Today I am sharing the making process of my 'Pueblo Bonito' painting. 
Pueblo Bonito is located in Chaco Canyon* in the remote high desert of New Mexico. This massive multi-story pueblo was built by ancestral Puebloans and occupied between 850 and 1250 AD. It housed approximately 800 rooms (!).  The canyon is a prime location for day time and night time sky watching. Many of the pueblos in the canyon are oriented in alignment with sunrise and sunset on seasonal solstices, marking important dates and seasonal shifts.  I visited Chaco Canyon in 2001, spending 2 nights in the park's primitive campground. The days were filled with hiking the trails inside the canyon, wandering inside the ruined pueblos (!), discovering and admiring the petroglyphs and exploring some of the outlying pueblos connected by roads that stretch into the San Juan Basin. The nights were filled with skywatching and listening to the canyon's night sounds, trying to imagine what it was like to have lived there a thousand years ago. 
​You can read more here and order high quality prints here.

*Chaco Culture NHP is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
#culturalheritage #unescoworldheritagesites #chacoculture #chacocanyon #newmexico #artandarchitecture #artandarcheology #archeology #ancientcultures #pueblobonito
​

When good things happen on a bad day.
Today is June the 13th, 2020. Many consider the 13th an unlucky number. At least those who are superstitious. 
The number 13 is a lucky number for me.  I was finally able to quit smoking on April 13th 2004, at noon, after many failed attempts. My apartment and studio end in the number 13.  
Today I learned that the Portland Art Museum will open it's doors again on July 19th! The photo of me with my favorite sculpture was taken shortly before the Museum closed due to Coronavirus epidemic. The bronze sculpture is by Armenian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, made in 1918 (!) and titled "A Muse". I miss her and the company of other favorite paintings. 
Today I opened up my online shop with high quality prints of my World Heritage Site collection. I have struggled with the timing and the announcement of my next collection titled "MUSE". In the light of recent events and the shadow it's casting over humanity I did not find it appropriate, nor could I find the strength to self promote. 
Remembering the beauty and uplift that art can provide I decided to not have an official opening but have a quiet one.  If you can't go to art then let art come to you :-).  

To find the World Heritage Site collection go here: PRINTS

The "MUSE" collection will be available on July 13th!

Happy World Oceans Day! 
These dolphins are a detail of my Palace of Knossos painting and is based on frescos found there. The dolphin fresco was found in the Queen's apartments and are exemplary of Minoans naturalistic and graceful landscapes. 
The palace of King Minos is located on the Greek island of Crete and the earliest settlements date back to 1900 BC. This is also the birthplace of Ariadne's thread and the Minotaur myth. To learn more go here
#worldoceanday #worldoceansday #worldoceansweek #worldoceansday2020 #take3dorthesea

Studies of the Crotalus Tzabcan scale patterns. This Mayan rattlesnake has a unique square pattern that governed Mayan architecture and timekeeping. The tzabcan can be seen on the Uxmal pyramid facades in the Yucatan.