A trip to Council Rocks - a photo-essay

Yesterday, two local artist friends and I took a day trip out to the Dragoon Mtns.  Mike is a photographer/web designer and Liz is an encaustic painter and photographer.  Destination was the area known as Council Rocks - a historical site known to be a meeting place for Apache tribe members Cochise and Geronimo.  The rock facades also have rock art believed to be 1000 years old and created by the prehistoric peoples living in the area - the Mogollon. 

The weather report was a bit sketchy, with a 30% chance of rain predicted for late afternoon/evening.  During our trip, the fair-weather cumulus transitioned into rainclouds that luckily bypassed us as far as precipitation went.  They did, however, enhance the landscape photos we took. 

Below is a selection of some of my favorites from the trip.  I ended up heading out later that evening to shoot some sunset photos, and I'll be posting that series perhaps tomorrow.  Winter is taking its time departing, but it's providing some beautiful skies in the meantime!

A look to the past

Important communication symbols or just ancient graffiti?  No one knows for sure, but these enigmatic designs continue to enchant and fascinate those who see them.

Close-up of pictograph panel

Two figures - human, perhaps? - are shown in detail.

Council Rocks

The actual Council Rocks are between the large balanced rock to the left and the large boulder to the right.  A path leads to the pictograph panels, which are on the second large rock to the left.  The meeting room area is formed by the large group of boulders to the right.

Sky reflections

This small pool of rainwater adjacent to a huge boulder reflects both the nearby grasses and the clouds from above.

Geological and botanical still life

A variety of contrasting shapes, colors and testures add interest to this landscape/still life image

Easter Island meets the Dragoons

This balanced slab of rock has recognizable facial features sitting atop this weathered granite monolith.  Oddly, I didn't even notice the face until I looked at the photograph later.

Sheep's Head rock and rainclouds

The dark stormclouds add a sense of drama to the sunlit face of this portion of the mountains.  Scrub oak and desert grasses make up the foreground.

I will probably post the rest of the photos I took to a picasa gallery of the Dragoons at some point; new photos will be visible in the picasa feed at the bottom of the blog page when they're up.

Mountains and Paths - pastels

Here are two more small pastels completed over the past few days.   Both are based on photos taken around the area.  The first is of the Mule Mtns. as seen from Hwy 80 towards Douglas.  Both have a combination of hard and soft pastels.

"Mules from the South"

pastel on sanded paper, 5x7

available for purchase

"Path Towards Council Rock"

pastel on sanded paper, 5x7

available for purchase

The Dragoon Mtns - pastel

This painting is based on a photo that I took during the trip to the Dragoons.  The photo itself never made it onto the Picasa gallery for a couple of reasons, but I felt it had some merit for a painting reference.  My sister suggested I paint it from the handful of photos I showed her for consideration. 

In keeping with my recent theme, it's got the road element.  The photo was taken in mid-day sun, which is why the face of the mountain is in shade.  I was interested in the shapes and patterns that the granite rock made with the surrounding trees (mostly scrub oak and juniper - no pines at this elevation), and the light hitting the very top edges of the granite ridges shown. 

For those not familiar with the desert plants of this region (which I'm guessing is most people reading this blog), the dark forms along the side of the road are yucca.  I wanted to leave them in, although I did some compositional rearranging from the original photo.   I left a small mesquite tree in, seen on the right side, and the two bare trees on the left, to add a sense of depth to the scene. 

The actual sky wasn't turquoise, as I have done it, but a cloudless blue.  I love turquoise skies, and while they aren't appropriate all the time, I wanted to use some new Richeson handmade pastels I just purchased, and this was the perfect excuse!

"Road Towards Council Rock" - 7.5 x 10.5"

Pastel on 400-grit w/d sandpaper

Dragoon Mtns west - photoseries

Two weeks ago, I went on a nearly all-day trip to the nearby Dragoon Mtns with fellow artist and WetCanvas'er Drusilla, who lives on a ranch in the area.  Not knowing much about the local sites, she offered to take us out to the western side of the Dragoon Mtns.   A week prior, I had been to the eastern side of the same mountains with another local artist; some of those photos were featured in my recent blog post on winter skies and odd cloud formations.

