i only went out for a walk - at elliott fouts gallery 2021

“i only went out for a walk, and decided to stay out till sundown” journal of john muir

The act of being in a place, connecting and resonating deeply with nature, the earth—it often starts with just getting my foot out the door. The hours pass, and next I know the sun has set, everyone else has gone home, but I remain—life’s worries are a bit more distant, my spirit calm. And in these moments, paintings emerge. It’s a physical expression of my inward reality connecting with the external forces of nature. As you explore these paintings, I am inviting you with me into these moments. Just step out the door. Stare at the big skies over the orchard, join my evening walk along the bay shore just a mile from my home, battle the wind with me as I pick up burnt branches and sketch a barren hill after the August Complex fire, see the deep green of new growth on the mountains just beyond the charred tree line, hear the rush of the creek as snow melts down the mountains, turn off the highway and stand alone in the Mojave Desert, spread a blanket and lay among the redwoods. Look, and listen, and linger. I hope you will stay till sundown.