The ancient artisans disappeared from the canyon by 1300 AD. due to a severe drought which began in 1276 and lasted to 1299 AD.

They left behind the great profusion of rock art on the walls of Nine Mile Canyon, with silence replacing the sounds of the artisans of the rock.

With a deeply-felt passion of subject matter, the artist, Joe Venus, has captured and created on canvas a segment of a prehistoric culture, all but lost in today's modern world.