"Never tell the truth to power"
Charcoal drawing framed
12 X 16"
$350
(includes shipping)
My new book
This is a collection of aphorisms, nature notes and essays written over a period of 17 years by river guide, artist and storyteller Sam Richardson. Most of them were written in a little cabin on Rough Run Creek near Terlingua in the Big Bend country of far West Texas, not far from the Rio Grande.
Twelve months, twelve lessons, each lesson tied to a month of the year. A couple of examples:
January, the Moon of Two Blankets
Lesson One: I will find something to be joyful about in each day and create my own rituals to celebrate it. I have everything I need. All I have to do is say yes.
April, the Moon of Howling Wind
Lesson Four: I will be in touch with my assets—my talent, my spirit, my energy—and act like I belong wherever I am. I’ve had a tendency to throw my body at most of my endeavors. Usually that’s the best policy. Sometimes it’s the worst. I refuse to change.
My spiritual connection to the land and to nature and to the changing seasons of the Big Bend of Texas has been one of my greatest teachers.
"Twelve Lessons of the Desert" is available from Amazon or through PayPal (click the "Buy Now: button) or can be purchased directly from the author. To buy from the author, send cash, check or money order for @$12.50 (includes postage) to:
Sam Richardson
311A Ortiz St.
Taos NM 87571
Sam Richardson
311A Ortiz St.
Taos NM 87571
A couple of reviews:
"Twelve Lessons of the Desert"
By Sam Richardson
Review by Roberta Meyers
Sam Richardson spent 17 years in the Big Bend Country of Texas. He was a river guide, storyteller, guided tours to Mexico, edited newspapers, wrote and created and sold his art. Prior to this he taught and worked in media and advertising.
In "Twelve Lessons of the Desert", Richardson chooses an adage for each month. The land and life are the teachers and Richardson the student, tries to learn, or relearn, and accept the lessons. Since he was middle aged when he began this new adventure Richardson may have been more ready to listen to the earth and heed her lessons. We meet Richardson's friends and enemies, scorpions, biting flies, rattlers, dust storms, rain, rabbits, roadrunners, lizards, blue bonnets, century plants, lechiguilla, cactus wrens, quail and many other Chihuahuan desert dwellers, as he talks about them or to them. Through it all there is a lesson and Richardson becomes more spiritually connected to the land and what each time of year offers.
There are some real gems in this small read beginning with the aphorisms of each chapter. At the end of each chapter there are fine, sparce and clean, drawings by Richardson. One of the other gems is his writing, lean and bare bones prose of the flora, fauna, heat, cold, beauty, harshness and other expressions of that arid country and it's impact upon him.
This book is a tiny piece of Richardson's biography. I found myself wanting to know and read more of that desert land and of the author.
In these uneasy times it is a real pleasure to read a book where one is reintroduced, again and again, to mother earth and her lessons and influence. One hopes that there will be more offerings by Sam Richardson.
Review by Dana Ross Martin
So, there I was—July 13th—sitting in the Denver airport awaiting my flight to Houston, then Austin. Would get home around midnight, Austin-time.
Suddenly, the biggest hailstorm I-ever-did-see (or hear) rolled onto the tarmac and proceeded to damage approximately 40 of the 42 planes waiting to take passengers to ... oh, places like Houston, then Austin. The folks in the entire terminal freaked out because everyone's plane was grounded and couldn't fly. There was a mad rush to re-book 3000 passengers on the 500 available seats for the following morning. Needless to say, the first chance I had at getting out of that war-torn place was 11 a.m. the next morning.
And that was on standby.
Now it was midnight, Denver time.
Was I worried?
Naw, I had my copy of "Twelve Lessons of the Desert" to read (actually, I'd been waitin' for a moment like this when I could read it straight-through with no interruptions).
In the Denver airport—at 1 a.m. in the morning (until 5 a.m. in the morning)— there are no interruptions.
So, I headed off on a wonderful adventure!
In that span of time, (I'm no Evelyn Wood speed demon, so it didn't take me four hours—maybe just two ) I was able to live and breathe and feel and touch everything an entire year's experience in the West Texas landscape could offer a stranded traveler such as myself. Wow!
Thanks, Sam, for lettin' me go along for the ride.
The top two drawings are from the series on Taoseños and bikers I'm doing for an upcoming exhibition. No names at this point, just drawings, not yet for sale.The bottom painting is Peter Fonda as Captain America in "Easy Rider, one of two pieces in a series. The first was Dennis Hopper as Billy in the flick. The next will be Jack Nicholson as George Hanson, the besotted lawyer. The Cap'n and Billy have been sold to a collector in Texas.
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