Canyon de Chelly

As I mentioned before I've been spending most of my time in the studio these days.  Yesterday I was looking through my old photos and came across these.  My first trip to Canyon de Chelly in 2006 (I think) was a great experience.  I hiked this canyon in clogs because my tennis shoes were at the bottom of 10 bags of clothes.  And because I didn't realize we were going for a hike.  It seemed like a great achievement until the next year when I met a man doing the hike with one leg.

Drawing as a way of observing

If you come to my gallery shows you won't usually see my observational drawings. The work I usually show develops from my drawings in a very loose and general way. The way all the information and knowledge that I have works it's way into my work. But I still consider observational drawing important or maybe necessary. These days I don't know if that need is so connected to art making. I think it's more connected to watching the natural world. When I sit in a place, a zoo, aquarium, forest, or wherever, I see things that I don't see when I walk through it. Sitting and drawing allows me to become part of the environment I'm observing. I learn a lot about the thing I am drawing- how it is made, how it moves, how it interacts with it's environment- but I also learn a lot about unexpected things.

Last summer drawing at Canyon de Chelly and the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site I saw a lot of beautiful things that went by too quickly to photograph. Quick glimpses of how much we generally miss in the world.

Rocks and Hills

Hills

Canyon de Chelly White House Ruins Trail

Canyon de Chelly has one trail you can hike without a local guide. The White House Ruins Trail is fantastic and a good workout. The rest of the canyon can be hiked with a Dine guide. You can sign up for free guided tours at the visitor center which I'd really like to do the next time I visit.

Canyon de Chelly

I made this drawing at Canyon de Chelly, one of my favorite places. I spent about 4.5 hours working on this, sitting slightly sideways on the rocks. I can really draw rocks non-stop but the sideways sitting thing was problematic later in the day. Canyon de Chelly is about 30 miles from the Hubbell Trading Post. I made several trips to the canyon during my stay at Hubbell. I discovered that you can camp for free at Canyon de Chelly. That is on my to do list for another trip. I'd love to spend more time drawing and hiking the canyon.

Random Photo from the Past: Canyon de Chelly

Looking back through my images I found this one of Canyon de Chelly. I didn't realize what a profound impact this canyon had already made on my work. I do know I want to go back for a longer visit.