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Rock Me on the Water: A Life on the Loose
Renny Russell's Rock Me on the Water is at its heart courageous. To return to the same power of nature that took his brother thirty years previous to be with it, to confront it, to take solace in it, and to be inspired and healed by it is remarkable in itself. His book is, as well, a testament to the evocative rhythms of the wilds. In this complicated dance, this profoundly personal journey, Renny Russell also gives us an amazingly spirited tour of one of the truly great landscapes of the American West and a keen understanding of its power to shape a life. Robert Redford
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
254 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2007
About the author
Renny Russell
7 books14 followersRenny Russell was born in 1946 in South Pasadena, California. At a young age he immersed himself in the work of Albrecht Dürer, Diego Rivera, and landscape artists Maynard Dixon, Charles M. Russell, and Albert Bierstadt. Mentor and renowned landscape painter Conrad Buff offered early instruction.
In the early 1960s, Renny attended the College of Arts and Crafts and the San Francisco Art Institute. The counterculture of the 1960s and artists Max Ernst, René Magritte, Hieronymus Bosch, and N.C. Wyeth influenced his work.
In 1969 he moved to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, where he’s been since. His work is inspired by the myriad landscapes of the Southwest and by those things that are timeless and most free of human limitations. In the mountains, rivers, and canyons, the forces of nature and “the mystery” consume him and manifest themselves in his work.
Renny recently studied under Giovanna Paponetti at the University of New Mexico and has expanded his artistic reach, painting large abstract oils. His paintings have been purchased by writer Ed Abbey, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator Tom Udall, and can be found in many private collections throughout the Southwest. His calligraphy work graces the walls of Terry Tempest Williams, Derrick Jensen, and Jon Krakauer.
In the early 1960s, Renny attended the College of Arts and Crafts and the San Francisco Art Institute. The counterculture of the 1960s and artists Max Ernst, René Magritte, Hieronymus Bosch, and N.C. Wyeth influenced his work.
In 1969 he moved to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, where he’s been since. His work is inspired by the myriad landscapes of the Southwest and by those things that are timeless and most free of human limitations. In the mountains, rivers, and canyons, the forces of nature and “the mystery” consume him and manifest themselves in his work.
Renny recently studied under Giovanna Paponetti at the University of New Mexico and has expanded his artistic reach, painting large abstract oils. His paintings have been purchased by writer Ed Abbey, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator Tom Udall, and can be found in many private collections throughout the Southwest. His calligraphy work graces the walls of Terry Tempest Williams, Derrick Jensen, and Jon Krakauer.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 23, 2016
I have found me a new coffee table book! Unlike many such books I own, this one I devoured the words long before I tired looking at the photographs. Rock Me on the Water is a beautiful book and an uplifting story. The book centers around a solo trip down the Green River in Utah, tracing the route the author and his brother took in 1965. At that time, Renny was 18 and an art student. His brother was 21 and had just graduated from Berkeley. The two young brothers had also just contracted with the Sierra Club to publish On The Loose, a book of quotes, thoughts and poetry illustrated with their photographs. They were celebrating the upcoming publication with this trip. The river was at flood stage. While running Steer Rapids, their rubber boat folded back over, dumping them and their gear into the water. Renny survived. The last he saw of Terry was when he helped him grab hold of a duffle bag for flotation.
Forty years later, Renny, who is now a seasoned boat builder and river guide, comes back to this section of the Green for the first time since that fateful trip, ready to face the ghosts of the past. It’s a solo journey in a boat he built and named Seedskeedee (The native name for the Green, a word that means prairie hen). While describing his trip down the Green, Renny shares with us the story of two brothers who grow up longing to be in the wilderness. He also tells of his own journey after the death of Terry, as he dealt with his loss. “My life has been a search for the knowledge and secrets,†he writes, “that have offered hope and strength after the flood.†(188) As he and his brother had done in their earlier book, Renny raises our awareness of the environmental challenges facing the human race.
I purchased my copy of On the Loose at a Sierra Club meeting back in the late 70s, when I was a college student in North Carolina. I was taken with the hand-scrolled calligraphy and the very intimate photographs. Renny admits that their film had mostly been processed in drug stores and that Ansel Adams didn’t think the Sierra Club should print the book. But David Brower, the club president at the time, insisted the voices from these two brothers should be heard. In time, the book sold over a million copies. Many people, like me, fell in love with it. At some point my copy got stowed away, but a few years ago, after having left the West for the Upper Midwest, I found myself going back to it time and time again. When I first purchased On the Loose, I had never been to the West Coast. When I look back at that book, along with Rock Me on the Water, I see many places with which I’m familiar: I’ve hiked the John Muir Trail, backpacked along the ocean at Point Reyes, hiked in many of the same canyons on the Colorado Plateau, and explored some of the same places in Idaho. Now, having read Renny’s story, I’m ready to build a river boat and head west.
This is a wonderful book that I’ll enjoy for decades. I recommend this book for several reasons. The photographs and illustrations are wonderful, the story is moving, but most importantly, you’ll discover how one person found hope and overcame tragedy. I’m also indebted to the author for sharing with us the full story of On the Loose.
Forty years later, Renny, who is now a seasoned boat builder and river guide, comes back to this section of the Green for the first time since that fateful trip, ready to face the ghosts of the past. It’s a solo journey in a boat he built and named Seedskeedee (The native name for the Green, a word that means prairie hen). While describing his trip down the Green, Renny shares with us the story of two brothers who grow up longing to be in the wilderness. He also tells of his own journey after the death of Terry, as he dealt with his loss. “My life has been a search for the knowledge and secrets,†he writes, “that have offered hope and strength after the flood.†(188) As he and his brother had done in their earlier book, Renny raises our awareness of the environmental challenges facing the human race.
I purchased my copy of On the Loose at a Sierra Club meeting back in the late 70s, when I was a college student in North Carolina. I was taken with the hand-scrolled calligraphy and the very intimate photographs. Renny admits that their film had mostly been processed in drug stores and that Ansel Adams didn’t think the Sierra Club should print the book. But David Brower, the club president at the time, insisted the voices from these two brothers should be heard. In time, the book sold over a million copies. Many people, like me, fell in love with it. At some point my copy got stowed away, but a few years ago, after having left the West for the Upper Midwest, I found myself going back to it time and time again. When I first purchased On the Loose, I had never been to the West Coast. When I look back at that book, along with Rock Me on the Water, I see many places with which I’m familiar: I’ve hiked the John Muir Trail, backpacked along the ocean at Point Reyes, hiked in many of the same canyons on the Colorado Plateau, and explored some of the same places in Idaho. Now, having read Renny’s story, I’m ready to build a river boat and head west.
This is a wonderful book that I’ll enjoy for decades. I recommend this book for several reasons. The photographs and illustrations are wonderful, the story is moving, but most importantly, you’ll discover how one person found hope and overcame tragedy. I’m also indebted to the author for sharing with us the full story of On the Loose.
April 9, 2020
A pretty perfect book
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews