Holly Harman moved from the
San Fernando Valley in California to Prescott four years
ago. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona.
Holly grew up with a family who frequently traveled
throughout the southwest. Both parents were avid
photographers and her mother also worked in oils.
Throughout the years she has continued her travels in the
southwest as well as in Europe especially Italy,
photographing and then later painting from many of those
photographs. Holly began her painting career in oils
receiving instruction from artist Ronnie Leberthon.
In the last fifteen years she has turned to transparent
watercolor, and considers it now to be her medium of choice.
She has taken workshops from Joe Garcia, Adele Earnshaw,
Gerald Brommer, Tony Couch, Carl Purcell, Brenda Swenson,
and Betty Carr.
Holly was a member of the
Valley Watercolor Society in the San Fernando Valley for a
number of years and has taken a number of awards in their
art shows. Immediately after moving to Prescott, Holly
joined Mountain Artists Guild, has shown in the gallery, and
taken a number of their workshops.
Richard Burton (1821-1890) the British explorer, in
searching for the source of the Nile, wrote:
Of
the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the
departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking
off with one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden
weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares, and the slavery
of Home, man feels once more happy. The blood flows with the
fast circulation of childhood. Excitement lends unwonted
vigour to the muscle, and the sudden sense of freedom adds a
cubit to the mental stature. A fresh dawns the morn of life.
Again the bright world is beautiful to the eye, and the
glorious face of nature gladdens the soul. A journey, in
fact, appeals to Imagination, to Memory, to Hope, the sister
graces of our mortal being. Pretty lofty thoughts but they
give me a sense of anticipation. Our family is “getting off
the Ranch” for a temporary change to tropical scenery but I
take with me a curiosity gleaned from living in the high
desert at Talking Rock Ranch.
Since moving here last summer, I’ve acquired an eye for
things to explore, many of which delivered a “high” of
discovery. Some discoveries are accompanied by a buzz of
adrenaline, such as the summer afternoon when a tarantula
ambled beneath my patio chair as I sat reading. And, I’ve
had to make my peace with some of my discoveries, like the
gekkos that I’ve found in the sink, on top of the bed, and
even under our Christmas tree.
One of the unique benefits of being at Talking Rock Ranch is
that there is so much to discover and explore – the terrain,
the history, and particularly the dramatic western vistas.
You don’t have to get in a car or on a plane – just step
outdoors and the opportunities to discover and explore open
up to you. As we return home from our
tropical respite, I won’t have the usual foreboding of
returning to the “slavery of Home” but rather a beckoning to
the wondrous landscapes of our desert home at Talking Rock
Ranch. We will return happily to our interesting and
engaging friends and the captivating surroundings that make
the Ranch our new and unique home.