Selling It

I have had the good fortune to have made several trips to the (American) southwest. During these excursions I have spent considerable time studying and painting scenes of the region. I've even been able to paint plein air, directly on site. (see photo above.) These include scenes in Arizona and Utah. And so it was that I read with great sadness that a particularly interesting area of Utah is now under assault.

ENS Link

Sacred Lands in Utah to Be Leased for Oil and Gas

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, February 12, 2007 (ENS) - On February 20 the Bureau of Land Management’s Utah state office will auction for oil and gas development land outside of an area known as the Parowan Gap, described by the State of Utah website as a "nationally recognized extravaganza of petrogylphs."

This Native American rock art inspires a feeling of "reverential awe" says the state's website, yet oil and gas development is planned there, over the objections of conservationists and many others.

This is yet more federal agency policy that favors big business, a consistent Bushco theme. One can only hope that industry treads lightly here in these fragile and priceless lands. But I have my doubts.