Point Sublime is a small and very narrow peninsula that juts out over the North Rim in Grand Canyon. This remote and incredibly stunning view point is certainly not for the faint of heart or the acrophobic! With a permit you may camp, but you’ll have to have a high clearance 4×4 vehicle, spare tire, shovel and definitely food and water to be properly prepared for this 2 plus hour trek over jagged Kaibab Limestone. Or, you could always walk, run, ride your mountain bike or horse….

Once, during a monsoon season, myself, husband, son, brother-in law and two nephews had just arrived for an evening of hot dogs and camping fun. The adults were taking bets on how long it would take for the soccer ball to go over the edge and then moments later we were literally fearing for our lives. The front hit us with gale force and we quickly piled in the truck together and waited for the hellacious storm to pass. The wind howled, the truck shook and rocked back and forth, there were hundreds of lightning strikes all around us and the sound of thunder and rain pounding on the truck was deafening. It felt like at any moment we were going to slide off with the mud into the abyss below. At least the windows were so fogged up that we wouldn’t be able to see the fast approaching rocks below as we headed to our imminent death. Yikes. But, we survived and when it cleared, we cautiously and curiously wandered out to the rim.

What a view!!! Facing South, there is the infamous Crystal Canyon watershed off to the left. In 1966, the North Rim received an incredible 14 inches of rain in a very short period of time causing an epic flash flood full of debris and boulders as big as houses. As a result, a path of destruction was left in its wake and Crystal Rapids was formed. Still to this day, Crystal is the most formidable, respected and (arguably) most feared rapid in all of Grand Canyon!

Now, back up to the rim view….To the right, you can see the Powell Plateau, another major landmark that can be spotted from multiple points along the river and from many other view points. I have only been out to the Powell Plateau once and I would love to one day have more time there. The plateau itself is a “sky island”, surrounded by canyon on all sides and not attached to either North or South Rims. It can be accessed from the North Rim and again, you better bring your shovel! This sky island has some of the prettiest old growth Ponderosa Pine forest in the world. Fortunately, because of its inaccessibility and protection from the Park, it has been spared from roads, logging and development of any kind.

And, back again to Point Sublime, just below, if you really reach your neck, from here you can see one tiny, little spit of Colorado River and whitewater. I was pretty sure I knew which exact spot on the river we were seeing, but it wasn’t until my next river trip that I was able to confirm it. If you guessed Boucher Rapids then you are correct! Right as you are dropping into this rapid, if you look up, you can see Point Sublime for just a moment or two. This is the only place where Point Sublime can be seen from the river and it is also the view that inspired this painting. As far as rating rapids, Boucher isn’t so bad. In really low water, it might make a rookie motor boatman a little nervous! Now, we’re transporting down to the river for the rest of the story and after we get through Boucher, it’s off to the races…. the anticipation builds over the next river mile on top of an already adrenaline filled day. Of course then, next up is Crystal Rapids…

It’s hard to truly articulate what happens inside a boat guide’s head and heart and stomach on that mile float approaching Crystal. Most guides, the ones that have been around a while anyway, know what possible consequences lie ahead and well, just try to focus on a good run!!! In my nearly 200 runs through Crystal Rapids, I can count the times that I DIDN’T stop to scout, on one hand. Even if you were just through 2 weeks prior on the same exact water flow, and you know the run inside and out and you could do it in your sleep, and if you stop, that other trip might take the camp you want, you still stop to scout. Passengers may ask why we need to look at the rapid and I tell them and have heard my comrades say the same thing : It’s out of respect. And, because there are multiple ways to get through this rapid, you certainly want your crew to be on the same page and to remind your passengers what to do if they unfortunately find themselves out of the boat and in the water.

Well, what will it be? A left left run (my favorite), a right left run? A center run? (hopefully not) A right right run? Once we’ve decided and everyone feels good about their decision, we head back to our tied up boats, tummy full of butterflies, head focused and game ready. We tell the passengers to tighten up their life jackets and clip everything down and the crew gives each other lots of support with, “good runs, love you bud, good runs, love you bud, I’m right behind you bud, see you below”. One by one, the boats peel out from shore. There is no going back, HA!, like there ever was. I stick my hand in the water now, which has become my personal ritual, and I humbly and silently ask the river for safe passage. We don’t need style points today, just please, let everyone through safely.

