u/shentaotcc

Ox Herding is a metaphor for teaching your mind manners or as Carl Sagan said, “Thoughts think themselves. You are not the author of your thoughts, you are the audience.” The Zen Ox Herding pictures illustrate getting to know your chattering monkey mind, learning how it operates (delights enjoyed with searing grief, fears endured and treasures cherished, the stealthy wait and wild chase of passions and desires…), piercing the veil of reason ( each is the cosmic jest; emptiness in bright wrappings), and living outside the narrative in service to the cosmos. This is the second version of this piece. The first was a 70s era comic book, black and white, in your face, explicit passions and desires graphics diatribe not suited for family entertainment. I am still delighted with this version ~45 years later.

Ox Herding is a metaphor for teaching your mind manners or as Carl Sagan said, “Thoughts think themselves. You are not the author of your thoughts, you are the audience.” The Zen Ox Herding pictures illustrate getting to know your chattering monkey mind, learning how it operates (delights enjoyed with searing grief, fears endured and treasures cherished, the stealthy wait and wild chase of passions and desires…), piercing the veil of reason ( each is a cosmic jest; emptiness in bright wrappings), and living outside the narrative in service to the cosmos. This is the second version of this piece. The first was a 70s era comic book, black and white, in your face, explicit passions and desires graphics diatribe not suited for family entertainment. I am still delighted with this version ~45 years later.

Plein air sketch of Ghost Ranch area.

In New Mexico, the basin of a blown out volcano is called a caldera. In North Central New Mexico you often see the old core of adjacent volcanoes and the skies are always spectacular

5”x5” painting donated for a library fund raising raffle.

Colorado National Monument and southeast entrance to Yellowstone. Paintings of two of natures breathtaking beauties.

Painted the mountains using my library card. Library courts are good for so many things and here’s another.

Look closely at the bark and deeply into the center of the tree where the foliage is a nebula. This is one of my favorites.

Bandolier, NM is spectacular. One of the wonders is a kiva you can climb up to. I imagine yourself to be apart of a ritual ceremony.

The wonder of it all in a barrow pit! Out where groomed shoulders of the road turn to barrow pits and road signs have bullet holes there’s a majesty in the beauty.

Fall foothills pasture and a friendly reminder that I liked hobos growing up as kindred spirits.

From foothills to far mountains, In high mountains, and Front Range to high mountains hold different atmospheres, different ambiance, different visions.

The Aroyo ran through the back of our property and sounded like a freight train when it was running full. The foggy morning was at the top of our driveway looking back into the valley. The rocks are in the Jemez Mountains foothills near Medenales.

More New Mexico foothills paintings. This is truly such a breathtaking place that everywhere I go. I am in awe of the wonder of the land.

I love Northwestern New Mexico and lived in Abiquiu (think Georgia O Keefe art colony) and now Santa Fe. These are all Jemez Mountains visions.

The wetlands around the rivers in New Mexico, are called the bosque. Thousands and thousands of queens migrate to the bus around the Rio Grande every winter.

Trees are some of creation’s greatest work.