just hanging around

I had some trepidation about this portrait, but then I thought it turned out ok after all.  J & J liked it so yipeee for hangin' out in the trees.

Found!

"Passing Storm, Tebenkof Bay" 24x30 inches, acrylic on canvas

I know it's been awhile since you've heard from "Picture This."  Sorry, I wandered off, but you know my motto "not all those who wander are lost."  So, back in the studio I've been busy revisiting this summers most excellent trip to Tebenkof Bay in SE Alaska.  I have a line up of new paintings completed and in the works for an upcoming solo show at Morso's in Gig Harbor.  The show will represent several adventures into the wilderness, from the Rocky Mountains of Montana up the chain to arctic Alaska and kayaking back down our glorious north pacific coast.   Besides the opening reception on Valentines Day, Feb. 14th (1 to 3 PM), I'll be giving two presentations (Feb 19, 7 to 9PM and March 7, noon to 2PM) about the National Park & Forest Service artist residency programs and my own experiences "playing ranger" in the wild.   Here's your first postcard from Tebenkof Bay….. the special calm that comes only after the chaos of a storm, titled "Passing Storm".

After The Storm

Lisa Point after the storm,  8x12"acrylic painting

The good news about our fabulous fall weather having turned to its wet and blustery normal is that I can finally get back to revisiting SE Alaska!  So here's a little painting to warm you up.  A bath tub smooth evening calm after the storm, remnants of a turbulent sky reflected in a mirrored sea.   Big weather changes happen in an instant around here.  The edges of those changes, weather both coming and going, can really be spectacular.  It's not just how the landscape looks, it's also about how it feels.  Ominous, glowering skies bring with them a sense of anxiousness, a heaviness that is not just due to falling atmospheric pressure.  During a stormy temper tantrum just hunker down, don't draw attention to yourself.  Await the aftermath, often glorious and always worth the price of admission. 

"In Wildness is the Preservation of the World"

Somewhere in our collective human soul we harbor a memory of Eden.  The mundane of every day life may suggest that we can separate ourselves from the source of our being.  But the memory of our origins, the connection of body and soul to the landscape lingers in our dreams.  Wilderness provides space to reconnect with that sense of place.  Especially today, on the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, we give a thankful nod to those stewards before us who were wise enough to know and appreciate the importance of wilderness to the human spirit.

How do you measure the value of the haunting cry of a loon, the wolf chorus at dusk?  How do you measure the value of locking eyes with a bear, or walking a caribou highway?  What is the value of a dollar bill against the snowstorm?  The legacy of US park and wilderness systems is one that places a tangible net worth on wild lands and the creatures that live there.  It elevates human experience and opportunity to it's rightful place as a value added commodity.  In our broken economy of here today and the hell with tomorrow, our commitment to wilderness is a touchstone of integrity.  The greatest challenge of the generation before us was to designate wild spaces and the greatest challenge for us now is to keep them intact.  

Rainforest Flowers

Our timing is perfect for the floral extravaganza on Kuiu and surrounding islands.  From the deep dark forest, to stream banks or above high tide on the shoreline, flowers are blooming everywhere.  Old friends and new, they are content to pose for their portraits to be sketched.  

In the Beginning

50 years ago the Wilderness Act was signed, and our country began a new chapter of conservation and preservation of wilderness areas for future generations. When he signed the Wilderness Act, President Lyndon B. Johnson said, “If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it."

Don't Go In Alone!