A lot more often than not, one by one, and usually in the same order we left the scout, the boats make it through, gather up and bob below in a little nook we lovingly call, “Thank God Eddy”. There’s all sorts of hooping and hollering, maybe some bailing, high-fiving, and way to go’s….spirits are high and it gives us the boost we need to run the next big stretch of rapids we call the Jewels. That was it, all the anticipation, the build up and waking up at 3:30 am with anxiety, it’s over, we’re safely through, an important mile stone to be at with your crew, peeps and boats all in one piece. We’re doing it! and Ain’t It Sublime!?!?!

Original ink and watercolor : 16×24 inches ~ contact West of the Moon Gallery

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Who doesn’t love the Horny Toad? Maybe only second to the Raven, the Horned Lizard is one of Flagstaff’s most loved and iconic critters. You can spot these little reptiles along hiking and biking trails and in the grass and boulders between urban spaces. However, their populations are rapidly shrinking across the Southwest due to diminishing habitat (their home), diminishing ant and insect populations (their diet) and the heavy use of pesticides and insecticides by municipalities, landscape companies and individuals. We can do our part by not using chemicals or pesticides in our own yards and by supporting organic farmers and growers or better yet, grow your own garden and create your own horny toad habitat!!!

Original painting in private collection

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This painting was inspired by a New Year’s Day walk up on Observatory Mesa the 1st of 2022. Myself, husband and now passed adopted Rez dogs, Thunderbolt and Daisy, made fresh tracks on fresh snow. It was one of the last good deep snow romps those dogs had before their elderly years got the best of them. Sniff sniff … I just remember it being so beautiful up there, SO still and the air so fresh and crisp. The sunlight through the trees was other worldly creating a million sparkles of light each one seeming to hold its own Universe. What do you think might happen if we could practice starting each day like a New Year’s Day, with a sense of hope, renewal and freshness? Our four-legged friends are Zen Masters at this! What might happen if we could truly let go and move forward with each new day, free of grudges or resentments, forgiving ourselves first and open to endless possibilities? With practice, I believe that humans may realize that our potential for love, kindness, depth and creative solutions is beyond our wildest dreams.

Original painting and prints available at West of the Moon Gallery.

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We provide food and water for our backyard birds. One cannot begin to help notice over the years, which birds are residents and which birds migrate and about what time of year they come and go. Although, I do feel like that is changing! I started taking note in my calendar when we’d get the first sighting of a grosbeak or hummingbird for example. While this painting does not include a complete list of wild Urban Flagstaff birds, its’s a good lot of them. And, then there are the more rare sightings that get one to get find the bird book and binoculars to identify something new, like the Lazuli Bunting, Cedar Waxwing or the Pine Grosbeak. Just the other day, I saw a Scrub Jay! (The kind of Jay you’d normally see in Prescott or Sedona.) The guide book might tell you that these birds are out of range or elevation, but let’s not forget that our climate is rapidly changing and species evolve and adapt. Keep your eyes open, we could very likely begin to see more and more lower elevation birds visiting Flagstaff!

Starting with the Raven, going down the right side and up the left: Raven, Robin, Stellar Jay, Red-backed Junco, Acorn Woodpecker, Pygmy Nuthatch, Northern Flicker, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Masked Chickadee, Western Bluebirds, White Breasted Nuthatch, Great Horned Owl and Evening Grosbeak.

Original in Private Collection

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With nearly 200 full length commercial river trips under my belt, I have only had the opportunity to visit this very magical place we call, Thunder River, about 15 times or so. For many passengers on a Grand Canyon river trip, a hike up to Thunder River is pretty darn challenging and the long, hot, steep 8 miles ends up seeming more like 12. Many elements like weather, group abilities, timing and position of other trips must all align to make this difficult but rewarding hike happen!

Thunder River is fed by Thunder Springs, where icy cold, ancient pristine water comes gushing out of the Red Wall Limestone on one of the hottest, driest slopes in all of Grand Canyon. I have heard that this is the first time this water has been above ground in over 30,000 years! Thunder River drops over 1200 feet in 1/2 mile before joining with Tapeats Creek, which then eventually feeds into the Colorado River.

