storm on the desert

Yesterday I went alone to see Oppenheimer. After leaving theaters some weeks ago, our theater brought it back along with some of the other Oscar nominees. I was grateful to see it finally, and on a big screen.

As I watched it, I was struck — once again — by how much of that history takes place here, in New Mexico, just a few miles from my home.

Early 1940’s ~ the road to Los Alamos, New Mexico

Three hours later I left the theater, in silence. Dark clouds moved swiftly overhead, reflected in puddles that hadn’t been there earlier. As I drove west toward home, streaks of color pierced the darkness. I pulled over at a park and, in continued silence, watched the sky…

Santa Fe sunset ~ 2 February 2024

Once home, I kept the lights dim and moved about quietly. Softly.

Music — I needed something beyond the silence…. Arvo Part, whose spare notes and tones comforted me in the weeks after 911, beckoned me.

This morning I sought my colored papers….

Storm on the Desert collages ~ Dawn Chandler’s sketchbook musings after seeing Oppenheimer. (click each to view in full).

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