Burnt Trees

Thousands of burnt trees cover an area called Utah Hills.
They are speaking.
Their black, lifeless branches move with the wind,
endlessly creaking.

Desert Reunion

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You 're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of
March."
from TWO TRAMPS IN MUD TIME by Robert Frost

Sign of Spring

blizzard

Being out in a blizzard is both intimate and unnerving. As visibility dwindles your imagination heightens and you can almost disappear.

gust

"In a blizzard, a gale, a sudden line squall, a tropical storm, or a summer thunder shower in the mountains there was an excitement that came to him from no other thing." Ernest Hemingway

feathers

flight

mother nature

Still Life with Onions

This collage is based on "Still Life with Onions" by Cezanne. I have always admired and been fascinated by his work. I can remember feeling mesmerized the first time I saw his paintings for real in the museums, rather than by reproductions in art books. This is true about all art. It can only be fully appreciated when seen in person. A combination of his wonderful color relationships and the distortions of space and perspective give his paintings their unique quality. The work of Cezanne was an undeniable and profound influence on modern art in the twentieth century and continues to inspire.

southbound

nonies flowers

i saw Matisse in the desert

registers

The registers at the tops of peaks are unique and interesting things. Sometimes they seem very official, on a waterproof tablet with the information about the peak. Its name, the date, altitude above sea level, and the person who placed it there, maybe from some mountain climbing club or something. Sometimes it is in a bomber pvc tube and cabled to a rock, and other times there is simply a little jar with a small note pad and a worn out stub of a pencil enclosed. it is kind of interesting what people will write in them when given this platform for expression after climbing a peak. Sometimes it is funny, or deep and philosophical, many entries are trivial and annoying, but I always look through them, if the weather is nice and leave a small sketch. Some registers have multiple entries from past years and it is enlightening to see the changes in my sketches from the past. Over the years many registers have disappeared. I wonder what happens to them.

black and white

While hiking the other morning, I nearly stepped on this this amazing moth about the size of a quarter. It was enjoying the warmth of the brilliant day so much that I was able to get close enough to see the incredible details. The pattern and iridescent color in the black and white wings, the bright furry orange legs and a delicate beaded antenna... So much beauty in such a small space.

flower time

it is their time.

the desert

"Once caught by its golden lure you become a prospector for life, condemned, doomed, exalted." from "Desert Solitaire" by Edward Abbey.
These are some images from my recent climbing tour through the desert. We visited several unique and beautiful areas in colorado, new mexico, arizona and ended up in joshua tree california, the crowned jewel of desert climbing in the spring. Besides having a lifetime of classic climbs, the wildflowers and blooming cactus carpet the landscape with brilliant color this time of year. The consistent warm dry climate felt wonderful after a long cold winter in the mountains. It is not hard to possess these treasures. They are there for the taking. Simply open your senses, explore your consciousness and "you become a prospector for life."

scream

sign of spring

I have this cactus plant that has taken over the window sill in my kitchen. It must really like the morning light. The other day I looked behind the curtain and was pleased to see this incredible flower and many buds about to bloom. It must be a sign of spring!

back country skiing

It has been an incredible winter, with record snowfall and powder days being the norm instead of the exception. I have been captivated by skiing in the back country this season. The incredible remote beauty and pristine conditions seem to far out weigh the risk and extra effort involved. Thanks to my very experienced and long time friend, Larry, I have been out there enjoying the turns and seeing the beauty.

aspen tree collage

This collage represents an aspen tree during a storm. I collected the bark hanging from a dead tree. It reminded me of a snake shedding its skin.

tree top

blobs

I have always been inspired and intrigued by the blobs of snow left on the branches of trees after a big snowfall. Their lyrical shapes become sculptures, abstractions of nature, that will disappear with the next big wind.

each leaf has a face, lost in the crowd