A unique network of plant, animal, bird and insect species, including the endangered Kanab Ambersnail and the Purple Sage depend on this precious desert resource. You may assume that springs like this within the National Park are protected, but this is not always so. This aquifer along with other other North and South Rim aquifer fed springs are threatened by current and certainly future ground water withdraws. Those of us who have lived and worked in Grand Canyon for multiple decades would probably agree that for many years our springs really didn’t change all that much. Now, along with rapidly dropping lake levels, our Grand Canyon springs are also drying up, sadly including Dutton Springs and Vasey’s Paradise. In the geological time frame, this may not seem like much, and it’s not. Without humans, it won’t take long for the rest of nature to recover. And, it also seems that despite the looming reality of climate change and long term drought that humans aren’t really doing much about it, and as a whole, are we really taking it seriously? But, when the Southwest soon runs dry and we no longer have water for agriculture, cows, fake snow and golf courses, then maybe, the whole of people will think and act differently.

I am grateful that the Southwest received such a bountiful 2023 Winter. Our trees are getting a much needed long, deep drink, our aquifers are replenished for a season or two and for a beautiful handful of weeks, we have had the Rio de Flag bubbling wild and free (like a real creek!) through town. Water is Life!

Original and prints available at West of the Moon Gallery

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At the end of April 2022, I had just returned from the windiest (15 day looooong!) river trip I have ever been on. When we got back to town, fire smoke filled the air and many folks on the East side had been evacuated from their homes. I imagine that everyone was thinking the same thing…”Oh NO! Fire season ALLready?!” In my windy river trip recovery, exhaustion and blistered and bloodied hands, this is the painting that came out. And needing something hopeful, I included the not so common but native Crag Lilies and Day Flowers.

Original painting available ~ 16×24 ink and watercolor ~ contact Erica

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Just as the Lorax speaks for the trees, I speak for animals all living beings. The mammals of Flagstaff and our surrounding forests are threatened by human growth, unthoughtful recreation, diminishing water and food sources, long term drought, increased fires and pollution. I wanted to capture the animals as they are now, before everything changes, again.

Featured here are: Bear, Chipmunk, Elk, Ringtail Cat, Bat, Prairie Dog, Pronghorn Antelope, Jack Rabbit, Coyote, Raccoon, Kaibab Squirrel, Javelina, Fox, Porcupine, Skunk, Bobcat, Deer and Mountain Lion

Original in private collection

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On June 12th 2022, we saw smoke in the Dry Lake Hills from our folks’ house near Mt Elden Lookout Rd. By June 13th, what was being called, the “Pipeline Fire”, had spread to nearly 20,000 acres. Extremely dry conditions and high winds made any containment impossible. We watched in horror as our mountain literally went up in flames. Early in the morning on June 14th, the fire jumped the ridge between Fremont and Doyle and made its way down and into the Inner Basin.

I remember feeling overwhelmed with that existential dread ~ those moments when you realize how vulnerable we all are. And, I remembered that it was just that last monsoon season we had been up there in that magical mixed conifer forest with mushrooms and undergrowth galore.

As the fire jumped the ridge, I imagined the life of the mountain somehow knowing and sensing what was to come. I imagined the network of roots and trees and mycelia, all connected, sharing in one last breath together.

Original in private collection

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During events like these I am always in awe of and amazed by the efforts of all the fire fighters, first responders, pilots and medical teams. Thank You all!

Those of us who appreciate the great state of Arizona, know what treasures we have here. No where else on the planet (that I know of) can you go from an Arctic Tundra Sky Island to the Sonoran desert in just a few hours’ drive. It is an incredibly diverse region that is home to an abundance of endemic and unique plant and animal species, home to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, home to over 20 Indigenous Tribes, and home to adventure seekers and nature lovers of all shapes and sizes.

