It has been a long time since I blogged and this painting is the reason why. It has taken over a month to paint and there have been many days when I walked away and did not return to the easel for three or four days. In the long run, the time spent was worth it because of the many lessons I learned. There are some areas that I painted innumerable times until I could get them to read properly, and each time I changed one rock, I had to change the contingent ones and on and on and on. I completely repainted the foreground five times before it made visual sense. Keeping a tight palette was a challenge. Although this is basically a gray painting, there are a multitude of colors throughout yet I wanted the "grayness" of the volcanic tuff to dominant. Patience and persistence - the qualities I am learning in this painting process.
Frijoles Canyon is the site of Bandelier National Monument in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. There are many pueblo ruins on the floor of the canyon as well as cliff dwellings carved by man and nature out of the canyon's volcanic tuff walls. The cliff houses were up to three stories tall in some places and the roof beam holes are reminders of the Puebloan builders who lived in this canyon from approximately 1150 to 1550. If you Google Frijoles Canyon images you will get a real feel for this magical place.
The sculptural qualities of the canyon walls is found in many other forms. My next effort - a skull stained by and still containing Oklahoma's red earth - will have similar qualities. And it will likely be awhile before I post again!
