Little Colorado River with Wilted Rose

“The Little Colorado River’s blue waters have been of deep cultural significance to Native peoples since time immemorial. At least 10 tribes have traditional connections to what Zuni people refer to as “the umbilical cord” of the world. For Hopi people, the Little Colorado River is the home of their emergence story, and its waters, springs, and salt remain important to this day (Grand Canyon Trust, Podmore 4/2022).”

Covid 19 had a massive impact on the Indigenous Tribes of Grand Canyon, “ The Navajo Nation of North America, whose infection rate is ten times higher than the general population of Arizona. (UN/DESA Policy Brief #70: The Impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Peoples 5/2020).” As a result of Covid 19 and it’s impact on the Indigenous Tribes, the Little Colorado River was closed to visitation from March 2020- June 2021. This image was created the first time I was able to walk beside the blue waters again. The rose is an offering for gratitude and healing. Walking the shores of the Little Colorado River on that hot summerday, the waters glistened with the radiating blue that inspires awe and reverence. The LCR is always a place I held with respect and after sometime away I felt it had a new yet somber beauty. My respect continues to grow understanding that I have the privilege and honor to immerse myself in these waters.

After sharing this image and receiving print requests it was important that the print be representative of the feeling one has when first seeing the blue waters of the Little Colorado River, the reverence and awe as you gaze pondering into the depths of travertine. Working with friend and renowned master printer, Richard Jackson, we once again developed the perfect print that expresses the color, heat, and soft sticky white mud of the Little Colorado River.