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On Becoming the Line – Blog

A picture of me backpacking across an alpine landscape, with mountains and blue sky in the background.

Podcast – A conversation on art as spiritual practice

I had a lovely conversation on art as spiritual practice with Christine and Chris, who run a podcast called The Contemplative Life. We discussed the interests and connections between art, walking, wilderness, planetary alignments, and bikes. Something I should probably unpack is what I mean by “spiritual“. Being spiritual does not necessarily mean being religious, and these terms are often… Read More »Podcast – A conversation on art as spiritual practice

New Painting: Darwin Basin, Sierras

Something I wrote one evening while backpacking in the Sierras last summer: A field of sheer granite with rivulets, falling into the King’s Canyon itself thousands of feet below. Sunset colors, peaks on four sides, an outlet stream flowing downward.  “I wish my son was here, I’d tell him to go play” I think to myself, imagining how fun it… Read More »New Painting: Darwin Basin, Sierras

New Drawing, Encroachment (and an encouragement from Edward Abbey)

“It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here.“ I finished this drawing today, getting reacquainted with some of the visual language of the maps I was drawing (not interested in “accurate” maps these days – the walking/gps stuff has been pretty thoroughly co-opted by… Read More »New Drawing, Encroachment (and an encouragement from Edward Abbey)

Embracing the Gifts of Darkness

In 2019 I began making drawings with crumpled paper. Taking a clean sheet of paper, I’d crumple the thing up in my hands, then smooth it out. Sometimes I’d repeat the process, damaging and manipulating of the paper.  I started this drawing in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown. I’ve been poking at it here and there the past five years,… Read More »Embracing the Gifts of Darkness

a painting of a night scene, moon rising over a lake, and swimmer in the moonlight.

Nightswimming

Finished this little oil painting over the holiday. Inspired by backpacking in Lake Chelan, the joy and adventure of actual nightswimming, REM’s Nightswimming, and the work of Rockwell Kent. I am also trying to up my framing game. I built this floating pine frame, gave it a ‘distressed’ look with acrylic paint, and sealed it with Mod Podge. If the… Read More »Nightswimming

Winter Solstice Doodling, and fragments

Sketching and musing over the Winter Solstice, December 2024. rain shadownavigating the fog of dreaming and shadow and just above, and within… turmoil and tumultcurves and gridspsychic churning climbing into the cave of the soul new wombsdoubt trickles as eavesdropscaught floating flowing deep cloud and dark shadowno resistance thunder, then clearing inhale the night, exhale moonlight hum the alpenglow