Driving across our state, one does not need to be a scientist or an artist to begin to notice how the landscape changes and transitions, how life zones overlap, and how plants and animals adapt and evolve. Observe and dig a little deeper and maybe you will begin to realize that it is only the human mind that finds it necessary to label and name everything and put it in a nice tidy box. It is only the human mind that creates boundaries and borders. I have purposefully used simple words and have refrained from using the Latin or scientific names for plants and animals in this story. Language is an incredible tool, but also, it sometimes serves as an obstacle to seeing everything as a beautifully orchestrated and synchronized whole that is STILL evolving and changing. Some words can connote such certainty and finality. We sometimes forget that we haven’t reached some end point. We’re in the middle of the movie. If we could just be still and listen and let the world speak to us, instead of always trying to figure everything out, or thinking we know, maybe we would see a whole new reality. This is one of the many reasons why we need art and art needs us. Images can help us go beyond the mind.

This body of work (so far) is the culmination of decades of hiking on our mountain, decades of living and working in Grand Canyon, decades of exploring our great state, and like many other Arizonans, decades of making the drive from Flagstaff to Mexico, our friendly Southern neighbors, and arriving at the Sea of Cortez to celebrate family and holidays.

In these 12 paintings, I have only scratched the surface of what our amazing region holds. There are so many more plants and animals and people and places to be honored. I want to document them all in my artistic whimsical way, before it all changes again, and while and during all the changes to come. I am currently working on another set of 12 paintings to start filling in the some of the blanks, which I look forward to being an endless, lifetime and beyond journey. My Journey is to continue observing, continue listening, continue painting and to continue sharing. I hope you will enjoy this short series and story. I hope it will inspire you to continue being a steward of our beautiful planet and realize how much there is worth protecting, not only for ourselves but for all beings that share this Earth, our home.

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The Journey starts here….

“The Tree Line” ~ original ink & watercolor

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This is where the journey of our snowflake starts, at the tree line of our San Francisco Peaks, Nova’ Tukya’Ovi (Hopi), Dook’o’oosliid (Navajo). We are looking out towards Humphrey’s Peak, the highest point in Arizona, and northeast towards the Painted Desert in the distance. This is the only place in all of Arizona where the ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees grow. These resilient beings here in Arizona, date to over 2000 years old and some of the wood found nearby on the ground dates to over 4000 years old! Also featured in the foreground, from left to right, is the endemic San Francisco Peak’s Ragwort, the Alpine Mountain Sorrel and the edible high altitude Gooseberry Currant.

The San Francisco Peaks are considered sacred to all Indigenous and First Peoples across the Colorado Plateau. It is where the Kachinas live and dance to bring the snow and rain. Much of this precipitation will get absorbed into the porous volcanic rock or will evaporate or will run off into any one of the four directions. But some water, like our snowflake, will leave the Arctic Tundra, travel down the north side watershed and find its way into one of the many drainages carved into the Moenkopi Sandstone below.

“Cones of Arizona” ~ original ink & watercolor

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From top left, going clockwise, ending in center:

Bristlecone Pine, Pinyon Pine, Douglas Fir, Arizona Cypress, Engelmann Fir, Alligator Juniper, Ponderosa Pine, Corkbark Fir and Limber Pine.

“Finding the Little Colorado” ~ original ink & watercolor

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Here we find ourselves at the edge of a ruin, where people lived nearly a thousand years ago. Looming in the distance are the San Francisco Peaks, where we have just travelled from. In the foreground are the common yet significant plant helpers used by the co-inhabitants of this arid, high desert landscape. Featured here are the Yucca, Indian Paintbrush, Wild Tobacco, Desert Four O’Clock, Globe Mallow and Juniper.

Ahead, lies our path, carved into the 240 million year old sandstone, a path that has been slowly etched over eons, one that will lead us eventually to the Little Colorado River. This river corridor serves as a drainage for much of Eastern and Northern Arizona but it also contains its own sacred springs and secret waters. This is a magical place of portholes, a place of emergence, where an entire culture came to be and breathe in this Fourth World.

“Ethnobotany of the Colorado Plateau” ~ original ink & watercolor

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From top left, going clockwise, ending in center:

Gourd Rattle, Prickly Pears, Cattail, Split Twig Figurine, Yucca Basket, Mesquite Beans, Hopi Tea, Cotton and Blue Corn.

