I enter cactus country with its sandy gullies and far-off  blue-gray mountain haze. There is wariness here, creatures of the sand scuttle and hide, insects whir and buzz, and the saguaro sentinels guard the way to cooler desert ridges, where small animals find safety in their burrows.  The land is glad to be “occupied” and full, feeling warmth from the sun all day long and alive with moonlight and emerging prairie dogs and jack rabbits at night. 

A small oasis in the deep sand offers underground relief to the surface plants and they flourish nearby, with open light rays drawing them upwards in thankfulness. Vegetation stays low on this parched land, crouching near small rises to capture more energy from the sun—tendrils crawling out in search of other nutrients and moisture. 

Earth insects hide beneath them in protection and gratefulness.  The desert flowers, fragile and colorful as the dawn, ask me to notice them more closely.  I feel the need to return and to learn more—to paint them more fully . . .
Musical Inspiration: “Endless Sky” (Chuck Pyle)  

Each of us possesses a seedling soul that can germinate in many directions. Our inner creativity needs to be expressed in the outer world (self-actualization) in order to reach full potential.  We can flow freely into sunshine, warmth & greenery or become frozen in time. It is the sun that melds us into liquid Oneness.

Mother Earth/Father Sky: with arms outstretched to the heavens, we seek to integrate our opposites – female/male energies, golden/shadow sides, yin and yang. The winds and the seas express universal energy as playful dolphins leap with joy.  Wolf energy howls in communion with the moon.  Power of the running horse anchors us to the ground while freeing us to the winds.

It is the same powerful energy in the wings of the watchful hawk that also supports our world. The Universe is one living flowing energy; we may change form (as do ice/water/vapor) but through our positive interactions with each other, we grow and truly evolve in human consciousness.  Our ultimate goal is to stay deeply rooted in the Earth, yet always seek a connection with our Source/Higher Power.
Musical Inspiration: “In the Midst of Angels” (Don Gibson’s “Solitudes”), “Dream Catcher” (Ron Allen/Native Flute) & “Drum Medicine” (David & Steve Gordon)

Springing from an ancient gnarled tree trunk in the “Mi Casa” garden across from “Our Lady of the Light,” three hand-carved crosses greet visitors and residents to the center of La Luz, NM.  Viewed as new life arising from the old, the crosses emerge from a triune of rosy-hued calla lilies—announcing a new day’s dawning.  A Tree of Life, where all faiths can flower anew as the many blossoms of Faith, Hope & Love springing from One deeply-rooted Source. The “unfoldment of the more yet to be” (Dr. Ernest Holmes) has begun in the diversity of this small sleepy town and its surrounding communities in the “Land of Enchantment.” Other crossroads and pathways remain to be revealed—with the passage of time.

The Lower Verde Valley of Arizona is ringed by the McDowell Mountains on the West to Four Peaks Mountain in the East, from the Mazatzals to the North and Red Mountain to the Southeast. A unique combination of Sonoran Desert, Verde & Salt Rivers, it is blessed with rich vegetation, history & culture (River of Time Museum). It provides a perfect setting for my nature vision quest, as I ride astride my imagined "rock horse" to a bluff at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

In a glorious sunrise at the snowy peak of the Sierra Blanca Mountain on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico, spirit images emerge through the early morning haze.  Reverently, the young woman places her hand on Mother Earth in a blessing of the land while her partner reaches skyward to release a white dove to Father Sky.  It is in this freeing reversal of roles – the male energy seeking peace and wisdom; the female energy holding fast to the land – that True Peace materializes
Musical Inspiration: “Dance in the Sky” & “Mystic” (AIRO/Brule/Tribal Rhythm)  Poetic Inspiration: Tewa ritual “Going Forth at Dawn with Power”(A. Ortiz)