Malheur lies in the furthest south/east corner of our state. Before this part of Oregon became infamous through the occupation of the right wing, nationalist militia crooks around Amon Bundy last year, it was a magnet for nature lovers, wildlife protectionists, birding enthusiasts and artists. It still is, I suppose, with many working hard to restore what has been defiled.

Hassan Childe (1859-1935) was one of the early painters who lend his impressionist style to depicting the beauty of Harney County. In fact one of his paintings was the first acquisition of the Portland Art Museum, founded in 1905.He captured, in my opinion, an idealized version of what is really a harsh environment around the Steen Mountains. Part desert, part mountain wilderness, few interspersed water features that host 1000s of birds during migration, all combine to deliver astonishing beauty but also intense hardship for the few people who settle this landscape and try to make a living of it.

https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/hassam_childe_1859_1935_/#.WNHdfzvt–Q

 

I find Henk Pander’s work a more fitting testimony to the reality out there, both in his water colors and his oil paintings that often add a psychologically astute dimension to what is. He captures the intense light but also the foreboding of the Eastern landscape.

Here is a link to his website – check out the watercolors of the Blitzen river, the Malheur Field station and the landscape of the Steens.

http://henkpander.format.com/#1

 

I have only visited once, 2 years ago, for a precious few days on a road trip from LA to PDX. I have been wanting to go back there ever since, and hope this year will afford it.  Who knows.

In the meantime I frequently go back to the photographs I took and try to recreate the experience.

Part of what made it special are the many unfamiliar bird sounds that you hear there, including some birds that make music with its feathers – here is the sound of a common snipe https://www.youtubecom/watch?v=dam0sDp6Xig.

At night you hear owls,

during the day you walk among families of quails,

and you are surrounded by ubiquitous species of blackbirds, many of them unfamiliar to me.

It is a special place if you like birds and find solace in their freedom and their song.