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My residency with the National Park System had a profound impact on my work and my heart. I will be forever very proud of my experience and my small role in our nations greatest resource: our Parks. 

Back from their year on display in Oregon as part of the centennial celebration of the NPS, my paintings will now hang here in my home for awhile so I can enjoy them (and be reminded to make more time for the things I love - like hiking and painting.)

Sheep Rock - in the studio

A day of firsts.

Gathered my paintings, photo reference and sketches from my Residency in John Day Fossil Beds; set up 2 big easels; selected an 18x24 maple, cradled panel by Trekell; and worked up a series of thumbnail sketches to decide on the composition for my new painting.

First landscape painting to be created in the studio (instead of Plein Air.)

First of the final paintings, the last chapter, of my National Park Service Artist Residency.

First weekend in a really long time that I spent in my studio.

I'm very happy with my start today and it was fun! I was so happy out there!

Reflecting and Planning

Enough time has passed that I can now objectively look over my paintings and even think (somewhat) fondly of the moths that would attack my hair at night.

It's always a bit of culture shock when I step back into my 'life' after a long trip. Weeks of painting and driving, my only concern really: where to paint, shifts abruptly to alarm clocks, public transportation and sitting. Sitting on trains, sitting in traffic, sitting at my desk.

I'm now through the 'shock' phase and excitedly in the what comes next phase! I LOVE this phase!

First, I set out all the paintings. I'm very pleased!

These are the New Mexico and Oregon  residency paintings lined up together - a pretty nice set!

I've also downloaded, and then uploaded, all the photos from John Day Fossil Beds; selecting some to print to use as reference for the paintings that I'll paint in my studio. This is an exciting time because I see finished paintings in my head... Combinations of my Plein air pieces, mixed with photos I've taken, and hopefully - HOPEFULLY - some images from Native stories... They all come together as rich images in my mind.

The next, next phase is a frustrating phase (ha ha! so true!) where I try to reconcile the imagery in my mind with what I actually paint. I always get to the right place eventually but inevitably there is frustration and doubt on the road to I LOVE IT!

I'm so grateful for the Residency experience in Oregon. The family that hosted me at their delightful B&B, Lands Inn. The Park staff that fielded my many questions and provided me with wifi and respite from the heat.

This coming weekend I'll order the photos, clear out any distractions in the studio and start sketching out my paintings! I'm really looking forward to this!

An Incident with a Cow

Not an accident thankfully, but definitely an "incident."

Heading out this morning for the '5 mile drive down a gravel road' I first have to park, get out of the car, open a gate, drive through the gate, park the car, get out of the car and close the gate. You are picturing this, right? Every day- coming or going- this is the routine.

Today, I drove up to the gate and there, on the other side were cows. Maybe 8 or 11? Big cows. Waiting. Staring. Chewing.

What to do?! 

I parked as close as I could to the gate and decided to push the gate out towards the cows. I shoo'd them. They stared. They chewed. I got into my car, I said 'STAY!' to the cows. I pulled through the gate. I got out of my car. I went to close the gate. The cows stared. They chewed. ALL BUT ONE.

ONE made a run for it. ONE cow trotted past my car and into the Lands Inn property. Oh no! I called out to the cow. I asked it to come here, this way, no no, come back... It stared. It chewed.

Now the grass IS better on this other side of the fence because there IS grass on this side. The cow would not come to me. And I was NOT going to it! I couldn't go back to tell anyone because I was certain the other cows would all then make a go of coming in... So, I drove away. The group of cows looking concerned and more likely jealous that their buddy was locked on the other side...  and had plenty of food to munch away on!!

I had to drive about 45 minutes until I found a few bars of Verizon so I could call and report (confess) the cow incident to the Inn. There was probably a better way to handle a small herd blocking the gate and I'm sure I did it all wrong :(

Moo'ving on...

Today I drove to Clarno, the furthest section of the park, to hike, meet with Josh the Ranger/Paleontologist, and do some painting or sketching.

It's a pretty drive along the John Day River and it takes about 2.25 hours. (With the cow incident I was now about 45 minutes behind schedule.)

But Clarno is heroic! It's regal! It's huge!

I hiked up to the base of the palisades and completed two different trails. On the first, a couple I passed said to me, "umm, there's a rattle snake up there on the rock so watch out." Uhh, whaa- yikes!

