Little Updates

Mostly, I've been working at BCFA and not on my own work... c'est la vie!

Today was major cleaning day in life and studio. Getting on the right track again. I've given myself a little break because I realized I was exhausted. Now I'm back!

Here's a little book that I'm working on. Tomorrow I'll pick up more paper and continue gluing the print to each little folio. It will be sewn in coptic stitch, but with my own little twist.

Oh, and I'm learning something new! Here's the first fish I caught on my new fly rod. I then proceeded to whap myself in the head with the leader and fly. Ouch!

Learning something new is good for your brain, your emotions and learning about yourself. I found out I have a little bit of a temper. Joel said, "Yeah, now you know how I feel!" Oh dear. Note to self: be more mindful of reactions.


Happy weekend, to all!

Things are cooking in the studio

It's about time--  I'm making concerted efforts to work in my own studio on weekends and the occasional evening after work. Considering I don't have much room or time, this has been a challenge to continue working on the large prints I was making before.

I acquired this lovely press from my friend and mentor, and so continue to tweak the technical aspects of printing. Just the fact I have a press is pretty exciting! Thank you JT and Miss P.

So now I continue to make work in the fashion of the large prints, only this time scaled down substantially. The 6" x 6" are still alive and well, now with new information from a whole series of new plates. I debated cutting down the 30"x40" plates, but couldn't bare the thought of chopping them up. Instead I save that information for another time and move on to their smaller cousins.

Here are a few sneak peeks:

 "Studio Corner" (total Living + Studio space is about 265sq ft)

 The beginnings... of what I do not know...yet

Snippets.

Five months and counting!

The Pilot Program at Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts is going into its final few weeks, and I couldn't be more excited. It's gone well, for the most part. Any time you start something from scratch there are bound to be unexpected kinks and uphill battles. Thankfully, I've had just as many rewarding moments!

Over the course of this new beginning, I've had the priveledge of providing time and space to some amazing and talented residents (visual artists, writers, composers and musicians). I am constantly reminded how important the creative process is, and in return, their unexpected gifts are reflected back to me. Gerri Sayler and Keeril Makan reminded me to continue my sitting practice (although I still haven't been very good at it!). Randall Shinn reminded me to balance work with play-- he started work at 4:30 or 5:30 am so he could fly fish in the afternoon and enjoy laughter-filled dinners with new friends. Oh, AND he finished his opera while in residence! So many other lessons have been learned...

Nearly fifty artists-in-residence have been given this gift of time and space during our trial run. With that many amazing people, you can imagine the stories, paintings, songs and laughs that have graced the walls and halls of Brush Creek Ranch. I feel pretty lucky to be a part of it! (You can probably also imagine that doesn't leave much time for me and my own artistic practice.) And guess what? There's more to come. In January we start welcoming the next group of residents to the ranch.

Between now and then, I get a little bit of a lighter schedule and some focused 'me' time. Translation: ART TIME! The holidays make that a little tricky with scheduling and shopping and family and what not. I'm a little nervous that I will waste this precious time doing silly, unproductive things. So I've started making lists and am scheming my plan of attack.

Reorganization of space will be high on the list. I've finally got my little space separated into three somewhat distinct units-- "work space/office," "studio/art space," and "living" (and with less than 300sq ft, this is tricky to do!). Of course right now the work/office space gets the most use and consequently spills over in studio/art space. For the next few weeks it will be my goal to focus my activity in studio/art and NOT let receipts-to-file or pre-arrival forms stack up on my studio table. I will be hanging homosote board so I can easily view works in progress and focus my eye upwards to art.

I can honestly say giving so much energy to this program has been a delight, but perhaps I have forgotten how to give back to myself. Uh-oh! Maybe it's time to read a few chapters of Art and Fear, and dive head first into my own work again.

Wish me luck!

Ready and waiting

Sitting down to blog feels absolutely foreign. I think picking up a brayer or can of ink would feel even more strange. It's been awhile, to say the least, since I've thought about making anything art-related. I finished up this print right before I left Ohio. (The only large vertical piece I made)

Submerge : Emerge, Collagraph Monoprint

The whirlwind move from Ohio to Wyoming was just that and I feel like I never stopped moving. There was not a lot of time to get resettled before I hit the ground running at my new job. Things are going really well with the residency program. The Pilot Program that I designed is at capacity with some really amazing talent coming to visit Wyoming this fall.

I've been working 60-80 hours a week on the project but I'm ready for a break. It's time to start setting up a spot for myself to make some art. It will be strange not having a press, but I know I will manage. Perhaps collage, drawing and collecting will come back into play.

Having not made work for over two months or so, it's funny when you realize that the act of making is not a want, but a need. It is the balance I crave in a busy, busy world. Becoming more of a spiritual practice, the act of creating can transcend just the decorative.

