Fresh Out of the Studio: A Triptych

Orange Geometric 01

Mixed media on paper. 7x10 inches. 2010.

I’ve been on a roll this week making new stuff. This triptych is meant to be seen side-by-side, along a wide horizon. There’s something about these that have a modern retro feel, I think...

Orange Geometric 02

Mixed media on paper. 7x10 inches. 2010.

Orange Geometric 03

Mixed media on paper. 7x10 inches. 2010.

I Dreamt of Things: A Tiny Plane

I dreamt I was on a tiny plane (apparently all the people were the sizes of Smurfs)... And the plane was in some kind of apartment, or office space, or something. After everyone boarded the tiny plane, it took off in the living room (or maybe the kitchen). But the plane just kept circling around the interior space of this building and couldn’t find a way out. Someone suggested that maybe there wasn’t enough power for the plane to exit the building. So the pilot ended up plugging the nose of the plane into an outlet at the top of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Only the chandelier wasn't a nice one, it was just a few incandescent light bulbs hanging down. The gist of this scene is an airplane plugged into an outlet at the top of a bald chandelier.

First Art Festival

Periscopes. Mixed media on paper. 10x7 inches. 2010.

I just got an official letter notifying me of my acceptance into the Labor Day Art Festival in Breckenridge, Colorado! The 34th Annual Gathering at the Great Divide Art Festival will be my first time on the art festival circuit, and I’m going to document the process. I’ll be running around like a crazy chicken for the next few weeks while I prepare! It will certainly be a learning experience.

Be sure to come talk to me and see my art in person (maybe buy a piece or two) over Labor Day weekend: September 4–6 at Wellington Rd. and N. Main Street in Breckenridge.

Western Wyoming Wildflowers

Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus

Found along the banks of Corral Creek

Along with the beautiful landscapes we saw in Wyoming last week came an abundance of stunning mountain and desert wildflowers. My camera has a pretty good macro setting so I can get good detail in shots of even the smallest flowers.

Yellow Monkeyflower

Found on bank of Corral Creek

I was looking for the names of some of these flowers (still didn’t find all the ones I was looking for), and came across a great archive of western U.S. wildflowers, along with their common and Latin names. If you’re trying to identify flowers you found somewhere, check here first.

Mountain Harebells

Meadow in Black Canyon

Fringed Gentian

Meadow in Black Canyon

Pipsissewa

Found on the floor of a pine forest

Black Canyon above Greys River, WY

Indian Blanket (or Firewheel)

Found along shoulder of US Hwy 191

South of Pinedale, WY

Unknown 

(AKA Bon Jovi Hair Flower. You’re welcome, Lindsey!)

Found in a meadow on the trail to White Pine Lake

Cache National Forest, UT

Greys River, Wyoming

White Pine Lake, Cache National Forest, Utah

To celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary, Matt and I planned a camping trip to Greys River in western Wyoming. On the way there, we spent two nights at Red Banks Campground in the Cache National Forest in northern Utah, near Logan (where we lived for a year in 2003-04). We returned to White Pine Lake almost exactly six years after the first time we hiked it. This time the sky was clear, so the photos came out better (above).

 Greys River. Bridger National Forest, Wyoming.

Greys River splits the Salt River and Wyoming Mountain Ranges, and empties into the Snake River at Alpine, Wyoming. It is mostly known as a world-class fly-fishing site. We aren’t fisher-people at all, but we still found more than enough to keep ourselves occupied throughout our time there.

Man Peak over Greys River after a morning storm.

Corral Creek leads into Greys River.

I think we easily could’ve spent another week exploring along the Greys River. What an amazing place, and a beautiful river. The weather is totally unpredictable—one minute dark clouds would roll in and thunder would rumble, and a few minutes later the sun would shine warm and bright. We saw a variety of wildlife including moose, wild horses, antelope, and deer. My favorite thing to do is hunt for wildflowers, so look for my next post with images of all the flowers we found. 

The Corral Creek Trail was my favorite.

The five nights we spent along the Greys River in Wyoming were spectacular, with the added bonus that the whole week-long trip cost us less than $350. Next time maybe we’ll splurge and get a cabin at the Box Y Ranch...

I Dreamt of Things: Bouncy Floor

I dreamt of a yoga room with the typical hardwood floors. Suspended about 8 inches above the floor was a bouncy, transparent film, pulled tight along the edges of the room. It looked like people were hovering over the floor when they walked. It was a little bit like an invisible trampoline.

Garden Art Experiment 01

Acrylic Tomato v01a. 8x8 inches. Mixed media on board. 2010.

If you’ve read my blog before, you know I have a small vegetable garden in the back yard this summer. I’ve never grown vegetables until now, so there are lots of interesting things going on back there.

I pulled this funny looking tomato off the plant about a week ago when it was still hard and green, and decided to try to do something with it. I coated the tomato with a liquid acrylic and attached it to this board covered with fabric (some of the fabric is new, and some is from my Grandma’s vintage collection).

 Acrylic Tomato v01b. 6x8 inches. Digital Photo. 2010.

I’m interested in seeing what happens with the tomato as time goes by. Since I coated it with the acrylic, it has already begun to shift from green to a lovely orange-yellow. I’ll post new pics in a week or so if anything happens.