It is not easy looking up at these towering pillars of rocks and at the same time watching every step and scoping out every single rock for a rattle snake!! Sheesh. Never did see a snake but I did see fossils ;) Leaves on rocks from about 40 million years ago which is pretty awesome!

After the second trail I stopped at the Ranger outpost to say hi to Josh. He talked to me about the park and what he does... But no there was no digging today :(

So, cow incident and near rattle snake sighting and extreme heat fatigue all prodding away at my nerves, I gathered up my lunch from my car and sat at a covered picnic bench where I sketched the Clarno Palisades and nibbled on string cheese, V8 and mandarin oranges sealed in a plastic cup :)

Very relaxing. Just what I needed.

On the return drive I stopped off in Kimberly which is well known for its orchards. I picked up a few Golden Delicious and some Ambrosia Apples (very good and super crisp!)

I stopped too at Foree for one last shot of those blue green formations...

Finally, I made my way back up the 5 mile gravel road and was relieved to see not a single cow. Safely inside MY side of the gate I unloaded the apples and made up a quick dinner so I could catch a little of the sunset.  Beautiful.

5 Miles Down a Gravel Road

First though, 90 miles from 'town' THEN the dirt and gravel road up to my lodging. 

You'd think I was stocking a bomb shelter by looking at my cart at the last grocery store for 2.5 hours. Beans. Quinoa. Packages of Mandarin oranges, tuna and chicken. Cans of vegetarian baked beans, tomato soup and a jar of almond butter. Green bananas, 12 Fuji apples, 8 oranges. Seriously, a very funny cart. 

Smart though, because I am truly, really, removed from it all. 

I filled the tank in Pineville and the next stop was a tiny town called Mitchell, known for having a public restroom.

Finally, up and up the gravel road, through obviously recent burned hills, I turned in to Lands Inn, my new temporary home.

I have a lovely apartment inside an airport hangar. My room has antique toy airplanes and various wheels and metal signs hanging from the ceiling. I love it.

I learned how to work the solar, the on demand hot water and was introduced to a sweet old dog named Black and a menagerie of field cats. I checked out my studio (perfect!) The view from my room is so serene.

Three adorable A-frame cabins line up outside the hangar, and I met the Geologist who has been staying here during her internship at the Park where I have my residency. She lives in Redwood City. I kid you not. She brought her cat, Apricat. Yep. Amazingly it hangs around outside while she's away at the park and then is here when she returns. Impressive.

We had a great visit and shared a Shiraz  I brought from home. Such a small world.

I'm writing this tonight but know that there's no wifi out here, so hoping I can post this tomorrow from the visitors center when I check in with the Park Service.

I'm so happy.

Heading North

I'm on my way.

Headed North by way of a car show in Cottonwood, CA followed by a delightful but quick visit with my NorCal family.

Cottonwood is like a movie set, with its 3' curbs and rings for tying up your horse. But the only horses I saw were the horse-powers under the hood of some beautiful classic cars! My Dad's car club, from Weaverville, had a couple cars in the show, so I stopped by to take a guided tour of the cars with my Pop. 

After the car show, I pulled my Subaru in behind a line of 57 Chevys and 38 Fords, and we drove North to Redding. 

Redding was my pit-stop for the night, and I was thrilled to get a proper visit in with my Sister-in-Law, Sarah (I know! Yes, there are now two Sara(h) Mordecais in our family!!) and my Nephew Nico (4) and identical twin Nieces Ruby and Zoey (2). My Brother is out fighting fires near Napa so I didn't get to see him.

My Dad and his wife Pam provided my Bed and Breakfast and sent me off in the morning with big hugs and well-wishes.

More North...

The drive was a gorgeous one, past a very low Lake Shasta and then a right at Weed and through the mountains and a very full Klammath Lake. I love these mountains!

More North still... and finally, Bend, Oregon. Love this town! The Deschutes was dotted with colorful paddle boards and kayaks, the temperature a tolerable 82, and it just plain smells good! It's the trees. Maybe all the breweries too.

I'd scheduled an in-room Massage (I'm a genius!) and a wonderful Jane gave me a well earned 90 minute deep massage followed by a terrific suggestion on where to grab dinner.

The Lot! A corner on the west side of the river with Food Trucks :)

Today my North will list to the East and after I stock up on groceries for 2 weeks, I'll make my way to John Day.

