BACK FROM ARIZONA

"Red Rock Study" 6"x8' oil/c

This should actually be called the
"Study That Almost Wasn't" because I got
run off three times before I was able to finally
set up and paint. West of Albuquerque and
before you get to Gallup, NM there are these
wonderful red rock mountains that run along
the highway for about twenty miles. I'm sure
John Wayne has spent a movie or two on
location here.

I set up once and got run off by an
older gentleman yelling Spanish at me.
I don't speak the language but I knew he
wasn't happy with my presence so
I packed up my gear and left. I tried to
ignore the mountains and painting potential,
but couldn't so I pulled over and set up again
on a little side road. Wasn't long before
another pick up truck pulled up and
stopped a few feet from where I was painting.

The driver got out of his truck, spit at
the ground and mumbled something
under his breath as he approached my
location. "Gotta gun?" he asked.
"No" I replied. "Ain't safe to be here
if you don't have a gun. If I was you
I'd mosey on." Sounded like good advice
so I packed up my gear a second time
and "mosied" on down the highway
some more.

Unable to ignore the red rocks I got
about three miles down the road and
pulled into a rest stop figuring this
would be a safe place to paint from.
I was wrong. I had just put down my first
red wash when a highway patrolman
pulls up, red and blue lights flashing.
Same story...third verse. I packed up again
and off down the road I went.

Finally, just before reaching Gallup I
found a secluded spot off the highway under
a tree. Twenty minutes later I had
my very first red rock mountain painting.
I went on to produce 18 paintings over four
days at Canyon De Chelly to go with
three paintings from Palo Duro Canyon
and a couple of grain elevators I found
outside of Amarillo, Texas. I
will be posting most of the paintings
here over the next week.