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A Brief History of "Desert Canyons"
(Serigraph and Painting)
This
painting was the first in a series of desert landscapes I created during a period of personal involvement with mineral
exploration and mining in Southeastern Utah. "Desert Canyons" is a
composite of geological formations and vistas in this area. The
limited edition serigraph entitled "Desert Canyons" is a 28-color
hand done silk screen reproduction (serigraph) of the original oil painting of the same name
(shown above).
"Desert Canyons" began as a much different painting than is now
visible. In fact, "Desert Canyons" evolved from an
earlier work depicting five armed men, in "hot pursuit," riding
through a forest. This original painting, entitled "The Posse," was
completed in 1972 and displayed at the Jailhouse Gallery in Taos,
New Mexico. After
a few months I decided that the posse would look more
natural riding through a desert than through a forest, so I asked
the gallery to return the painting so I could change the background. One by
one members of the Posse began disappearing under a coat of paint
until, at last, there was only the Sheriff riding along the edge of a
cliff, rifle in hand. Finally, he too was painted over and thus the
painting, "Desert Canyons" was created. (In just the right light,
the posse is still visible under the desert, buried for all time
like the cowboys of the old west).
This
final version of "Desert Canyons" was completed in 1974 and
was part
of the Robert Norman collection. Mr. Norman is a geologist and
General Manager of the Minerals Exploration Division of Buttes Gas
and Oil Co., Moab, Utah.
Interestingly, this work and the paintings of this period that
followed are so geologically accurate that all but one are (or were
originally) owned by geologists or mining companies.
The
importance of this work is that it began the Artist's "Red Rock
Landscape Period." The original painting was destroyed in
a fire many years ago. Only the serigraphs remain. |
