Missoula's Foundation
Nestled below the Sapphire Mountains, Missoula is a gem supported in a geologic pendant, laced by its rivers around the neck of the Rocky Mountain Province.
Often my art portrays my inspirations of the shapes and patterns of the river rock I find along the bed of Lake Missoula. I see larger images in their designs, giving the feeling of a sky or landscape, in this case, a map of Missoula's river system. This river system, I believe, is the foundation and Mother of our town. Our rivers bring all of the members of the community to them—one way or another, from the top hats to the homeless, they all come. I am a person that struggles deeply from poor social skills. I have been slow to learn what a community is and only recently been exposed to its benefits. I am welcomed alone or with others at the river and not burdened by the need to speak; my surroundings talk for me. The river is a friend to everyone tying us together.
The flowers are from a photo I took of dried stinging nettle against the snow along the Bitterroot River. These short moments of being stopped to admire nature's design are supported by Missoula's close access to the great outdoors. This is what keeps me thankful for my home here and why my family calls Missoula our Home.
