As soon as I saw this place I instantly thought of the song “Don’t Fence Me In” as sung by Gene Autry. It’s a view, looking due West, towards the headwaters of the of the Rio Grande river (in the distant mountains). The view is from Brown’s Lake Overlook (AKA Weminuche Wilderness Vista) along the Silver Thread Scenic Highway (CO 149).
My path paintings are about journeys, not destinations. The title is from a quote by Muriel Strode (often misattributed to Emerson. Fulll quote: “I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail. ”
Three fourteen thousand foot (4268 meter) peaks, east of Alamosa, Colorado. Viewed in the summer time. The peaks, from left to right, are Ellingwood Point, Blanca Peak (Sisnaajini in Diné), and Little Bear Peak
Visual art is constantly evolving. The only common denominator is the expression of human thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Is there a next step? Can there be art without humans? My allegorical paintings are painted in oil on canvas. I rarely use any mediums other than Gamsol solvent.
Living things exude mood and energy, but this presence can only be understood in relation to context. Thus, figure and ground exist in symbiotic dualism; both independent, yet one does not exist without the other. Understanding is derived from their interdependence.
This very distant view is from the Bluff Overlook in the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Alamosa, Colorado.
Early Fall near Alamosa campground in Rio Grande National Forest.
Apparently, Keeps Mill was a stop on an alternative route around Mt. Hood on the Oregon trail. If that’s true, how people got wagons in and out of here, I do not know. The hillsides rise quite quickly from both sides of the river. The White River flows from the White Glacier on Mt Hood. Keeps Mill is a primitive, secluded campground at the end of Forest Road 2120 (note to self: Watch for speed bump at end of pavement). The last mile is down a rocky, narrow, steep, exposed hillside. Did I mention a really tight switchback and talus fields?
