.

When I came home, I was determined to keep my images within the beautiful framework of my experience. At the same time, I decided to investigate the white foam. It turns out that most likely it is indeed from natural causes. Science Daily had an article about severe cases of algae breaking down and being churned up by waves to create a sort of abrasive soap-like emulsion that actually killed a few hundred birds in Monterey Bay because it eroded their protective feathers. We have a lot of red tide here which produces this excess of algal bloom.

So you see, my imaginings were not so imaginary after all, the sea was creating.

Spacious Calm Amid Deepest Blue

2010-01-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

Approaching the beach at Plum Island's Parker River Wildlife Refuge requires a walk along the boardwalk through the dunes; there are six stops in the refuge, four with boardwalks to the ocean. Each with its own special memories. My favorite moment is when my eyes first meet the ocean. It is never the same and shows you its mood in varying shades of silver, blue, red, green, gold, white, you name it, the whole spectrum. The voice of the ocean greets you from the first step out of the car.

We've had too many days of angry colors devoid of richness, full of jumpiness, and sometimes plain ugly. On Sunday, there was peace in the air, smiling people casting long shadows that seemed eager to reach the ocean. Deepest blue. A blanket of silky blue with a rhythm that is loud yet soft, gentle yet irresistibly strong.

When I see this deepest blue, I immediately sink into a spacious calm within. I feel the entirety of the ocean, the beach, the sky within myself. I am not dwarfed or lost within such an expanse. Instead, I feel more individualized than ever, more aware of who I am, in perfect balance and in harmony with the world.

I can see this feeling in the people I pass as I walk. We breathe in the moments of clarity while the unseen tide silently pulls our struggles into the earth through our feet. The golden carpet of sand leaves heavy footprints as proof.

We leave with inner knowledge and light that has penetrated our bodies and thoughts without effort.

A Colt's First Day at the Beach

2010-01-17T12:37:00.003-07:00

This surprised colt is two months old and experiencing the ocean for the first time, along side his mother.

As I watched them, feeling that it was one of those lucky days when the unexpected blossoms amid the routine, the colt kept circling in the shadow of his mother making it difficult to move forward. Suddenly, the woman was pulled off the horse and fell on her back. She got up and brushed herself off as if nothing had happened. Double amazement.

I called out to her to check if she was alright. To my delight she was and let me pet the colt and his mom. The little guy weighs 200 pounds and was too much for her to hold onto. While we spoke, she asked me to unhook the rope as he started circling again. He was in the midst of having a drink from mom.

I moved on. As they passed me again, she let them gallop in the water. He couldn't decide what to do or maybe wanted to do everything at once: first on her side, then behind, then in front, then the other side.

It was a feeling I know well and have to laugh. From now on, when I can't decide what to do first, I'll see this young one and lighten up! What a joy first experiences and learning are when those around you are smiling with love.

On the Hop

2010-01-07T20:24:00.003-07:00

Here we are, minding our own business, standing around on one leg for reasons you will never know. All hopping together on one leg as you approach.

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One of life's great mysteries for me: why do sandpipers, and other water birds, stand on one leg? And hop and run on one leg? I've stood still and watched them do their hop for ten minutes or more. Then for no apparent reason, they put their other foot down and scamper away.
I'm not sure I want to know. On this bitterly cold and gray day, it was a cheerful sight!

Window, Take Me on a Magic Carpet Ride

2010-01-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sitting inside
feeling a bit like that clump
of wet snow on the branch
swaying like a waiter's hand
weaving through the wind
holding it's weight
like the others,
playing a game.

Inside I'm warm.
Held by the stillness of walls.
Released into the open
through the windows.

Take me on a magic carpet ride

window.

Into the cold I watch,

on top of the tree,

amidst the bare branches

clinging to a few

shriveled leaves.

Inside the heavy snow

so perfectly fallen

tossed now by men

with shovels.

On top of the

invisible

wind.

A Snowwoman Mind You

2010-01-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

New Year's Day on Crane Beach has always been the same. No matter what the weather may be, people, horses, and dogs are strolling with a particularly open and happy countenance that lifts my spirits. For a day, everything else drops away and their lighter side takes the wheel.

On this day, more strangers talk to me than any other time. The slightest reason gives pause to smile and share. A fellow tells me of a snowwoman down the beach. Snow Woman, he says. Ah look, those kids are taking off its head. And he was going to go back and take a picture, having gone to his car. All smiles just the same. A woman stops to talk about a rather over talkative German Shepard passing by.

I stand in the entrance to the dunes. Looking in, looking out. I love this place. I have watched the sand and wind reshape it every day for 15 years. I'm saying good-bye and holding the moments with care. Somewhere down my road is another home I'll learn to read with the same familiarity. But for the moment, I am reading the last chapters slowly, sipping them in like a fine wine.

