Grand Canyon Morning

Grand Canyon Morning

Oil on canvas, 18x18

I wanted to try the Grand Canyon again, so I went back, on my way south from Monument Valley. 

The morning I set out to paint, it was 16 degrees when I woke up. It had climbed to 24 when I started this painting - and by the time I finished, I was hot. 

Yes, I did end up becoming a spectacle of sorts. Visitors came to this site in droves, and many of them sauntered over to watch me paint. 

I was struggling with perspective and distance and values, and I was getting lost in the layers and plateaus, and I don't really like struggling in public - but so it goes. 

And it was OK. Some people loved this painting, and others just turned away. 

One thing that has surprised me throughout this entire trip is how many of the visitors to the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley are not Americans. Foreigners come in droves to these places! So I implore you again to get out there and see them. 

Here's my painting in the vast landscape: 

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A GAS STATION outside of the Grand Canyon had a few really interesting displays, designed, I'm sure, to make drivers stop and look - and then buy something. And guess what? It worked! 

Here's a collection of beautiful older cars. My favorite is the police car.

And here are some statues outside the very same gas station: 

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 Some of the beautiful land just outside of the Grand Canyon. Love that twisted tree!

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On the road from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley, you'll see lots of these Native American outdoor stores. They are mostly just shade frames with some tables, and many look like they haven't been used for years. This one, selling jewelry and jerky - buffalo jerky was all over their advertising boards - was pretty busy. 

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 My friend Heather was in California when this photo was taken. She's from Maine, and was totally flummoxed by February on the West Coast. No snow? What should she do????

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Randy Clough, who is Navajo, works at Goulding's, where I stayed in Monument Valley. He told me he really wants a dog - a husky - but Navajo tradition says he can't pay for one. He is keeping his eye out for the right dog to wander into his life. I suggested he visit Best Friends animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, and see if he could barter money for a rescue dog. 

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Dog of the Day

Here's Heather's husband Joe, with  Francis. Heather and Joe met him in San Clemente, Calif. Francis's owner thought he and Joe looked very much alike....