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Showing posts with label canyon de chilly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canyon de chilly. Show all posts

4/05/09

Canyon de Chilly, oil, 11x14, plein air


Stayed at the Cameron Trading Post near the notorious Lee's Ferry, NM. Wonderful stonework gardens. We got on the Trading Post road through the High Colorado Plateau, marveling at the red rock dinosaur eggs, stopping at a couple pueblos for a gander at pottery, jewelry and horse blankets. We stopped at the Hopi First Mesa and got the opportunity to talk with Hopi artist, Lawrence Namoki and wife Lucida, traded for one of his pots, decorated with Hopi Katchina, the One Horn God, Two Horned God, Sun God and Warrior. Lawrence explained as much as he could about his work in the 4 hours we had. Lawrence pushes the envelope of Hopi tradition with his art but stays true to the craft and world view of his people.

We got the deep fried Chinle, in time to view the sun setting on the red rock Canyon de Chelly, a place I could spend the rest of my life painting. I couldn't help but feel it is one of the sacred places of the planet. What a wonderful place to be now and in the past, a sacred place to the People of the southwest.

As I was painting Spider Woman Rock, the sun was coming up, smoke from a hogan rose from the roof. A person came out and threw their blanket over a horse and rounded up sheep and goats. It felt surreal to witness such a moment, as if time stood still.
Legend says that the white color on the top of Spider Woman Rock is the bones of bad little children. Pretty convincing.