Shadows are
the casting of an image, an angle, or a shape. In Canyonlands the petroglyphs (carved into stone) and
pictographs (painted on stone) both resemble simple
shadows. The simplicity of the
drawings is deceiving. Compared to
a Renoir or a Van Gogh, one might see them without giving them much artistic
merit. Swinging into a parking
lot, walking twenty feet to see the “Newspaper Wall", and then getting
back into your car to head to the next view isn’t the best way to appreciate
this art, although it is a start.
Invited to
walk a canyon by the gentleman in this picture, gave me a different, new level
of appreciation. This man casts a
long shadow. He has visited the
Canyonlands for thirty years exploring the back country by jeep, bike, hiking
and off-road motorcycle. He shares
his knowledge with an unassuming and gracious manner. Shay
canyon is a place that speaks to his spirit. We
went to look for this bear petroglyph.
The art is carved with chisels made from stone. These artists had to find the right tool or even make the right tool. Pigment for pictographs were collected,
ground and mixed with urine, blood or other binding agent. Their brushes were made from yucca.
They had to travel on foot possibly many miles to a rock site with the right surface. Their art wasn’t going to
be sold to make a living. There wasn't going to be any advertising to promote it. Few might
ever see it. I began to appreciate
the difficulty of the execution of these simple drawings.
The carvings and paintings depicted animals, hunts, tallies, families,
mountains and life. The carvings
condensed stories or references into an art with a permanence of centuries. I began to
look for the animals and the birds trying to identify the species.
Audubon references from thousands of years ago.
Cowboy Campsite |
The overhang in the photo below sheltered these imprints. The cave and the cliffs were as elegant
as the design of any modern museum of art. I came to appreciate the simplicity of the art set within
their stunning and remote surroundings.
I was lucky to
have a guide. We have photos now
as our most common form of documentation, but guides are still important. (Thank you, my guide.)
The rain left a huge puddle at the foot of my campsite. I enjoyed seeing vehicles roar through
the muddy red water. As the puddle
began to reside, I noticed that the mud particles had settled and the surface
began to reflect bushes and the sky.
I walked down to record the reflection of the sky and found my
shadow. The simple form seemed the
perfect was to record a petroglyph-like shape of pup and I in the suspended
stone. I doubt it will last a
thousand years!
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