I hope I have wifi!

NPS AIR OMG

Yes, that actually means something!
I'll elaborate...

National Park Service + Artist in Residence = Oh My Gawd!

Something I have wanted. Something I have dreamed about. Something that seemed attainable but most likely out a few years... has happened: I have been selected as an Artist for the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Residency program, and I couldn't possibly be more proud or more excited.

JD Fossil Beds, as the locals call it, is in the high desert of Eastern-Central Oregon. When I began my search for a Residency opportunity I was immediately drawn to this park for its rich colorful topography, the geological diversity and its prehistoric significance. Let me go all Wikipedia for you...

"...the park is known for its well-preserved layers of fossil plants and mammals that lived in the region between the late Eocene, about 45 million years ago, and the late Miocene, about 5 million years ago. "

"...The (park) covers a total of 13,944 acres of semi-desert shrub-lands, riparian zones, and colorful badlands."

AMAZING, right?!

Now, LOOK at this place, of course I want to paint here!

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument brings together two of my first loves:  Painting and Geology. Only my family knows that there was a time when I considered studying Geology instead of Fine Art.  I was the little girl with the rock tumbler in her closet who was lulled to sleep by the sound of rolling rocks and swishing water.  My favorite book as a child was a large coffee table book called something like OUR EARTH, and I would spend hours throughout my childhood looking at the chapters on sediment, earth crust, layers of rocks, fossils and shifting plates. It was mesmerizing! But, instead I followed my love of color and composition and I became an artist - an artist who paints outdoors. 

Outdoors, I see rhythms and folds and stripes and angles. I love design in nature. John Day Fossil Beds has ribbons of colors, heavy folds on windblown outcroppings, vertical pillars of basalt and waves of blue volcanic ash hillsides. It is heavenly!

This Labor Day Weekend was a labor of love: I spent it running errands, packing up painting supplies, ensuring I had plenty of supports and panels for paintings... getting ready for this honor, this thrill, this Artist in Residence at one of our National Parks.

H O M E

Left Barstow at 5:15 and was rewarded with a vivid orange sunrise over the desert. I'm heading West!

A straight shot, no stops, get-me-home drive up Hwy 5. A few rolling twisting turns through Pacheco Pass and a heavy strand of grey fog welcomed me into the home stretch. Something about the golden yellow hills and oak trees... Feels like home.

3965 miles.

17 paintings.

1 (first) Artist in Residence.

I'm certain as time goes by I'll reflect on this experience, this gift of focus, this pause from the hectic pace of my real world and understand its impact. 

My work grew; earlier paintings are thinner, smoother. By the end of the trip there is a looser and thicker more confident brush quality. Throughout my compositions are strong and I can see the observations and interpretations I've made on form, line, mass and design. These are all strong and consistent.

The final paintings where I take these strengths and add more brushwork, show more depth in the environment but keep my heightened colors... These are the best. I feel them.

I'd always wanted to be an Artist in Resident, an A.I.R, and the Starry Night Residency in New Mexico was a great introduction to the work that is required, the focus and commitment, the communal arrangements as well as saturating oneself with an unknown environment and landscape. I'm well suited to this Residency thing!!

I'm now looking forward to future Residencies and how they will balance my day to day work life, my day to day studio life and my weekend warrior Plein Air life.

End of Chapter One

First I have to start with this: it's 9:40 pm and it is 91*    IT WAS SO HOT TODAY!

I worked in the studio all day, repainting a few of the Plein air pieces.

 The studio has a huge window, maybe 5x5 facing south. Another of these faces North. Makes for good light but also makes for an oven.

Who knows what I did today, I think I was delirious from the heat.

Today was my last day at the Residency site. I'll have to check but I think I have 15 paintings, I am thrilled with that number.

Next up is Chapter Two:  painting in Santa Fe, meeting gallery owners, having my work reviewed... I'm looking forward to this!

I'm also, as I sit here with sweat pouring off of me, REALLY looking forward to higher altitude and LOWER TEMPERATURES!!!

I will absolutely recommend they put air conditioners in the residency cottages and studio. I can't figure out why the don't already. 

Had my last soak at Paloma Hot Springs tonight and did the foot soak exfoliant pit too.

Kinda bizarre, the 'pools' are lined with sand and rocks so you just move your feet around in the hot water! 

