Stumpy Saguaro

Ajman Brahm speaks the trees in the forest, the most interesting and beautiful being so because of their imperfections. With that in mind, I present you with "Stumpy", a saguaro who was somehow beheaded at eight feet, and who compensated for this disaster by sprouting a multitude of arms. 

Another lovely Sunday afternoon sketching at Jewel of the Creek.

By The Creek

Sunday morning by the creek

after a night's rain.

This sandy bank

warmed by the sun

is lush with grass

and the music of running water.

The desert foothills

is a good place to be

 in January.

Sketching as therapy for vision - very uncomfortable and peculiarly disorienting when focusing on a scene with such a hodgepodge of objects. Palming was an effective way to rest the eyes. 

Wild Bee Hive

                 Ugly sketch with a cute story.

                 Just off the trail,

                 stood an old cottonwood,

                 blasted and twisted, 

                 the main trunk ripped off

                   leaving a dark opening

                   out of which bees

                   emerged and disappeared

                   purposefully.

                   Taking a seat

                   on a rock close by

                   pencil to paper

                   sketching

                   preoccupied workers flew past

                   pausing to appraise 

                   the observer.

                                  

                   On the rough stone seat

                   the artist in timeless content

                   until posterior ache interrupted, 

                   bringing sketching to an end.

                   Bidding adieu to the gracious bees

                 continued along the trail.

                   Next morning

                   hiking among low clouds

                   on the same trail

                   to visit the bees

                   sheltered from the winter wet

                   in their snug hive.

                   Found among the stone seats

                   a present from the bees - 

                   a comfortable camp chair 

                   neatly folded up 

                   in a handy carrying case.

                   Thank you generous Bees!

                 So observant!

Sketching as Visual Therapy

Sit still

in a quiet place

looking far into the distance.

What do you see?

Put pencil to paper, 

make a mark. 

Long line for a mountain, 

hairpin for a tall saguaro, 

any squiggle or scroll to suggest

cottonwood trees and

multitudinous

desert shrubs.

Forget about rendering.

Accuracy is not important.

It is the experience of seeing,

far, near, far, near,

realizing with the eyes

context of form

contrast of light.

And then to make the marks,

to transpose visual stimulation 

into corresponding motion, 

whether it be moving a pencil,

or packing up

and walking off

into the landscape.

Will this work? My heart assures me that this is the right direction.

Macular Hole

Abruptly,

a macular pucker.

Macular hole.

Retinal surgery.

Hard lessons

about the role of vision

 in everything.

I never took art seriously,

never saw a reason for it,

until now.

Now,

I understand

that through art,

vision

and my world,

can be recreated.

Surgery to the right eye performed

 on November 9th 2018

 at the Scottsdale Eye Surgery Center.

This above painting was created several years earlier

by the artist.