This year I wanted to do something a little different for the Colorado National Monument art show. The last 2 years have been a bit of disappointment for us all due to pandemic woes, and the CNM Plein Air competition and art show was no exception. We all took a step back and assessed our life standing and goals. I decided to shift my focus from landscape to the creatures that inhabit the Monument; from the sweeping vistas to the smaller and more personal views. I think it parallels the human response to the era of COVID where we looked more closely at our own existence within the greater picture. This is where many of us have turned and seen that this is where we have some control of our lives and our own happiness and sense of fulfillment. The high desert country of western Colorado contains beauty on both grand and minuscule scales. I hope you enjoy this piece. It will be for sale at the March ’22 art show at the Grand Junction Center for the Arts along with many other beautiful artworks. —Marko Marino