The Run-Away..

When I ran away earlier this week, I went to one of my favorite places; Chiricahua National Monument.  Located in Eastern Arizona, there is a quiet spirit to this place.  Long views and clear air paired with the history there make it a great place to escape to.  

The main house

There is plenty of scope for the imagination, whether you are visiting the historic ranch house that once was the headquarters of the Faraway Ranch or hiking among the rock formations.  

A quick sketch out by the corrals

Coming here on a clear winter day means very few visitors to contend with, giving one solitude for painting on the spot or quiet contemplation.  I took advantage of both.  

Just a small sample of the views..

I think most creative people need time for contemplation.  When I paint myself out of inspiration, I often look to nature to re-fill my cup.  Sitting in the shade, looking out over the vast canyon of this place cleared my mind and calmed it, allowing me to entertain new ideas and thoughts.

Old doors always call to me, as though walking through them will let me time-travel.  

Picasso said, “The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” He was right, but to be that receptacle we have to put ourselves in the frame of mind to receive.   

Charming kitchen table with bins for flour and sugar

Contrasted with the intense light and open country outside, the cool interior of the ranch house, filled with the trappings of an earlier day gave my mind food for thought, shapes and lines to contemplate and a reminder to keep my life simple.  

Pure eye candy, this makes me happy.

Each of us will find our inspiration in different places.  What matters is that we remember to seek it; that we be aware of when we are in need of it before we empty our reservoirs and find ourselves in deep waters.  

A cream separator, waiting for fresh milk that will never arrive...

I love this thought from Edvard Munch, “Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye.. it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.”  Clearing the mind to be able to see those inner pictures is essential to my life and this morning I can still feel the effects of it; I am easy in my mind and ready to begin again.      

Thanks for stopping by.