My time spent in the Southwest was so photo-worthy that I had to split my trip into two posts. You can see the first post here. At this point, I was in full-on relax mode and all the hectic feelings from the end of the year had basically disappeared. On the road, I thumb through the road atlas, imagining that we will stop at all these magical places, including Sedona, White Sands and various other places. Of course, we didn't have the time for these things, but there's always next time.
The welcome sign at the border of New Mexico says it all. The vast landscapes and mesas are breathtaking and so different from the California landscapes I'm used to. You may be wondering why I'm skipping Arizona. We sped through to get to our destination to meet friends in New Mexico. Later in this post, I'll have a couple shots of Flagstaff on the way back.
Anabella Piñon is one of my favorite artists. She makes art for the pure love of it and is one of the most enigmatic and generous people you will ever meet. This is her reflection in her parent's kitchen, bright and colorful, like the whole Piñon family. You can see Bella's art here. I know one of her goals this year is to make more art so I'm really excited to see what she does. She is always the main reason I'm in New Mexico. Bella lives in California, near me, but her family is out here.
And that concludes the second part of my Southwest trip. It was much needed after feeling spent by the end of the year. I think the colors, patterns and openness of the landscape will influence my art for awhile.
Now, I'm off to Miami for some more sunshine.