The Black Woods Figures

I painted these years ago, when I was interminably unemployed in Portland. I think they're 5X8, but don't remember for sure.

It is an error to think that the world does not feel just because it does not have legs, eyes, and hands.
--Campanella

Antelope Island

Today I visited Antelope Island, in the Great Salt Lake. There are a few interesting animals there, that make the trip worthwhile. It has a fairly bleak, typical Utah look, that is aesthetically appealing. Possibly the best thing about it, it provides a perspective of some of the most populated places in Utah, from a distance that makes humans seem miniscule and unimportant.
I saw Buffalo, Ravens, Goshawks and a Coyote, as well as tracks of Hares and Antelope. (Buffalo hooves leave a delicate mark that seems incongruous with the animal’s bulk.) Also, because the Great Salt Lake is an incredibly important site for migratory water-fowl, there were oodles of ducks. There were many Mallards and Northern Shovellers, of course. Also, there were a few Barrow’s Goldeneyes and Green Winged Teal. Ducks are not something I’m very good at identifying, so I assume there were some rarer ones that I missed.

Pride

Tonight, I am more proud to be American than I have ever been in my life....but the US is still an Imperialist power.

Disarticulated Bestiary

Here is an image from the Disarticulated Bestiary. The piece in general is about the relationship people have with nature, and how fragmented it is (nature and the relationship). People have traditionally had a direct relationship with the place in which they live. Recently, in the 'nature writing' field, there has been a realization that rather than idolizing the distant and less accessible, we need to nurture our connections to the place where we live. Much of mythology and folklore is based on this direct relationship. That is what this specific part of the bestiary is about.

I've been pretty occupied lately, so haven't done much with the blog. Here is a snippet of an illustration I did a while back. It is a starling who is scolding a squirrel...

I've done quite a bit of reading lately: Jeffers, Merwin, and McClure...nature poetry.