Friends –

I had the smoothest, most fun and music-filled time with this painting. Until the end. Something was not right. In trying to remedy that, I changed one section of it probably 5 or 6 times, before I finally figured out what was wrong.

It was that tree!!! There used to be a largish pinon pine in the left hand corner. A nice, attractive tree with multi-colored shadows and boughs. But as scrumptious as it was, the story I wanted to tell with this painting was not about the tree, but it was painted just nice enough that it would have been all you would look at. So I grabbed my rag, rubbed it out and repaired the rocks. Hopefully your eyes will now be seduced to not rest on any one object, but to wander through the landscape instead, in search of the best path.

So here is the story: I know that my exploring-and-petroglyph-admiring-type friends will relate to how it feels to climb up somewhere high where you can see for miles across canyons. You know what ancient art treasures can be found in odd places and there must be many among all those sandstone wrinkles, bumps, fins and desert varnish walls. Which ones are the ones that hide somebodies' ancient art gallery and which do not?

I have visited several galleries within this distant view across Pritchard Canyon toward Hidden Valley and Behind the Rocks. And I know that there are likely many others about which I know nothing. Perhaps you can help me look through all this and figure out the best path to where there may be more? And then let's respectfully go….

"Hidden Galleries" is a 16x20" oil on canvas for the Gallery Moab show – I will be the Gallery's Guest Artist for the month of March 2019. How cool is that?

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