Canyon Solstice

 Canyon Solstice. 10x13 inches. Mixed Media on Paper. 2010.

This new painting was inspired by a Native American rock drawing I saw recently in Seiber Canyon in McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area in western Colorado. The original rock art drawing is situated in a precise location on a red rock panel so that, at noon each summer solstice, a shadow from across the canyon bisects the rectangle horizontally. This is such an inspiring idea, I think I might do additional variations on this theme.

Thunder Head

Little water bombs —
Coordinated attack
Diving toward earth.

. . . . .

I’ve been on a haiku kick for the past few days. I used to write them constantly, and recently found some of the old ones. I’ve been inspired to start writing them again.

Pencil Poem

This is probably my most favorite haiku-inspired poem that I’ve written to date.

For late night writing
A pencil is better.
It’s marks are not so permanent.

Emmi Whitehorse’s Natural Balance

Metagalaxy. 39.5 x 51 inches. Oil on paper on canvas. 2008.

A few months ago, I went to the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art in Telluride, Colorado with a friend. I was completely struck by the beauty and emotion conveyed in the work there from Navajo artist Emmi Whitehorse. Most (if not all) of the works are oil on paper, then mounted on canvas.

Stellar Wind. 48.5 x 28.75 inches. Oil pastel on paper on canvas. 2008.

Ms. Whitehorse’s work is reflective of her experience as a Native American artist. She is interested in creating work that “stays true to a harmonious balance of beauty, nature, humanity, and the whole universe.” She says that this philosophy is essential to the Navajo people.

I can’t find the info on this one.

I love that these pieces are intended as landscapes, and yet, somehow they aren’t landscapes in the literal sense at all. The idea of being inspired by a particular subject matter and turning it into something completely unexpected interests me. In this work, I see modern references to something akin to the Native American rock art I’ve viewed in the western United States (see my posts here and here). I love Ms. Whitehorse’s ability to combine references of the past and present while keeping the pieces open-ended.

Codon Sequence. 54 x 72 inches. Oil pastel on paper on canvas. 2006.

This text from Ms. Whitehorse’s Artist Statement says it all: “My work is about and has always been about land, about being aware of our surroundings and appreciating the beauty of nature. I am concerned that we are no longer aware of those. The calm and beauty that is in my work I hope seves as a reminder of what is underfoot, of the exchange we make with nature.” ... What a wonderful sentiment and very well put.

Lake Tahoe & The Sierra

Lake Tahoe

We spent the first 10 days of July in California’s Sierra Mountains... The first five nights we camped in several places, hiked to a bunch of lakes, and got plenty dirty! Then the last four nights we stayed in a hotel in South Lake Tahoe where we met up with some of my co-workers for a “conference” which consisted of two group dinners. The rest of our time was free to do whatever we wanted.

Lake Tahoe

Woods Lake in El Dorado National Forest

Mojo sunning himself at Grouse Lake in the Desolation Wilderness

Little 9 lb. Mojo can hike as far as anyone, and just like everybody else, he likes to rest at the halfway point and have a snack. Preferably some cheezits, but pupperoni will also suffice.

Grouse Lake in the Desolation Wilderness

The Grouse Lake hike was my favorite. The wildflowers were spectacular (see the post below) and the lake itself was beautiful. We were planning to hike up a bit further to see another lake (I forgot the name of it), but we decided to head back down the mountain when we heard thunder rumbling overhead. Just as we began to turn back, I stepped on a patch of snow, fell through, and landed in a creek up to my knee. Luckily it was a warm day and it kind-of felt good to squish every other step down the mountain!

Sierra Nevada / Tahoe Wildflowers

Jeffrey’s Shooting Star / Dodecatheon jeffreyi / Primrose Family

Matt and I spent the last week roaming around the Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. It was the perfect time of year to visit, as the wildflowers were abundant! (If you’ve ever read my blog before, you already know I’m a sucker for wildflowers!)

Pretty Face / Brodiaea lutea / Amaryllis Family

Mountain Heather / Phyllodoce breweri / Heath Family

I know this is a Penstemon, but I can’t seem to find the exact name in my book. I think I photographed one like this in Colorado last summer, too... and I didn’t know its name then either.

I can’t find this one in my book either.

If you know the names of these last two, I’d be so happy if you wouldn’t mind posting them so I can find out what they are!

Lying in the Grass with Eyes Closed

Lying in the Grass with Eyes Closed. 13x16 inches. Mixed media on paper. 2010.

I finished up this new mixed media painting this weekend. . . I think I might give it to my friend Sarah, who is having a baby soon. It makes me think of things unknown, things floating out there in anticipation of being discovered. I want to do more pieces like this one.

I’m thinking of dying some of the cooking twine I like to use in paintings. I’m hesitant to do it though, because I already feel like I’m in a race against time. I can’t make things as fast as I can think them up. I’m not sure how to remedy that problem, but I want to see my ideas come to fruition and not just stay floating around inside my head.

I Dreamt of Things: Gun in My Face

I dreamt I was in a courtroom where a kid freaked out and shoved me onto the ground and put a gun in my face. Another kid jumped up and put a gun in the first kid’s face. Everyone froze in place. It was like I was in a cheesy 80’s cop/courtroom drama.