An Ethereal Doorway

2009-12-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Even on the dullest of days, Plum Island is a magical place.

From Sketches

The sky was fitfully overcast today and though there was little wind, the waves were rambunctious. At the horizon line, white-capped waves brought an end to vistas beyond Plum Island. It was the kind of day when you feel you are in a bowl of friendly, clean water rushing rhythmically to smooth it all away. Whatever needs smoothing.

As I made my way back, a glimmer of fine white rose like an ethereal doorway at the tip of Plum Island. I think I'll follow that door into a new painting.

From Blogger Pictures

Lingering Rose Madder

2009-12-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

Crane Beach and I are morning friends as a rule. Our relationship has been disrupted by travels and the unruly weather of late. A piece of good luck graced us today: the sun came out, the wind died down, and the temperature rose to 40 degrees late in the afternoon.

Just an hour before sunset I put foot to sand at high tide. The colors were brilliant, shining and singing like they'd just been born out of fluid glass. The air was full of mist barely discernible.

There was a rose madder tint to the water as it washed away the footprints. Rose madder is a delicate color - some may say mauve - and as it rode the white foam, lingering on the receding blue, the orange sunlight lifted them all into breathtaking beauty.

Ah ha, but rose madder will not be photographed! I clicked away the whole hour and none of the photos show the splendor of the rose madder.

And the smell of the air, feel of the wind, the immersion of body and soul in that space at that moment cannot be photographed either. Yet the shimmer of rose madder lingers.

Taking the Long View

2009-12-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

There is a secret joy in pinecones. Sometimes a freshly fallen cone stares up at me from the ground, closed impossibly tight, inviting me to have some fun. The fun involves a surprise and patience, not to mention being near it for a few days.

The cone begins to talk soon enough. Huge cracks. You'd think the house was sitting on a frozen lake. Ever so slowly the cracks unwind their spiral verbally. Cracks give way to space. Space expands. The cone relaxes into full bloom.

Within each petal resides two twirly seeds. Side by side they wait for the great shake. I shook. Not everyone wanted to come out yet.

Each in their own time.

Taking my Shadow Off

2009-12-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Another winter freeze is upon us.
Is it just me, or does the sun seem to shine less often?
Does the wind seem to blow harder, longer?

Out the door I go
on this sunshiney day
wind, cold, or no.

Into the dunes I go
where the trees and leaves
hide me from the
blustery
biting
cold.

And when I come home, I take my shadow off.

From The Art of Cathleen Palumbo

New Painting - A Brilliant Face

2009-12-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Another new painting uploaded to the web site today. I've changed the canvas size to match the dimensions of the drawings. The result is quite different from the narrow versions.

Link to the page: Faces Series - Painted - #1

New Paintings - Another Face

2009-12-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

A new face uploaded to the web site.

Returning the Favor

2009-12-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

As the rain exhausted itself
and cleared the sky,
my eyes embraced the stars
emerging from the void.
Returning the favor,
meteors danced
in a nod of joy.

The Magic of Death Valley

2009-12-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I set out on my trip across the country with a great desire to see Death Valley, having no idea why. Redwoods, Pacific Ocean, Death Valley, big stops in my pre-trip mind. The day I drove through Death Valley was the happiest day of the whole 48 days.

It was day 24 and I had reached a level of exhaustion that was better not to think about. That morning I set out early and had an excitement that would not be influenced by anything. Setting out from Lake Isabella, crossing Walker Pass, then climbing into Death Valley. Yes, climbing. People have wondered about my joy of this place and are surprised about the geography. There are mountains to climb and descend then climb and descend again.

A full spectrum of color rising one moment in smooth points, around the next bend split open as a canyon, out in front the promise of a glittering white valley floor. A sea of earth history having lived its life many times over undisturbed by the barrenness, the harshness we may see. Here, all the magic lies in wait for new beginnings. Everything has broken down, is transformed but not lost.

Without knowing how or that I would, I released my own life and let it disintegrate and mingle with the earth's layers, with the air, the sun. There are no words or pictures that can describe this experience. It is freedom felt within the core of my being. A journey to the center of my self.

New Painting - Golden Hills

2009-11-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the foothills surrounding Golden, Colorado on a day when a most unusual cloud formation of purest white flew over the deepest blue sky.

New Paintings & Drawings - The Faces Series

2009-11-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

New paintings and drawings have been uploaded to my web site. This is a series of imaginary faces I created with the intent of bringing to life a broader expression of characteristics within people than the idealized version of perfection that saturate our media.

Leaves on the Run

2009-11-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Someone has carefully piled their leaves in the yard. A mass of individuals ready to run and finally explore the land beyond the tree. Calling out to the wind, they scamper across the street with giddy delight. Some dance high for a while imitating the birds they have watched and harbored all summer. One last wave to the tree, they're off to find a new life.