Someone's Watching You

Friends -

This painting is a little change of pace for me, and I hope you like it.
Other than the human species, I seldom paint animals.  But I have to say
that Bighorn Sheep are a big fascination of mine, and of many other people.
Almost every ancient petroglyph panel in the southwest shows a bighorn or
two, so you know they have been admired here for centuries.

Bighorn had been believed to be going extinct, but through efforts of the
National Park Service they seem to be coming back around here.  The effort
is worth it because they are a very special animal - well adapted to the dry
environment and steep rocky canyon walls.   A report posted at Arches
National Park indicates that the numbers in Utah are now around 3,000 with
75 of them being here in Arches.  Compare this with the estimated two
million desert bighorn that are believed to have been here in post-modern
times, however. 

The possibility of losing bighorn still remains.  The increase in back
country traffic and  industry  - particularly fracking - cannot help but
have an impact on bighorn sheep.

I actually saw some bighorns this spring, which was the very first time for
me, in spite of all the back country trekking I have done.  They are so
elusive, very wary of people and blend in perfectly with the rock walls that
they frequent such that it is quite possible that I have been around them
before, but did not know it.

If you come here, you may look for some as well.  But it is more likely that
you can look and search all you want, and in the end you will never find
them.  But they will be watching YOU. 

I want to thank my friend and photographer, Rick Schafer for allowing me to
use one of his amazing shots of desert bighorn.  He has been kind enough to
let me use images from his photographs several times to assist in my
Donation Art project.

margie lopez read

 

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