Townies

Every thing about today was different:

- Went for a walk this morning with 2 of the other Artists.

- The other Artists and I met the Residency Assistant at the local cafe for coffee and shop-talk.

- We then all went to visit some of the local shops and galleries (which up until today had been closed every time I went by!)

- I worked in the studio for about 5 hours. Touched up a couple of my Plein air pieces, which I never do and I loved it. Felt great to be in the studio and motivates me to get more studio time when I return home.

- Went with the Site Manager (?) of the Residence to his studio for a tour...

Which happens to be where I've been  stalking this vintage Chevy truck and Airstream. He has some cool paintings that he attaches real bird skulls to the canvas/supports. There are a lot of movie props and cool old junk everywhere. Ahh but that truck/trailer combo! Love it! 

- Highlight! Found out a roadside motel I've been eyeballing to paint, which is called the Dude Motel... Is owned by... THE DUDE. My favorite! My crush! JEFF BRIDGES. Yeah, awesome. 

- Joined some of the girls here for dinner out. Tried a yummy place called Latitude 33.

- Capped the day off with a hot soak, tonight was a 109* pool. It was crazy hot. I'll be sweating for hours!

Super nice day!

Overlook and Underview

My morning painting location was nestled in a residential neighborhood that overlooks the town and has a great view of the mountains. I saw a Roadrunner dart by and a few rabbits zigzag while I painted.

It was early when I was up there, trying to beat the heat (unsuccessfully.) The morning is when the mountains are pretty much all in this beautiful blue shadow, the sun hasn't touched them yet. There was a water tower as well but I decided to take it out ;) 

My OpenBoxM easel aka Pochade was wobbly the past 2 days and so I went in search of a hardware store for a hex wrench to tighten the head on my tripod... Thought I'd seen an Ace Hardware somewhere but sadly couldn't find it and ended up at Walmart. They had a Hex kit for 1.97! Awesome! and I tightened the bit and all is well.

This afternoon I drove back to the lake and to Elephant Rock Island, I found a small road called Dead End Road, seriously, and followed it down to the back side view, an Underview to the Rock I've enjoyed painting so much. 

I loved the boxy houseboats floating around the island and decided to add them in for size comparison... But I'll have to look at this piece again tomorrow, I'm not sure I like the boats after all. Or maybe I need more? 4 isn't a good number anyway...

About halfway through working on this piece my eyes were watering like crazy. That happens to me when I paint around lakes or rivers I've noticed... Happened in France, Ireland and at home too. Wonder what the commonality is?

Went out to dinner with another artist (green chile burgers, yum) and then we each had a soak in the hotsprings, a wonderful way to end a day! Tonight's water was 109* Here's my somewhat sterile room.

Came back to the Residency compound and we joined another artist for a little star gazing. The moon is at half and is so bright with a good orangey penumbra, lots of stars and even some shooting stars. NOW that's a wonderful way to end a very good day.

Reflections

As it was Memorial Day I thought it was a good morning to visit the New Mexico Veterans Memorial which is just up the hill. If I'd thought more clearly about it I would have realized that there would be a lot of visitors as well as some kind of ceremony... which there was.

It's a great facility/park. There is a walking path with stations, each holds a large plaque type sign about a U.S. Involved war. Spanish, Civil, Revolution, WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam for example. Each plaque described the build up, key players or key initiatives, and treaty or resolution. It also displayed how many died and how any were wounded. I found it very moving. It's too easy to forget so much of our history. Fighting Mexico for California and Arizona. Fighting for independence from the British. Fighting ourselves, North and South. 

Families and veterans gathered at the park this morning, laying wreaths, remembering those lost, honoring those who have served. I'm so happy I was there today.

I drove down the hill into town and saw a really striking light pattern across an old church. The roof was corrugated metal and very reflective, it bounced up a stripe of light across the front of the building that was really unique, so I set up to paint.

Met some interesting locals who stopped by to see what I was doing, they were very sweet. But overall it was really quiet around town. 

Tonight I invited another resident to share some wine I brought from home; it was really nice to relax and talk art, careers, family, process, goals etc. with another artist. 

Topped off this day with a HOT soak! I got a 108* tub... And it was goooood!

So much to be grateful for, today I thought about it all. Kudos universe, I feel your love. Thank you.