Mind’s Eye

June 2021

When I start a new painting 99% of the time I do not know what the final piece will look like. I pick up colors and make marks intuitively. Recently I completed a 16” x 20” painting on paper.

On the larger piece of paper, the grasses kept growing and whipping around. A narrow snake-like river slithered in on the right side of the page. It wasn’t until these areas were complete that I realized my mind’s eye was speaking to me. It is exciting when a painting emerges on paper that looks familiar. I wasn’t trying to paint something representational or from a reference image, but soon realized where this was coming from.

The inspiration was from a recent drive to Taos. It was a gorgeous, sunny, blue sky, and puffy cloud kind of day. I took the high road which in one section parallels with a “hidden” river. As I was driving and snacking on cashews, I got a peek-a-boo of the river. I turned the car around to get a closer look and stretch. The clearing exposed a bend in the river with thick grasses and bushes packed in on either side. It was also very windy (my favorite.) Sitting there I took mental pictures and contemplated how to wander in closer, but decided to save the exploration for another day. I pulled up the map on my cell phone and zoomed in , what seemed like 50 times, to see the name of the river— Rio Grande del Rancho on Highway 518. I got back on the road and kept winding up to Taos and looped around the Enchanted Circle.

Back in the studio, my mind’s eye was wondering about the hidden river which makes me want to wander in all the growth along the river’s edge.

View of the hidden river

“Rio Grande del Rancho (Hwy 518)”, 2021, mixed media on watercolor paper, 16” x 20”