John Geeza

Headwaters at the Chutes

Dry Pastel
2007
8-1/2 x 23 inches

At the end of a long city bus ride to the end of the line, then a five-mile walk into a wilderness area and upstream past a dam, this site was part of a watershed that kept a city alive. Above the dam, the stream was unfettered, allowed to be its own wild, authentic self. The salmon and the bears liked it and so did I. This was my meeting point for a weekly closer visit with God. I haven’t returned to it for over ten years, yet its spirit still waters my soul.

This pastel piece came into being two years ago, from a dozen on-site sketches, four reference snapshots, and mostly my own memories of how it felt.