Sidetracked Charley

I live in an area where some people brag about being off the grid. Frankly I like my electricity. But if I had the money for solar power I would do it because it is cheaper; not because I think people are spying on me through my electrical wires. It is easier to spy via cell phones (yes, land lines are not the culprit) or internet. But I live a life not worthy of spying upon. Just read my blogs. But the one area I am "off the grid" is in satellite (or cable) television. In the first days of 2006 we got six feet of snow and the Dish Network satellite dish was knocked off my house. Passes were closed for four days. And similar things had obviously happened to a lot of other dishes because the earliest date they gave me for reinstalling was two weeks out. Maybe. And Dish, in its infinite wisdom was unwilling to give me a half month credit on my bill. Their argument was they were providing me the service. Not their fault I was not receiving it. It was during that time I fo...

There are times in July when living in the mountains seems like summer camp. Only I am the camp counselor and I have work to be done. It isn't all about arts and crafts or hikes and collecting leaves. Life was simpler when it was just merit badges you had to earn. I think I would have earned badges this summer for Arts (the July solo show) and Gardening and Photography and Animal Care. Score me at least one demerit for Camp Site Care. Wasn't life good when there were gold stars and merit badges and report cards to rate how well you were doing in life? If you have one of those 9 to 5 jobs then I suppose you get to judge your value by merit increases and bonuses. With self-employed artists it gets rather nebulous. Do you measure your success in paintings completed or just those sold. Or the awards won. Or name recognition on Google. An art collector compared my paintings favorably with Jennifer Cavan, Tom Nobel, and Ed Sandoval recently. Nice. But that is only a personal ...

Wild life photography is all about patience. Those totally dedicated to solely the capture of birds are anchored to a blind and a tripod and a 500 mm telephoto lens. Not exactly my cup of tea. I enjoy recording the world around me which is an entirely different form of patience. I and my dogs, Magique and Mardi Gras, take my camera on a walk most mornings early for the purpose of catching the early light, and by chance the wildlife inhabiting my walking grounds. First you teach the dogs not to chase. And when the photographer stops they stop. And then you walk the same route often enough the nature around you becomes used to your presence. Hawks, I have been told, learn to recognize your face. I think geese must too. I began photographing this mated pair several years back. This year I was allowed in on the goslings beginning day one and their introduction to water. First Swim My guess is mother was always in front and dad at back and the little ones followed along. They we...

Red Cabbage As I approached the end of April this year I looked out on my old poly tunnel and decided to not garden this year. I was facing two cataract surgeries with the limitations the post op care enforced, and a solo gallery show with more paintings to paint. The garden just seemed too much even if I did not redo the polytunnel. Besides what is all the lettuce I plant really costing me? Couldn't I just make regular trips to the farmer's market instead of growing my own?  Besides Mother had been the gardener. And living at 8750 ft. does not make gardening easy. Perhaps it is enough to just excel at house plants in the studio. New Inner tunnel covered by snow Late spring snows did not help. But the whole lead up and recovery from the first eye surgery left me feeling so helpless. Yes, gardening is frustrating but it does not make me feel helpless. I love having my hands in the dirt, seldom miss a morning or evening walking through the beds and talking to my pla...

Moon Over Distant Peaks When you are an early riser you get to see lots of dawns. My moon rises tend to be in the winter because I do not have to stay up so late. Yes, the full moon rises as the sunsets but when you live in a valley surrounded by mountains the moon rise can be an hour after sunset. Last night, however, I was driving back from Trinidad when the moon made an appearance going over Raton pass. It rose looking like something from Battle Star Galatia. There were no safe places to pull over on the pass and retrieve my camera from the trunk. But as soon as I got off I25 and headed home on Hwy 64 I took advantage of the wide shoulders to record its diminished size. Then it became just a matter of getting the right combination of peaks lined up underneath it. Horizontal version Or horizontal vs vertical. I ended up adding 30 minutes to my travel time, but it could have been a lot more if I had tossed my tripod into the trunk too. Then there was the sun setting be...

When the Rains Came 36 x 24 Mixed Media on Artists Canvas $1950 Since the first woman (yes, anthropologists now believe it was the females and not men) drew a bison on a cave walls of Chauvet-Pont D'Arc magic has played a large part for artists. And whether the figures of herds of bison and antelope were a shopping list or a charm for a successful hunt the artist was using their skill to call forth an image, or cast a spell, or make a wish. Charcoal figures or complex mandalas or prescribed sand paintings for healing all have an element of magic involved. Artists can be very superstitious individuals from having to have their favorite brushes or just the right color or pacing in front of the canvas waiting for the muse to visit them. Or panic they have somehow angered that muse. Ask an artist where they get their ideas and they may go into a song and dance about their first visit to Utah or seeing the work of Matisse as a youth. But secretly I think many of us believe we chan...

I could blame this on Mercury in retrograde or old age or a shift in the universe that I find just a big irritating. All little things really but put all together it has pushed me to a point I really would rather not deal with anything. I am writing this blog to vent and hopefully get it off my chest. I have tried to explain it to people and they do not get it. So hopefully I do better here. First was Eye Associates of New Mexico. At the conclusion of your appointment they hand you a sheet you take to the woman at the front desk to schedule your next appointment. Her first sentence is, "I see you have an outstanding balance." I do not see where that is the business of everyone at the desk and in the lobby. But the real obnoxious part of this is that I have not been notified before that moment of a bill due? The have not posted to my "patient portal" or mailed me a bill. And I mentioned this last time. "Do you want to pay it now?" she asked. "N...

2nd Street I seldom, if ever, go anywhere without my camera. You just never know when you will have the opportunity of a great picture of need something to occupy your time. Yes, there is Angry Birds on tablets but they seldom bring me the peace of a walk about on empty streets in the early morning light. On this particular morning in Trinidad, Colorado, a resident apologized for the cloudy skies. I replied that I much preferred them. Something I learned in Photography 101 at UNM. It takes the harsh shadows out of the equation. Balustrade of Light Defused light defines and gives depth. It allows a focus on form. Strong shadows flatten. Court House Early morning with a cloudy sky also makes for great reflections in glass. And no glare to have to consider. Or over exposed areas during post processing.  Second Story Available Ad Space I love the details in photographs I take on a cloudy day. And I love the peace of walking about with nobod...

Dawn July 2, 2014 I rolled out of my driveway in the predawn hours of Wednesday pulling a Uhaul trailer with 50 of my best pieces of art. It was the first time I had driven at night in over six months. Now was the test as to whether the cataract surgery had truly worked miracles. And it had. I was in awe of the night. And the dawn. And the only thing I had to do for three hours was drive a route I had taken often. After a very, very busy four months it was wonderful. Much of the trip it was even too dark to look for photo opportunities. I could think. This is not my first revealed  truth article. There is something about the vast open spaces of the plains between Cimarron and Raton that invites introspection and epiphany. Do people with their smart phones and all the apps on board ever think? With Siri and email by voice and cell phone towers everywhere and hands free cell phones does the vast majority of this technically advanced society ever stop and hear themselves thin...

I love summer mornings here in the high country. There is a freshness about the air and a lushness about the landscape. It makes the long winter and the snows of May worth it for both the photographer and the animals. Cows and calves I have photographed large herds of elk before but not with little calves. They still have their spots. And the matriarch of the herd was keeping careful watch. Even though I was only armed with a camera they all figured they were safest in the trees. Blending in But they were not going to go too far way from all that lush grass and the pond. Watching Fortunately the goose family was totally unconcerned by my presence and gave me something else to aim my camera at. Life in the high country of New Mexico.