I have had this branch, which I found while hiking in the desert around Ghost Ranch, NM, sitting on my bookshelf for several weeks. I was intrigued by both the directional veining pattern enhanced by the brutal sun and dry nights and the extreme red coloration of the local sand has completely permeated the open cell structure of the wood, dying it with a chalky texture to match the surroundings. This branch was inspiration for a drawing exploring striated and bundled veining across a surface. Each line was first drawn across the page in quick succession, then retraced multiple times, allowing the inconsistencies in my hand, the paper and the pen to form larger cracks within the striations.