Piedra Lumbre

36 x 48

This is the first piece I completed after being introduced to the Abiqui-Ghost Ranch area on the Chama River drainage in northern New Mexico. I had been somewhat intimidated by the fame of Georgia O'Keefe in the area and felt that perhaps I had entered onto hallowed turf and my paintings be percieved as derivitive.

Then one day during my first 'expedition' I came upon an insight that Georgia's fame was in part due to introducing to the world the marvelous landscapes of this region. I mentioned this to an amiable ranger at work at the Ghost Ranch Living Museum (now defunct). She had the discernable twang of a person who had been exposed to natives of West Texas or eastern N. Mexico, as it turned out, and she agreed with my observation.

She said that she had seen a lot of people do different interpretations of the scenery and that they were all different and yes, all quite good. She said," Hell, even Elmer Fudd could to a painting around here and it'l turn out just fine!"

After producing several pieces from this area and discovering anew Georgia's interpretations, I found that this lady was right, that my 'sight' was indeed different. I have yet to see any work produced by Elmer.