[ birds chirping and crow cawing ]
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MAN: The Alvord Desert is magic.
I'’’ve been told this is one of the darkest areas
in the United States.
It'’’s a great place to observe the stars.
They go right to the horizon line,
as crisp and bright as you can imagine.
This vastness, the silence...
no humans anywhere near me anywhere.
Andrews is considered a ghost town now.
I am the only resident, and my dog Phoebe.
[ cow moos ]
It was a town of about 150 people
at the turn of the century.
It'’’s on the edge of the Steens, it'’’s on the edge of the desert.
I appreciate that as a painter, that edge.
And as a man of 63 years old now,
I feel I'’’m becoming more on the edge also.
How many more years do I have to live?
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What do I have to give back?
What can I say?
What is my purpose?
The weather is a very, very powerful aspect.
The wind is very powerful here.
It'’’s a personality.
And the schoolhouse is like a safe place.
You can be in a strong storm outside
and come inside the schoolhouse -- you'’’re all right here.
So it'’’s a good place to paint.
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In the past, I would plan paintings carefully,
playing with the primitive or folk kind of design.
The relationship of line and color, light and dark
all have a way of telling a story to me.
Can I make the story
so that others can understand it as well?
Living here in Andrews for the last three and a half years
has influenced me.
My painting now is in the moment.
I paint what I'’’m feeling, observing here in the Alvord,
and I'’’ll begin without any plan
and allow it to develop on the canvas as it happens.
Let me tell you a little bit about this piece.
Phoebe and I had taken a walk one day,
and we were all alone, there was no one around,
and we'’’re walking up higher and higher into the Steens
and came to a place where literally
the hair on the back of my neck began standing up,
and I had this feeling, "Get out of here now."
And so I turned around with Phoebe, and we left.
I began the painting -- I didn'’’t really have any plans.
I was just going to put gesso on it.
And then I sat down and I looked at that canvas,
and I saw the cougar head in the gesso.
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I have a mirror to look at it in reverse,
so it helps me to see it in a different way,
out of context.
You get to see a problem point, like, oh, that'’’s off balance
or that'’’s not straight.
So the mirror helps me to see clearly.
When I was in Tibet in 2003,
I wished that if there was any place on Earth like Tibet,
but a little closer to civilization,
please, I would like to go there.
And when I came heading towards Andrews here,
I had this flashback that this was what I had wished for.
I'’’m here, and it'’’s a dream, isn'’’t it?
It'’’s like a dream.
It'’’s a great distance to go anywhere.
If I want to go to Safeway, it'’’s a 300-mile round trip.
[ cow moos ]
Sometimes I don'’’t see people for weeks at a time.
And so it is me and my dog and the Earth.
These extremes bring about in me
an ever greater appreciation of life itself.
So this place, it'’’s about humility.
Very beautiful.
[ shutter clicks ] Good girl.
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I'’’m surrounded by animals. They'’’re my neighbors.
I feel a kinship.
It'’’s like we are together on this planet.
So to me they'’’re like family.
I can honestly say to you I have never been lonely,
and it is because of the wind,
it'’’s because of the animals around me,
and it'’’s also because of Facebook.
[ laughs ]
Facebook is my human connection.
It'’’s like a cafe that'’’s open 24/7.
And there'’’s always someone there.
And so how can you feel alone?
Come on. Atta girl.
I go out every morning with my camera,
take a photograph, come back, post it on Facebook,
and literally I will get a response within seconds.
And someone from, you know, New York
will say "like," you know?
So that'’’s why I don'’’t feel lonely.
That'’’s the part, that'’’s the reason why. I like that.
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This land changes quickly.
The light and the shadows change quickly.
It'’’s very dramatic.
And so I realized I couldn'’’t draw that fast,
I couldn'’’t record it that fast.
I needed to use a camera.
I had a situation happen where I was in here painting,
and I had a sense, "Get your camera and go out right now!"
Then, in the sky, this prism began to form.
And so I was able to get a photograph of that.
It'’’s almost sometimes as if the Earth tells me
that it wants me to get out there
and take a photograph of it.
This painting of the cougar, when I first blocked it in,
fire wanted to come out of this cougar.
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I started painting it in, and it felt right.
A couple days later, there was a lightning storm
that started a fire.
And the fire came within a mile of the school.
And in the night sky, there was a red glow.
And I saw that it was what I was trying to paint.
And I can'’’t explain that kind of thing,
but this is what happens to me out here.
Be it spirits, intuition, connection to the Earth,
whatever you want to name it,
once again it comes through in the work.
These things I trust now.
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We don'’’t have a lot of time here, I don'’’t think.
I don'’’t have a lot of time.
I want to spend my time feeling love
versus worry or fear.
It just feels better. It opens the heart.
And I think it'’’s better for the planet.
This is a new path for me, a new chapter.
My paintings are intuitive,
and they all have something to say
that tell the story of how I got here and who I am
and what I'’’ve experienced, and I'’’m trusting that.
And I'’’ll go with it with all I have to give,
and we'’’ll see what happens.