Every year my dad would take the family on annual summer camping trips to national parks which gave us the opportunity to really experience beautiful, pristine areas and wildlife.
I can still recall a slide show of memories - surreal starry nights, panoramic sunsets, and, of course, our park bear experiences.
Thanks to dad we visited the major parks in California, Yellowstone, and a few in the four corners area.
We got to experience the beauty of the wilderness, the ugliness of humanity (in Utah we were refused service due to our race, but my dad insisted they serve us - and eventually they did), and the generosity of strangers (when stranded with a flat on a lonely stretch of road a man in a truck stopped to help us).
These pieces are part of a series of my 'camper day memories'. The first, Dog Star Canyon is inspired by the southwest canyon area of Bryce and Zion national parks and the petroglyphs. In this little mosaic world I made my own petroglyph of man's long time companion - DOG. The abstract gold thread of vintage beads adds another dimension.
The dog is painted in reverse with antique gold for a soft glow.
Our family actually stood in areas where the sandstone was layered in vibrant shades of red, brown, yellow and cream. The green of trees and shrubs popped bright against the rocky backdrops.
Happy, trickling creeks had my sister and I soaking our feet in the cool water. We would make little boats out of leaves and twigs and watch them bob for a few moments, then swiftly disappear. Sometimes we spotted tiny fishes and tadpoles in the rock shadows. Laughing, sparkling water color memories. Thank you Dad.
