Views for a Composition

January 2024

One favorite place I like to explore is San Lorenzo Canyon. It is a recreation area about an hour 2o minutes south of Albuquerque. There is lots to explore up the winding, narrow paths. I enjoy rock hounding, scrabbling, and taking in the views from below and above. If you’re lucky, one may see wildlife, for example, I’ve seen a grey fox, mountain goats (mom and baby) and coyotes.

Walking through the canyons, the formations are sculptural and fascinating on their own. Then add a blue sky and the forms created by the negative space- it is inspiring. While I am looking up, I want to sketch and paint the many compositions. From the Places of Flux series, I recently completed a small painting on panel that captured one of these experiences.

This painting has many layers and went through its own twists and turns. The blue sky, at one point, was a stalagmite. After looking at different orientations and colors, boom. There it was. I recognized it immediately, “oh yeah, there’s San Lorenzo!” Sometimes one is trying for a certain landscape and sometimes it finds you through its days, paint, and layers. I love the journey this painting took in my studio.

Looking Up in San Lorenzo, 2023, acrylic on panel, 10 x 8 inches.