I truly believe all the arts are valuable to society. Art and Humanities have the power to change, slow a person down to think, tap into emotions and soak up the world that we too often take for granted. Which makes what I am doing here at Brush Creek even more valuable. I think there will be a good chunk of education that I didn't realize I would have to do. But it will all be worth it!

(After typing a few paragraphs, I also realized the intense connection between word and image for me. Writing plays a crucial role in the image that unfolds. They are not always one in the same, but compliment each other in an inextricable way.)

It is exciting to think how many other makers I will come in contact with in the coming months. Johntimothy and Patti have been phenomenal first residents-- both making leaps and bounds in their work but more important, reminding me why I need to carve time away for my own creation. It feeds the soul. And I am ready and waiting to feed my soul a little bit more.

Things I'll Miss About Ohio

Two nights ago it officially became summer-- I saw the first fireflies of season! These glowing little bugs will never grow old to me, never cease to amaze me. I'll admit, when I see them I get a bit giggly with wonder. Fluttering neon as they flit by my head, dusk turns into an enchanted, dark night. What's not to love?

This weekend is Father's Day, another marker of summer, and I find myself doing a lot of thinking. Missing my dad and the West brings a lot of reflection. As I listened to the radio this morning I was not surprised how many "dad" stories aired, but was surprised how many other people found themselves missing their fathers. And then it hit me (again), this experience is not unique to me. It sent me down memory lane a little.

Each year at this time in my hometown is Woodchopper's Jamboree and Rodeo. It is almost always on Father's Day weekend. My dad was a sometimes-member of the Lion's Club, the folks who sponsored this annual raucous weekend. He used to sell beer during the woodchopping events and ride his horse around later in the afternoon, looking official in his yellow vest. In a small town this is a big to-do.

As a kid it was candy at the parade; in high school it was acting (with my dad on occasion) in the ribald yet hilarious melodramas and trying to sneak into the dances; during and after college it was staying up all night, dancing and drinking to good old fashioned live music... in the street! Now it means catching up with old friends and family (and still dancing in the street 'til the wee hours of the morning). All of these events included my dad. That was until a two years ago when we squeezed his funeral in right before the festivities. That year the weekend took on an entirely different feel. I haven't been able to go to Jamboree since that summer because I moved for graduate school.

Here in Ohio there are other markers of summer. When I moved here I didn't really care for the town, the humidity, the heat, the flatness.... and on and on it went. I just didn't like it! But I was enchanted by the magical lightning bugs my first night here. Maybe there were my gateway to Ohio and the Midwest.

It's incredible that two short years have gone by. Over the course of my MFA, I've grown to love a lot of things because of Ohio. This little town. Mixed hardwood forests and all the great plants. That calm and wide river. Cardinals! Amazing new friends. Bermuda shorts (I never wore shorts in Wyoming; Thanks, heat and humidity). And there are many other things I will miss about this place.

Just three weeks from now I will be departing, mid-summer, to head back West. *insert hoorays!* So on this weekend of reflection, amidst a little bit of sadness and a few tears, a smile comes to my face. It comes because of fireflies. Thanks, Ohio!

(P.S. Make sure to hug all the dads tomorrow, and don't forget to say, "I love you.")

Artists Foundation at Brush Creek Ranch

I am so pleased to say I returned from Chicago recently from an amazing trip. It was brief but I finally feel like the ball is rolling on my future endeavors. Saturday morning five women sat around a table in a beautiful apartment overlooking Lake Michigan. Decisions were made by this fledgling board on the future the Artists Foundation at Brush Creek Ranch.

Oh, did I mention on got my dream job?! Yup, the new Director of the Artists Foundation at Brush Creek Ranch, yours truly. This unique residency program will be opening this fall with select residents. The first application deadline is September 15th, 2011 for the Winter/Spring of 2012. Length of stay from January to May are two weeks long; June, July and August will be four weeks long; and September through mid November two weeks long. Residents are responsible for airfare to Laramie Regional Airport (LAR). The Artists Foundation will provide transportation to and from Laramie, private living space/bathroom, individual work spaces, and all meals while in residence. We will have room for 8 artists at any given time-- 4 visual artists, 2 writers and 2 musician/composers. All are welcome!

This amazing location is near and dear to my heart-- situated between the Sierra Madre and Snowy Mountain ranges on the high plains of South Central Wyoming in the North Platte River Valley. It is my home, my axis mundi, and where my roots have always been.

It is my great pleasure to be part of this developing project, hopefully for years to come. While we are in the development stages I wanted to informally keep you posted on things in the near future. Come back soon for more information. Please spread the word about this unique opportunity!

Best wishes,
Katie

Precious Time... No more wasting it!