Anyway, on the day we went, it was a beautiful sunny day with not a cloud in the sky.  Access to the Dragoons is via a road that lies just north of Tombstone.   Dru gave me lots of background about the local history of the Dragoons, including pointing out the location of Council Rock, where the Apache Cochise signed a treaty with the whites over a century ago, and she showed me the remains of a very old adobe fort, probably built around the late 1800's.  I did get some photos of that, along with many of the mountains, which are primarily composed of pink granite that has eroded and crumbled into a variety of shapes from massive boulders to balanced spires and occasional whimsical shapes.  We hiked a bit up the trail that traverses the mountain saddle from west to east, which I definitely plan to come back to in the future. 

Below are some select photos to show the rugged beauty of the mountains and surrounding area.  The rest may be seen in this new Picasa gallery.  The vegetation in the area is part Chihuahuan desert scrub at the base and part Pinon-Juniper woodlands in the mountains.   Some people think that the desert doesn't have four seasons, but it most certainly does.   They are subtle and perhaps not appreciated or seen by those who are used to the "in your face" season changes in the midwest or east coast.   Some of these photos do capture the essence and delicate beauty of the "winter desert"; others highlight the sculptural forms or minute detail in nature that I have an affinity for. 

Granite hill crest

A spent agave flower stalk adds a sense of space to the scrub oak hillside and large protrusions of granite

Lone Oak

A scrub oak sits atop a small hill near a large outcropping of rock

Afternoon shadow play

Shadows cast by the canes of an ocotillo - a native desert shrub - fall on the adjacent rocks, forming an interesting pattern.

Tree form with rock

This dead or dormant tree, nestled within the surrounding rocks, creates a dramatic contrast against the bright afternoon sky.  Manzanita, ocotillo and dried grasses add to the botanical diversity

Lichen in Detail

This chartreuse species of lichen forms distinctive colorful patches on the Dragoon rocks

Catching the Sun

The afternoon sun lights up the tips of these grasses, producing a sharp contrast against the distal field, trees and mountains.

Winter Afternoon

The late afternoon light warms the face of the Dragoons, while a large yucca casts a long shadow in the foreground.

High Desert Shadows

The late afternoon light showcases the folds and contours of these hills adjacent to the Dragoons, while the winter grasses break up some of the foreground shadows.

Yucca Pair

These yucca plants, characteristic flora of the Chihuahuan Desert Scrub, appear to float in a sea of dried grass.

Sunset from the Dragoons

The Huachuca Mtns form the distant horizon for this picturesque sunset

Winter Skies - AZ-style

At the moment, I'm sitting in an outdoor cafe, enjoying picture-perfect weather in the mid-60's, sunny with bright blue skies.  It just doesn't get any better than this in mid-December (at least for me!).  However, less than a week ago, we had a winter storm blow through that produced some very unique cloud formations.  I had made plans to go on a photoshoot with a local artist I recently met, and since it wasn't raining, we proceeded with that plan.  On the way to his house, I stopped and took some photos along the side of the road.  Our trip took us out to the east side of the Dragoon Mtns, location of Cochise Stronghold, and due west of the Chiricauha National Monument.  Photos I shot in the mountains were unremarkable due to the poor lighting, but the area itself is worthy of revisit in better weather and in morning sun. 

Here are some of the photos taken from this past Sunday.  It was a windy, cold day, which is what resulted in these unique cloud formations.  I suspect they are variations of lenticular clouds - the "flying saucer" type that is frequently seen capping mountains.  I've never seen anything quite like them before; I hope you enjoy them.  I often take photos for the purpose of using them as a reference for future paintings.  However, there are times when something is best left as a photo due its odd features that would not translate to a believable (or aesthetically pleasing) painting.  These photos are examples of that. 

Enjoy!

Scalloped Cloud Set

These clouds, seen off of Double Adobe Rd, are to the southwest, and are over Mexico.

Calling the Mothership

This shot, taken at 55mm zoom, shows the detail of this large cloud that hovers above the Mule Mtns. that surround Bisbee

Approaching from the North

These light-colored cloud stacks are seen in a northeastern direction off of Double Adobe Rd.

Cloud line from Cochise Stronghold

This tiered set of clouds gives a sense of depth of the sky when viewed from the eastern slope of the Dragoon Mtns.