Conclave (The Defile) Print

We approach this painting through a narrow canyon, called a defile in New Mexico, as if we're parting curtains on a play. Far away a cloud of crows gathers; in the Zen tradition, monks are jokingly referred to as crows. Closer to us a woman makes her way down a path to join the conclave. The group is held by the massive spires of desert hoodoos deep in the distance. To my mind, this is an image of hope--a gathering of Desert Fathers and Mothers in an imaginary future in which climate change has gone as badly as scientists imagine it will. A gathering of people of depth and wit, raucous and alive despite the beating sun. These paintings began with heavy-handed thumbnails of a desert where crows circle above crosses growing from dry hills. These lay fallow for months, coming to life this past summer with a series of paintings of mythic mesas. I began drawing from these seeds, exploring variations and permutations, until I’d discovered a vocabulary of line, space, contrast, shape and feeling. I then began painting. Working on 4-8 panels at a time, I built an intuitive texture-drawing. Then through underpainting I continued the exploration begun in the drawings, finding forms and images, still working on the whole group as a suite. Lastly, I sharpened form through color. Each part of the process revealed more of the story. And the story is about the good news of impermanence, hidden in the bad news of climate change. It’s about a pilgrimage in an inner desert through which faith is found and cultivated. Where desire scorches until it burns itself out, leaving gravestones and an ineffable light.

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:10 W x 10 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:15.25 W x 15.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.