“The Grand Confluence” ~ original ink & watercolor

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We have arrived at the Grand Confluence and now merge with the mighty Colorado River at a time when she was wild and free and muddy! This is the path that will take us all the way to the sea. This is a time when there was enough water to sustain and support the incredible abundance and diversity of life in this desert canyon landscape. Ahead, our journey will take us through layers upon layers of sediment, revealing ancient seas and tidal flats, lava flows and fault lines, a place where water can move mountains and the canyon walls soar into the sky over a vertical mile above.

Featured here are the now endangered Humpback Chub, Specked Dace, and the endemic Grand Canyon Spotted Toad, common Belted Kingfisher, Collared Lizard and Dragonfly. Now, this essential water resource and the site of the Confluence itself is being threatened by a myriad of issues including unsustainable agriculture practices, hydroelectric power, tourism, big business and development, over population and uranium mining contamination.

“Stories Left in Stone” ~ original watercolor & ink

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Starting from top left, going clockwise, ending in center:

Stromatolites (the oldest fossil in the world!), Trilobite in Bright Angel Shale, Nautiloid in Red Wall Limestone, Ferns in Hermit Shale, Reptile tracks in Coconino Sandstone, Crinoids in Kaibab Limestone, Petrified Tree, Petroglyphs in Navajo Sandstone and Anasazi handprints in Tapeats Sandstone.

“The Grand Wash” ~ original ink & watercolor

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Our snowflake has come a long way since it left the top of the San Francisco Peaks. It has become part of the Colorado River and traveled 300 miles through Grand Canyon. Now, we have reached the edge, where the canyon literally just ends. This is the Southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, a geologic feature that covers the entire four corners region. Some people call this place, the edge, looking back up into the canyon, the Grand Wash Cliffs.

Everything changes again as we enter the Mojave Desert and an open basin and range landscape. It is the land of Joshua Trees, Sacred Datura and Rattlesnake Weed. No longer confined by the canyon walls, the river begins to wander, seemingly aimlessly through this expanse, but the river is not lost, the water knows the way, it knows how to find the sea.

“Seldom Seen & Endangered Plants of Grand Canyon” ~ original ink & watercolor

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From top left, going clockwise, ending in center:

Bearclaw Poppy, Grand Canyon Scorpionweed, Sentry Milkvetch, Helleborine Orchid, Zion Wild Buckwheat, Grand Canyon Yellowtops, Wooly Bluestar, Tusayan Fameflower and Brady’s Pincushion.

“Searching For The Sea” ~ original ink & watercolor

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Here we are at flood stage on the Lower Colorado River. This is an event that occurred on an annual basis. It is a never ending expanse of grasses, soil and water, a mixing of the land and the sea that stretches beyond the horizon, nearly 2 miles wide. Here, the plants and animals have adapted to this briny, semi-solid environment. This maze of marches creates a habitat that has the potential (and did) support one of the largest bird populations in the world. Featured in this painting are plants and animals that are indicative of a healthy riparian landscape : Yerba del Manzo, Willow, Cottonwood, Salt Heliotrope, Screwbean Mesquite, Cattail, Bulrush, Salt Grasses, Burrowing Owl and Beaver.

Present day, the lower Colorado River is nearly non-existent. By the time the river reaches Yuma, the mighty Colorado is reduced to a mere trickle. It is all used up. It has been sucked up and sent out into concrete canals across the Southwest so that it may be used to irrigate tens of thousands of acres of nutrient void lettuce for fast food restaurants, for very water needy cotton, for hay and alfalfa to feed cows (some which don’t even live on this continent). But still, even in its weakened state, just before its death, the river seems to be at peace. The river even in its weakened state is still giving, still providing a place for nature and families to gather. It is heartwarming to see and then join in with the people of Yuma to rejoice and laugh in the knee-deep coolness of the Colorado, in the shade of the concrete freeway zooming above. Now, the river never reaches its intended destination, the Sea of Cortez.

“Birds of the Lower Colorado River” ~ original ink & watercolor

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From top left, going clockwise, ending in center:

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Summer Tanager, Belted Kingfisher, Black-necked Stilts, Burrowing Owl, Greater Road Runner, Gambel’s Quail, Green Heron and Great Blue Heron.

