Negro Bill Canyon
Friends -
Some of you may have noticed that I have not sent
new art photos for some time.... Well, becoming
a grandma (Leonardo Francisco Ayala) in December,
and taking refuge in Moab in January are the
reasons for this. However, I did get a chance
to work on a few things while in Moab, and am
finishing them up this week. I will say this
about southeast Utah.... if you like to be out
in the wilderness, enjoy geological miracles,
appreciate solitude and historical mystery, you
might like it near Moab. It is not a place for
everybody, but it definitely served my purpose
of resting the mind during my first month in
retirement. Bob and I basically took a major
hike every other day, until the last week when
I caught a cold. I also feathered my art studio
nest a bit, as Bob built one for me there. This
art studio is where I began (and almost finished)
this drawing of Negro Bill Canyon. Negro Bill
was one of the first hikes that we took during
week 2.
Negro Bill stream flows directly into the main
channel of the Colorado River within Moab, and
since it is the property of Bureau of Land Management,
the canyon is open to the public. Apparently it
is becoming quite popular, but in January it was
empty. Thus, we were able to enjoy the frozen,
calm beauty of this place all by ourselves. It
is a lovely hike that follows the stream for 2-3
miles, with a fair amount of up-and-down, terminating
at the head with a great view of Morning Glory
Arch. What astonished me was the loud sound of
a waterfall as we approached the head of the canyon,
but there was no water in sight (other than the
stream flowing by). It took getting closer to see
that the water sound was coming from a small waterfall
behind the rock wall of the canyon. We could see
a bit of it thanks to a crack in the wall, but
it did not seem to match the loud waterfall sound.
Clearly, there was an echo effect as well, and
the whole effect on us was magical.
In acknowledgement of the politically incorrect
designation, the Canyon was named after William
Granstaff, a cowboy of mixed race who ran cattle
in the desert canyon with a Canadian trapper named
'Frenchie'. He lost out on his holdings in 1881
when he fled after being charged with bootlegging
whiskey to the Indians. It was a rough place back
then, and nothing much has changed.
This drawing was done on pastel paper with some
hard pastels, colored pencil, graphite and a tiny
bit of water color in a couple of locations that
remain a secret (for now). I have some great photos
of this canyon, in addition to this drawing. This
particular view is of a spot near the beginning
of the trail. Let me know if you are interested
in seeing some of those photos and I will send
you a few.
I may sell the original, and certainly can sell
prints, for your donation to a good cause such
as Doctor's Without Borders...
Thank you for being patient with my relatively
low productivity.
margie lopez read
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