Ancient Southwest
First there was the land: harsh, primal, with great corridors of stone formed by eons of geological turmoil. Winding chasms, soaring arches, natural bridges and towering pinnacles testifying to the relentless onslaught of erosion through the ages. A landscape sculpted by the elements of storm, wind and rain into one of the most surreal on earth.
Then man arrived.
The hunter-gatherer tribes of the Paleo and Desert Archaic periods roamed the land, reaping a modest living from the desert’s skimpy bounty and in their wanderings discovered the natural wonders that would be revered by generations far into the future.
Then came agriculture and with it a more settled lifestyle, giving rise to the Basket Makers and the highly advanced societies of the Puebloans. They mastered irrigation and astronomy, built complex structures of sandstone, had vast trading networks with distant peoples and practiced elaborate religious rituals. The Desert Southwest echoed with the sounds of their labors, the laughter of their children and the chants of their ceremonies, and on occasion music was heard wafting through the rocky chaos.
Then about 700 years ago the desert fell silent once more. The people moved on, leaving only ruins and scattered artifacts as a mute testament to the genius that had flowered in this desert world.
These paintings explore the cultures of these ancient peoples and their remarkable environment.