More Than a Rock

4The Things Themselves

The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.

—Pablo Picasso

As I made my way home after teaching a workshop in Colorado, I headed south into the high peaks of the San Juan Mountains, stopping on occasion to admire the spectacular scenery. My plan, if it could be called that, was to set up camp in the first place that seemed welcoming and secluded, and to spend a couple of days writing and making images. As with previous trips to these magnificent mountains, however, such a place did not present itself. Awed as I was by the majestic views, they felt alien to me. Lofty peaks and abundant woods, ...