Decades ago, Edward Abbey and John De Puy sat on the edge of a mesa and dedicated their lives to the American Southwest—Abbey would honor the mystic landscape with his pen, De Puy via his brushes and canvas. Together, as lifelong friends, they would both spend their lives in that pursuit.
Abbey once said this of his dear friend…
“De Puy’s landscape is not the landscape we see, but the one, he claims, is really there. A world of terror as well as beauty that lies beyond the ordinary limits of human experience, that forms the basis of experience, the ground of being.”
Edward Abbey.”
Abbey left us almost 30 years ago, but De Puy carries on. From his remote hideaway in the New Mexico high desert, where he lives with his wife and daughter, he is still honoring the Southwest. I’ve been proud to be John’s friend for almost 40 years. Both John and Isabel were aware of our pending lawsuit, and have been especially supportive. When I visited them recently,they generously contributed a painting to our legal defense fund.
We hope to make the painting available for purchase via a silent online auction, beginning next Monday, June 12. Bidding will be open until the 12th of July. Bids are accepted via email to cczephyr@gmail.com. If you have a preliminary interest in the work, let us know. The gallery price was $5800, so we will accept bids starting at $1000. Whatever we can raise will go to pay our attorneys for all three remaining defendants as the Rebecca Davidson/Tara Smelt Defamation lawsuit continues…
Jim Stiles
Here is a photo of the painting we are auctioning, titled Mesa, Valley of the Gods (Utah). It is oil on canvas and measures 35 x 36 inches:
You can contact the De Puys by visiting their website or by emailing them at ravensmount@yahoo.com
