CENIZO JOURNAL STAFF
PUBLISHER Riley Stephens publisher @ cenizojournal . com
ON THE COVER :
North from Stillwell , 14x11 , oil on panel by Priscilla Wiggins
In 1977 , classically educated Priscilla Wiggins made a decision . It seemed the natural world was quickly being destroyed by our species ’ rampant growth . She decided to devote the rest of her life to camping in nature and painting views from her campsites as a celebration of the beauty that still remained . What makes her unique as an artist is that she has to be surrounded by nature as she paints .
The lure of Big Bend National Park drew her to its wonders first in the winter of 1981 , when she drove to the park from Southwest Colorado where she ’ d been artist-inresidence on Vance Ranch , painting aspens each summer . From then on , she returned to the park every winter , and for two years beginning in 2003 , worked as a volunteer painter at undeveloped campsites . She gave demonstrations and shows at the Panther Junction visitor center . In 2006 , she began camping and painting at Stillwell Ranch just outside the park , and became their artist-in-residence for every year minus Covid years up to the present . She created this painting , “ North from Stillwell ,” there . It was featured on a billboard outside Albuquerque to advertise the fifth annual New Mexico Painters Exhibition in 2018 at Highlands University in Las Vegas , New Mexico , where she has shown her paintings every year .
Ms . Wiggins has had numerous solo shows in Santa Fe and here in the Big Bend : at the Paisano Hotel in Marfa and the Ashby and Allison gallery in Alpine . Currently she is exhibiting at the Old Spanish Trails museum and gallery outside Fort Davis , and Eve ’ s Garden in Marathon . She is represented by Argos Gallery in Santa Fe .
SPRING EDITION • APRIL - JUNE 2023
DESIGN / PRODUCTION Ceci Marquez
SUBSCRIPTIONS Print subscriptions will be mailed for $ 29 annually .
Subscribe online at CenizoJournal . com or email publisher @ cenizojournal . com or call 432-614-4074 x . 2 .
SUBMISSION
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Danielle Gallo editor @ cenizojournal . com
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 . © 2023 Cenizo Journal . Copyright of all art and images contained within are retained by the image owner and are used with permission .
Cenizo Notes by Danielle Gallo , Editor
The second quarter of the year is upon us , and we ’ ve managed to adjust to Daylight Savings and tax season by now . Spring break has come and gone — every year we ’ re breaking records on the visitation front . The bloom on the daggers has been spectacular , despite late freezes . There ’ s a small chance some of my apricots survived the three inches of snow we had St . Patrick ’ s Day . Was that the Easter freeze ? Or is there one more coming ?
Finally , we ’ re getting to the meat of the year . Hot days with blazing sun , the UV searing my eyes even through my sunglasses . I crave it all winter . I long for that painful blush just above my sock line when I miss that spot with the sunscreen . In spite of all my grumblings about the time change , I can ’ t deny that I love the long , warm evenings . The kids ride their bikes in the streets and watch their shadows stretching cartoonishly across the pavement . School will be out in the blink of an eye .
This issue of Cenizo has some of my favorite things . Foremost among them , a stunning photo essay of Boquillas del Carmen . Having lived there for a time , I feel a little happy every time I remember that the crossing is open . I love to pop over for lunch or spend the night , watching the sun rise over the Sierra del Carmens . I have an ever-growing collection of bracelets , because I can never say no to the cheeky little kids running around with them . Have you looked closely at them ? I could never , in a hundred years , do stringwork so perfectly . I have no idea how they manage it , but I do know that at five dollars a pop , they ’ re a steal .
This issue also features Priscilla Wiggins , a dear friend and stellar artist , and a review of Fort Davis historian Donna Smith ’ s fascinating new book . Stephanie Winston talks about our dark skies , W . R . Wilson shares a smart piece of fiction , Chris Greta wonders if love lasts longer in Marathon . We get to enjoy Part Two of Jim Moore ’ s reminiscences of Ann Richards , and Judy Eron can ’ t believe you don ’ t know these folks .
I hope you enjoy this issue , maybe in the hammock with a warm breeze ruffling your hair , ice clinking in a glass just within arm ’ s reach . It ’ ll be July before we know it .
Cenizo
Spring 2023 7