The Black Place Inside

Walter Nelson of Abiquiú takes a picture on Tuesday, June 17, of the site depicted in Georgia O'Keeffe's painting Black Place II. Oil and gas.
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During his second week on the job in , he said, someone offered to sell the museum land along the Chama River where she painted the cottonwoods. Kret said, however, that he has had a preliminary discussion with State Historic Preservation Officer and Director Jeff Pappas about the Black Place, and another meeting is planned. A Sense of Place — which featured contemporary photographs taken at locations where she set up her easel.

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Pappas said Wednesday that it was too early to say what could be done to protect the Black Place, nor had he talked to the Bureau of Land Management, which handles the leases in the region. Rebekah Henty, a member of Rio Arriba Concerned Citizens, an environmental group seeking to protect the Rio Chama watershed and block oil and gas development east of the Continental Divide, also has taken up the cause of the Black Place.

A place like that needs extra jurisdiction. Not many people could find the Black Place.

Evolution of O’Keeffe’s Black Place

Companies have been drilling in the San Juan Basin at least since the s, mostly for gas, but the main play now is for oil. The Farmington Field Office oversees 1. Much of it is leased to drilling companies using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, to release oil from the Mancos Shale Formation.

Federal leases allow them to explore and drill for, extract, remove and dispose of oil and gas deposits they find on their lease. The leases normally expire after 10 years but may be extended if qualifying drilling is in progress.

Raven Falling Inside The Black

There are another dozen north of N. Consideration must be paid to environmental implications. The two biggest leaseholders in the area are Tulsa, Okla. WPX, which has , net acres under lease in the San Juan Basin, plans to triple its oil volumes this year in the area, according to its website. Last year, it drilled 15 oil wells that produced , barrels.

Encana estimates drilling between 45 and 50 net wells in in the San Juan Basin, according to its website. It has leases on , acres in the area. The BLM really needs to slow down. The arroyo leading to the Black Place from an oil and gas production storage area south of N. Nelson said it took him years to find the exact spot. Get the latest Lenscratch article in your in-box every morning and stay up-to-date with all the Lenscratch happenings in our monthly newsletter.

Fine Art Photography Daily. Tweet this article Share on Facebook Pin on Pinterest. Follow Us On Facebook. The Hollow September 18th, Midwest Sentimental September 17th, Edition One, Interview with Four September 15th, Oswaldo Ruiz September 14th, Patricia Lagarde September 12th, Adam Wiseman September 11th, Humberto Rios September 10th, The Vernacular of Landscape: To Survive on this Shore September 6th, Good Bad People September 5th, Night Journey September 4th, Silent Ballad September 3rd, The New Mexican , which first reported the efforts to preserve the site, describes its creation as the product of erosion caused by the formation of the Rocky Mountains that 'washed away the layers of sand and sediment built up over millions of years, eventually creating the distinctive, softly rounded gray formations on either side of N.

The white bands are remains of ancient riverbeds. O'Keeffe first laid eyes on the landscape in the s and was so in awe of the natural beauty that she made the mile road trip from her home in Abiquiu several times to setup camp and paint.

The site was created by erosion caused by the formation of the Rocky Mountains that washed away the layers of sand and sediment built up over millions of years. Conservationists are now worried that oil drilling and other means of harvesting natural resources will damage Black Place.


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The artist's final trip to the site was when she was nearly 90 years old. Today, the landscape has changed considerably, and a collection of artists and environmentalists say that it is threatened by the companies that are harvesting the surrounding natural resources. And a flare stack is visible from the sage-dotted mesa above the formation. He goes on to say that the drilling is 'kind of out of hand' and that a 'sacred, spiritual' place like Black Place and the surrounding areas 'should be protected.

O'Keeffe would often camp at Black Place for days at a time to get inspiration for her paintings. Nelson doesn't say that drilling should be banned in the area, but says he would like to see the 75 or acres surrounding the natural wonder be given landmark status that has limited access.

The wild beauty of Georgia O’Keeffe

He also says a ban on new roads and new mining and drilling operations in the area would help preserve the site. Douglas Preston, who also supports preservation efforts for the site, calls it one of the 'most significant' places that O'Keeffe painted. The Black Place lies on public land — our land — and it would be a tragedy if it was thoughtlessly destroyed for the sake of a few more barrels of oil.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Artists rally to conserve Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico 'Black Place' as energy companies threaten the iconic site with drilling and mining 'Black Place' was the inspiration for dozens of O'Keeffe's paintings The natural beauty was created millions of years ago by erosion from the formation of the Rocky Mountains Conservationists and artists now fear energy companies could destroy the iconic site There currently are no companies drilling at Black Place, but the surrounding area is littered with oil wells and drilling operations By Daily Mail Reporter Published: Share this article Share.

Artists rally to conserve Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico 'Black Place' | Daily Mail Online

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