Canyon Spirit - 16″ x 12″ oil on canvas

Yesterday, on the way back from an errand, we stopped at Eaton Canyon just before sunset - and what we saw inspired today’s painting.
In spite of the lack of water and the heat, there’s a soft beauty that can be found in the dusky hues and grayed tones of our parched landscape. Sometimes you have to look hard to see it, but it’s there. As we walked along the canyonside I found many clumps of wildflowers blooming that had, no doubt, adapted to the lack of water. My guess is that the runoff, such as it was, still existed deep under the gravel bed, where their roots could reach for a drink. Nature is wonderful in its willingness to “make do” without complaint.

And speaking of complaining, I read a good story today in the LA Times that says that excessive discussion and rumination about personal problems leads to depression more than it helps (at least in the study they did among teenage girls.) The results, published in Developmental Psychology, suggest that although discussion strengthened relationships it led to increased anxiety and depression. I guess there are always tradeoffs, aren’t there? It didn’t say that brainstorming and problem solving were problematic, though. So perhaps that type of conversation and interchange wasn’t studied. Something to keep in mind if you have a teen daughter, granddaughter or niece.

Does that concept apply to art too? I think it does. Like everyone else, I have good days and bad days, but I find that ruminating on bad art days only makes matters worse. My preference is to get a clean sheet of paper or canvas and start something new. The surest way to shake off a bad art day is to replace it with a new and positive experience. The more you do that, the fewer ‘bad art days’ you might have.

Here are a few details (click to enlarge):