There ’ s something to be said for a dark place .

People tend to be afraid of the dark , and for good reason . There might be spiders in there , and you can ’ t see them scuttling around . You might bark your shins on that evil corner of your bedframe . More primally , though , in the dark you can ’ t see what ’ s hunting you . More humanly , there is nothing to distract you from yourself .

It ’ s been a long , dark year . We ’ ve largely been wrapped up in individual cocoons , wholly ignorant of what might come at us next , isolated even as we ’ ve been collectively buffeted by storm after cataclysmic storm : on

our home fronts , on our national fronts , on the world stage .

But inside a cocoon there are mysterious processes that take place . Violent , yes , and most definitely icky if we could watch them in the daylight , yet nonetheless a process with an end and a purpose . I don ’ t pretend to think there ’ s any larger purpose or direction in the last twelve months ; however , my better self , my subconscious self , has managed to use this time in the chrysalis ( or crucible , as the case may be ) to metamorphose into something wholly different from what I was when I entered it . And I take comfort in that fact , even though I ’ m not convinced the new me is necessarily better than the old one ; hardier , for sure , but not necessarily happier . Time will tell whether I ’ ve emerged a butterfly , or just one of those obnoxious moths that ruins the good sushi rice , no matter how tightly it ’ s stored .

The point is I feel , tentatively , that we are at last emerging . Slowly , exhaustedly , trembling on atrophied limbs , vulnerable with our wings all wet . Maybe we ’ ll be immediately gobbled up by some unfeeling sparrow . Maybe we ’ ll have a spell in the warm spring sunshine , to stretch our wings and gather nectar from the flowers .

Either way , the sun is shining , and as untrusting as I feel in this warm season , it ’ s good to be back in the light .

ON THE COVER :

" Flowering Yucca Over Twin Sisters ” by Nancy Whitlock

SPRING EDITION • APRIL 2021 - JUNE 2021

Twin Sisters is what I call my mountain because it dominates my home in Alpine , Texas . I ' ve painted it in all seasons and under multiple stars , planets and the moon . Because I cherish the native plants of the Chihuahuan Desert my mountain landscapes always include my favorite desert plants .

PUBLISHER Riley Stephens publisher @ cenizojournal . com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Shawna Graves shawna @ cenizojournal . com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Danielle Gallo editor @ cenizojournal . com

DESIGN / PRODUCTION Ceci Marquez

The Big Bend has a short winter yet I am always seeking the first signs of Spring . The rise of the Yucca flower is one of my favorite signs of Spring along with the first Bluebonnets to pop from the sandy soils of the Big Bend National Park . Just March 4th our first Turkey Vultures returned !

My paintings are saturated with color because it is color that helps me express my passion for the beauty I see and feel from the Chihuahuan Desert . While I have a formal education in fine art with having earned an MFA from the University of Missouri , my real education came from traveling and seeking insight into what I wanted to express . Early on in my life I studied drawing in Germany and France thinking the key to good art is learning to draw well . But now I know that the key to any art is having something to say or express . It was in Taos , NM that I finally found what captured my total passion to paint and while I loved Taos and painting landscapse there ... after a few trips to the Big Bend National Park , I decided to move to Alpine in 2006 . From the first trip to this area I new that I would return to live here ... someday . Every mountain and plant in the Chihuahuan Desert has something noble and inigmatic to say about life . I opened my own Gallery in 2012 . Whitlock Studio of Fine Art , 110 B North 6th St ., Alpine , Texas . Visit me to see my view of the Desert . You can also see videos I have made from my walks in the desert at my gallery . 432-294-5910 nancywhitlockart . com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Print subscriptions will be mailed for $ 29 annually .

Send payment via check or credit card to Cenizo Journal , PO Box 1824 , Alpine , Texas 79831 or call 432-614-4074 ext 801

SUBMISSION We ’ d like to feature your work in the Cenizo Journal . Contact Danielle Gallo at editor @ cenizojournal . com for submission information or mail to PO Box 227 , Marathon , Texas 79842 .

Cenizo Journal is published four times per year . © 2021 Cenizo Journal . Copyright of all art and images contained within are retained by the image owner and are used with permission .

Cenizo Spring 2021