“The Great Wide Open” ~ original ink & watercolor

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Our snowflake has reached the sea, the great wide open, the body of water that is connected to the entire planet. Everything has changed again, although somehow the plants and animals are similar, they are just at different stages in the continuing evolution of our world. Instead of cactus gardens, we have colonies of anemones, and sea urchins instead of spiny lizards, and horseshoe crabs instead of desert tortoises. The life here is incredibly bizarre and each creature has its own way of defending itself and its place in the circle of life.

Our oceans are dramatically and rapidly changing. With global threats of climate change, pollution and over-fishing, our oceans and therefore the health of our entire planet, may be on an irreversible and devastating trajectory.

What lies ahead for our snowflake? Will it be forever a part of the ocean? Or will it evaporate, become a cloud and drift on the wind only to become a snowflake once more? Will it make the trek all over again? This time, do you think it will reach the Sea? Or will it make an entirely different journey?

“Sea of Cortez Creatures” ~ original ink & watercolor

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From top left, going clockwise, ending in center:

Cortez Stingray, Spider Crab, Banded Brittlestar, Mexican Warty Anemone, Olive snails, Hermit Crab, Mexican Fire Worm, Sand Dollar and Octopus.

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I feel like this piece of art painted itself. On some level, all art is like that, for me in my experience anyway. I bet though, if you were to sit down a hundred artists of all ages, shapes and sizes, most of them would say that it’s not really “them” that is painting, it is not really “the person” that’s doing the creating. Maybe more accurately said would be, that the art comes through, that it’s coming from some other place that doesn’t necessarily live in the artist’s mind. This could send us off into another tangent about the collective consciousness and the power of myth and Jospeh Campbell, and all of that good stuff…all very interesting and thought provoking…back to the art…

This was a commissioned painting and the original vision for it came from one of my dearest river sisters. This was to be a gift for her Mother, to honor her husband’s life (my friend’s Father). I remember sitting on the back of the boats one starry evening, talking with my friend about how beautiful this painting would be. She asked me, “do you remember that place, where if you look up, the canyon walls make a shape of a giant eagle with its wings spread out?” That HAD to be in the painting, and also a full moon and somehow, even though you were looking up, the river HAD to be in there, of course. And no beautiful canyon night scene is complete without a big blooming Sacred Datura, Cassiopeia and Ursa Major and Minor. What else could we put in there!? These were all her ideas…and later, I learned that some of her Father’s ashes were going to be sent to the moon; her Father being a well respected and renown Astronomer in his professional life. How cool is that?! And, just another fun factoid, her Father gave her the middle name, Andromeda (the closest galaxy to the Milky Way and the only galaxy that can be seen with the naked eye from Earth), also SO very cool.

Once all the ideas were out and on sketch paper, I sat down to start the final composition and it flowed so freely. I didn’t even have to think about it…and I didn’t want to get up to leave it, “it” being the flow. I ended up finishing it in a few days. Sometimes paintings can take me weeks! Months! Meditating on the finished painting, I was pleased and only hoped for my friend and her Mother to be as pleased. It needed a title…which soon popped into my head as clear as could be. How could it be anything other than, “Fly Me to the Moon”?!

It was truly an honor to be a part of this process of co-creating and part of such an intimate, intentional gift and piece of art. I am grateful!

Original in private collection

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This was a commission I completed about a year (interestingly) before the pandemic. There are so many fun little details included here that were requested by my patron. See if you can find the big horn sheep! Those of you who are familiar with Grand Canyon probably guessed that this painting is reminiscent of Havasu (and you are correct). The Havasupai have been living in this side canyon and surrounding areas for over 800 years. Havasu means blue-green water and pai means people. When the pandemic hit the Southwest in 2020, the Havasupai shut down their village to all outsiders/visitors and all river trips went right on by this must see wonderland in the bottom of Grand Canyon. As far as I understand, the Havasupai did not have one single outbreak of COVID during this time and only just recently, in February 2023, have they started taking reservations again.

I like to think of all the critters in this painting, the scorpion, rattlesnake, lizard, butterflies and even the plant helpers, are all guarding the confluence, keeping their canyon and people safe.

Original in private collection

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This painting was inspired by the incredibly beautiful and bizarre Canyonlands in Utah and the reality of climate change. Even our resilient desert flora and fauna has its breaking point. Water is Life!

Original in private collection

Signed and numbered archival prints available. Matted for standard frame sizes: 12×16″

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