Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Lighter of foot and Leaping (well almost)!

Skies were light as we drove back from Dr. Prince's office. 'The New Black Boot' is now off, and I am allowed full weight bearing ... Yeah! Still with a walker, but working towards the cane. This is grand news and am celebrating by wearing jeans (no more sweats) and out to a Leap yearer's birthday... 17 or 68... Take your pick, happy days.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Layered sky

Upon waking and getting to and from physical therapy the many layered sky changed, making layers of silvery grey and pale blue shimmer at every turn. (drawing whilst 'chauffeur' Steve drives... ).

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Skeletal skies

The skies this morning reminded me of a skeleton... Rather like the ones in Mexican Day of the Dead or a Tim Burton movie, but they were rather celestial and beautiful. Then they disappeared and we are clear blue skies...

 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Hawk action

 So I come back into the house and in the shade right outside the big window is some kind of hawk sat on top of our new small fruitless mulberry tree. It looked right at me as I carefully got the iPad to take a picture... Difficult to know what kind it was as it was dark feathered, closed up and in the shade. Of course this ain't no innocent budgie... We have recently seen plenty of 'nature' at its most active with hawks buzzing the smaller birds and cooing doves, but great to watch if you can keep your eye on the action as it all moves so fast, then moves else where. Last summer we would be hanging out on the corner patio early evening, enjoying the end of the day, when several times a hawk has shot past our heads aiming for our neighbors bird table at a 45* angle to our house. Lots of squawks, feathers and movement follow, I have yet to see it succeed, but that's nature.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Dogs and gusting winds...

 As happens regularly the winds get feisty in Virgin. Today the winds returned... Gusting here and there, blowing things over, ripping off some of the tyvek on our unfinished addition, sending sand to other places and so forth. Of course our fair weather desert dogs gave me this expression when I threw them out to pee having been indoors for hours, too funny, it stayed with me all day. You have to love your pets! 

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Wow

 Another fine end to the day light, could not resist...

Fast moving

 Just sit and watch the skies today, ever changing, constantly moving with the passing winds. Another small amount of winter with rain and snow last night - will there be more? I hope so, the desert needs it before the heat comes.

New Mexican layers

 Our dear friend and fine carpenter, Amarante Vasquez visited us yesterday to cook us his old family recipe of New Mexican enchiladas. Like the recipe, this drawing was done from memory and in layers.

Food remedy #16 was done as part of a series of drawings, which were posted on Facebook as a part of the Leg work journal, the start of the healing of my body.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Grey veil of light

 The sky is moving towards a veil over the setting sun... I think we are expecting another storm, but today was sunny and warm, until now. I am still experimenting with the notation on these pages, hand written or typed? Small decisions in the light of life!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sunset beneath the storms

 Snow covered St. Valentine's day, arrived in the silence of 2 inches of over night snowfall. The sun is now setting under the stormy skies, with more weather following - Happy Valentines Day, much heart and love all round.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Winter rolling through

 We are finally experiencing winter, or at least some inkling of it. This sky has just blown through and is currently dumping on Springdale and Zion NP to the east of us. Light and dark clouds play tag with each other, in and out of view, you have to keep watching.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Stratocumulus pending the golden light of dusk

 Yesterday the skies were ever changing... Pre-empting a most beautiful sunset and golden light. Today the rains are coming through, the earth is need of this and laughing in joy.

 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Floral remedies

 The flower has the essence of healing within it. Both life and death come within a few days or hours in the life of a flower... These four drawings were done soon after the leg surgery and were recordings of some of the  'floral remedies' my friends bestowed on me, along with their love.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Altocumulus remembered

On my way home today from physical therapy this beautiful altocumulus undulatus front had formed over the sun. No iPad with me... So kept it in my minds eye for when I could draw it and to share.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Skies unlimited

This is an early forage into drawing skies on the iPad. I am still deciding what notation I will do and how. Handwriting with ones pinky was a challenge, and I do have a compass on board for the orientation of the view. I also now have a stylus.

Last year I completed an installation project called '365 West', where I drew on a postcard, the westerly sky at 3pm every day for 1 year, wherever I was in the world.

I miss that daily discipline and my iPad sky drawings are an attempt to continue that.

When we moved down stream away from the majestic and tall cliffs of Zion Canyon, the skies opened up. Here in Virgin the visual palette through our windows is ever changing and the expansion felt is both physical and spiritual. My broken leg accident curled up my psyche and emotions like a tight shell. The healing process I am going through, I hope will enable that expansion to continue to unfurl.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

First steps

 A journey will always start with the first small step...

'Mist and golden pods' - the day after our first winter rains and the earth sighed relief, while the mist rolled off the mesas.

This sketch was done a few hours before, and in anticipation of the removal of my hard, non-weight bearing caste,  on my broken leg, from early December, it had been my shackle for 6 weeks. I am now mid way through the post surgery physical therapy and with a walking caste boot and walker, full weight bearing is one month away and daily therapy for movement, strength and reflection. As I said, small steps...

A few days before the accident I had received an early Christmas present of an iPad... My first Apple... The drawings on this blog are my early forages into this new media and into blogging.

Feel free to forward and I hope you enjoy.