Essay and artwork by Patricia Nolan
“Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Alone, a mile beyond the Mt. Shavano trailhead, my old woman legs need to rest. I sit on a downed log and absorb my surroundings. Cool air, warm sun at 9,500 feet. I look through an old split rail fence that frames an impressionist painting of wildflowers. This June morning, a few crows circle above an aspen grove dotted with Engelmann Spruce, Douglas Fir, and a few Ponderosa Pine. I lower my pack, set up my easel, paints, and brushes, and begin to savor the beauty, knowing my art can never improve this scene. Nor can any art cause us to see the landscape in a new way. Only time spent on location with open eyes and an open heart can do that. I begin to sketch the soul of this place that draws me like a lover.