Ghost horse

"Wraith"
charcoal
9x13

This was a free-hand drawing that had been kicking around in my mind for a while, and I finally had the opportunity to sit in my home office and bring the thought to life.  The critic in me says that this is certainly not a finished drawing, but the artist in me asks if it has to be a finished drawing for it to be good.  It is interesting, though, that my style of drawing and my preferred subject matter is not always the sort of art I would like hanging in my home.  I suppose that our innermost thoughts are not often meant to be displayed.

Butterfly and Coneflower

"Butterfly and Coneflower"
pencil sketch

In the search for direction in life (a master's degree, maybe?) and in the process of re-reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I have let my art blog fall to the wayside.  It is past time that I return to the dedication of my art.

I did this sketch a few weeks ago now.  The coneflowers (echinacea) in my garden are in full bloom as we speak.  We planted the flower bed late in the season last year in our new house- in August, if I recall correctly.  Most of our perennials came back bigger, better, and stronger.  Only my fancy rudbeckia did not return.  I have only a little more room in the front bed, but I do love rudbeckia so.  It's sort of my namesake, after all.  This time, I think I will only get the simple and hardy wild type- just the bright yellow petals and the velvety centers which give them their common name, Black-eyed Susan.

Cliff and Cloud: Photos of the American Southwest (Part 2)

Bighorn Sheep Lamb at Zion National Park

Cliff and Cloud: Photos of the American Southwest (Part 1)

Two weeks ago, I traveled to Las Vegas with my dearest friend and partner.  Las Vegas itself was not the main attraction for us, but rather the amazing natural surroundings nearby.  We spent two days on, in, and around the Grand Canyon's South Rim.  My Nikon D300 made the trip with us, and I fancied myself an Ansel Adams in the making.  The light was so clear and bright that I rarely took a photo below an aperture setting of f/16.  I had my camera on manual focus except when I saw interesting birds or animals that I feared I wouldn't be fast enough to capture.  Most of my photos were taken while hiking, which was an awe-inspiring experience both on the Bright Angel Trail and later when we traveled to Zion National Park and hiked (almost) to Angel's Landing.  It's difficult to acknowledge such huge landscapes as reality, especially coming from the tree-carpeted Northeast.  What I found even more difficult was successfully conveying the immensity of the earth and the sense of just how small you are in such a landscape.  I found it exhilarating to stand in the dry desert air and know just how much beauty there was for me to discover.

Our hike began with a thunderstorm that left hail on the trail.  All the hail had melted by the time we hiked back up.

Western scrub jay

If you want to camp at the bottom of the canyon, you can hire mules to carry your gear.

This was a very friendly spiny lizard that ran between my legs as I was photographing it.  We also saw many less cooperative whiptails.

Looking down at Indian Garden.

Courting spiny lizards.

Saw a swallow narrowly avoid being dinner for two peregrine hawks right after taking this photo!

Western Schooling Pleasure and Beginner Horsemanship- Benefit Show for Casey's Equestrian Center

How to order photos: 

Please email or call me with the name of the division and the number of the picture(s) you would like, in the dimensions desired.  Pricing will include the cost of the print, shipping, and labor.  I print through Staples, which is more affordable but lesser quality, or through Simply Color Lab, which is higher quality but higher price.  If you also ride at Changewater Stables, I can arrange to have the photos dropped off there since I lesson with Maren- this will negate the shipping charge.  Payment can be mailed in check form to my home address (which I will provide you with upon placing an order), or with cash if I am dropping the photos off at Changewater.

Enjoy!

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