The many pages of January

January was a two-book month for me, not counting the one I'm halfway through now.

The first was Stephen Harrigan's monumental history of Texas, "big wonderful thing," titled with a quote from Georgia O'Keefe when she taught at the university in Canyon. A Christmas gift from my daughter Dallas, I began it on Dec. 27 and finished it Jan. 19... all 850 plus pages of it, not counting footnotes, etc. 

Plusses--You learn plenty about what most history books don't include. He devotes plenty of space to the darker sides of Texas history, treatment of Native Americans and racism against African Americans and the Spanish and Mexicans. And he makes sure to detail their contributions, including womens' roles. It begins  before the Spanish arrived and ends with the presidency of George W. Bush. And he's not afraid to be honest, wondering if the Alamo had become an unintended "death trap," and covering abuses by the Texas Rangers, for instance.

Weaknesses--I wish there were more maps. I had to get a highway map out for some of the stories. But I like maps and looking things up, so.  It is also somewhat of a political and economic (oil) history, going from governor to governor, which he calls the "tyranny" of chronology.  One omission I noted was no reference to the Ogallala Aquifer and center point irrigation, the key to the cotton economy of west Texas.

But it's well written, in many cases personal, and  I learned much. Dallas told me I should count it as three books for this year.

The second book took me three days, William deBuys' The Walk, 153 pages, three essays about his life and property in northern New Mexico village on a gravel road off the high road to Taos. It's a memoir, a landscape and more that I identified with in many ways, because of the landscape and his experiences. 

I've read his other books about northern New Mexico, and his writing breathes that country. I'd just painted the Truchas Peaks, and his description of them describes my emotions when I see them. It was written in 2007 and I had to find it in a used book store online.

I'll close this with a quote, from the first essay, about a walk he takes every day: "...walking lubricates the connections of thought, loosens the bonds on the subconscious, and allows unexpected ideas and feelings to surface... ."

Desert drama

"Desert Sunset," 8 x 10 watercolor, 140 lb d'Arches rough press paper

"Go for the drama," I'd tell my writing students of the best way to start a story, to grab the attention of readers. 

In photography and painting, it's also no accident that some of the best scenery or subjects are more interesting early in the morning or late in the day. Noon tends to be rather bland, devoid of long shadows, contrast, texture and color, whether a landscape, still life  or even a portrait.

Thus today's watercolor, a desert sunset from my New Mexico imagination.

Storm a'coming

"Storm a'coming," 8 x 10 140 lb d'Arches rough press paper

I know winter is still here and it seems worse this year, not because of the weather, but because we've been cooped up and on edge so long. 

I'm ready for spring  on the Great Plains, when you can enjoy  the wide open spaces, and can see the storm clouds on far horizons.  

Imagination time. Today's watercolor.

Red and Ready

Today I hung my red-themed watercolors at In your Eye Studio and Gallery, getting ready for our group February show at Paseo Arts District, opening First Friday, Feb.5.

Here's what it looks like. You can also see the paintings up close and in person, and even purchase them, this Friday and Saturday, noon to 5. 

From left, at top, Oklahoma Red, Amazing Grace, Oklahoma Sentinel.

Second row, Attention Getter, End of the Line, Seeing Red, Red Hot.

Last row, Irish Eyes, Passion, Red and Green, Windy Day, Rock and Roll, U.S.S. Arizona.

The watercolors of January--a story

Red. That's the theme of February's show at our gallery, In Your Eye Studio and Gallery in Paseo Arts District. I'll be hanging mine today, getting ready for First Friday art walk, Feb. 5.

There are 10 of us member artists now, and we meet once a month--via zoom for the past 10 months as the pandemic has disrupted every one's lives and businesses. We've been fortunate that we've not suffered as much of the rest of the world. That's when we chose the red theme for February.

It's been my goal ever since March to try to bring some bright color into the world to offset the darkness,  and it spurred my creativity, with many, many paintings...some good, some, well so-so. But I painted...more a gift to myself than others, I suspect.

I count myself fortunate to be such a member,  but when the theme was suggested, I thought I had nothing red to show. So I got to work.

As I did, and began assembling them, getting them framed at Pirate's Alley in Britton, I also found a few earlier red ones to be included.

And in this process, this appropriate poetry from by readings in Rumi just appeared this week:

Here is the slide show, beginning with my best, the round barn at Arcadia. It ends with the first painting of the new year, the only non-red one of the month, "Manzano Moon Shadows."

Here's the information on those paintings, most are 5 x 7s, unless specified otherwise, size not including mat and frame. Those from earlier than January are included:

"Oklahoma Sentinel" (8 x 10), "Attention Getter," " Everybody needs flowers," "Seeing Red,"  "End of the Line" (8 x 10), Granddaughter's birthday card, "Rock and Roll" (earlier), "Hold on to your hat kind of day" (earlier), "Red Hot," "Redhead," "Irish Eyes" (earlier), "Passion," "Amazing Grace" (8 x 10, earlier), (U.S.S. Arizona" (earlier), "Great Plains Winter" (earlier),  "Manzano Moon" (8 x 10).