I've been having really whacked out dreams as of late. Last night I dreamt about old high school friends whom I haven't spoken with in years. One of them was getting remarried and wouldn't let Joel come to the wedding because he was mean to her. In real life, they've never actually met. In the same dream, I was watching a basketball game in the mountains with log trucks zooming past the court made of grass. Because I don't really watch sports, I decided to help out the plants. On the edge of the court were little delicate green shoots forcing their way up from the detritus of the forest floor. I started pulling away dead brown organic material to reveal the bright lovely green of new plants, when all of a sudden, I looked down at my hand. It was covered with little black beetles that were boring into my skin. I was peeling away the skin on my hand to get the creepy crawlies out.... and that’s when I woke up!

What is the moon doing right now, I wonder? And then I think to myself, "I spend way too much time online!"

As someone who seeks little visual culture through moving pictures (i.e. TV), the internet is a dangerous thing and I have gotten sucked in. Lately I've found myself with little to no studio time because of end of the semester cleaning, painting and general re-arranging. So what have I been doing? Digging deeper into the soul sucking world wide web. AAaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! This is not very mindful behavior and it has got to stop.

So this is what I do to stop wasting my precious time on the internets:

1. Go on daily walks
2. Ride my bike more instead of driving my car
3. Get back into morning yogacizing
4. Do something art related when I go to the studio (duh!)
5. Start a calendar of deadlines for exhibitions to enter
6. Attend a birding class on the 14th of May
7. Set a timer for Facebook and other social media
8. Draw in my sketchbook and write more often.

Any other bright ideas for not wasting time on the web are greatly appreciated! Let me know what you do to engage in the outside world.

Compassion for others

Last night, as I was sleeping, my friend sent me a text message. This was nothing out of the ordinary. They stay up late; I often go to bed early. And not I'm-an-old-lady-and-get-up-at-5am-early, but it was sometime before midnight. The text read,

" The US military just killed Bin Laden. Obama is about to speak."

As I read the words in my dreamy sleep, I really only hoped it was Joel saying he made it to his campsite and was also hunkering down for the night. Slightly confused by what I read, I closed my phone, put it back by my bedside and quickly fell back asleep.

Checking email and the non-essential social media this morning, my heart has been a little sad all day by the number of rejoiceful and yet hateful things I have read. I can't shake the overwhelming feeling either. Yes, the news of Osama Bin Laden's death brings joy and comfort to many people, especially in the US. Perhaps they feel like they don't have to live in fear anymore. Perhaps their loved ones are one step closer to coming home. I do not fully understand the consequences of this news. And quite frankly I am not sure anyone who celebrates this news can fully grasp the situation either.

Does it mean that we can stop fighting?
Does it mean these wars will be over and people will suddenly decide to be peaceful?

Ten years ago, I did not (and still do not) own a television. I remember walking through a common space in the art building and there were small groups of students, ghost-faced and staring up at the events unfolding on the screens above. At the time, I was horrified by what I saw and heard. "Did you see the bodies jumping from the towers?" fingers pointing, videos played over and over as ovals highlighted the falling figures. After the first morning, I chose to not look at images if I could help it. Sheltered from images of 9/11 tragedies, it was only years later that I was struck with the emotional drama that most people could not rip themselves from watching on their TV sets. Perhaps it was my chosen shelter that makes it more difficult for me to understand the hateful things I hear now about Bin Laden's death. Maybe I don't have the same emotional attachment and vindictive sense of relief.

One thing that strikes me during all of this is the need for compassion. I am thankful for our president with his somber response and respect to Bin Laden's death. We need more leaders leading with compassion and thoughtfulness for all parties involved. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and try on their life for just a moment. You might not like what you see when you look in the mirror wearing another person's shoes. I cannot imagine what it has been like living under Taliban strong holds. I cannot images what it has been like living in a family who risks losing their home. Whether in the Middle East, or right here at home, there are people struggling with life and with death and with money and with love and with fear and...

It is moments like this I am thankful for everything that I have been given and worked hard to achieve, for all the people who have come in and out of my life and all the sacrifices others have made for me. I am not defiantly patriotic, nor extremely religious but I read something today that seemed quite fitting (minus the jesus part at the end):

"Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble."

So, now I do what I know best. Dive into my work, inspired by readings and try to create a more balanced world. I think there is a place for beauty in this world. I think there is a place for empathy and compassion. We can make change, even if it's quiet. Sit and meditate on that for awhile.

Artist Statement

Passages & Interludes

Writer and ecologist Terry Tempest Williams wrote in her book Refuge,“If the natural world was assigned spiritual value, then those days spent in wildness were sacred.” This is how I spent my childhood. I did not grow up in a church-going household; there was no religion of which to speak; our attachment to the land was our attachment to each other. In my house there was a spirituality of space and place.

Cultural geographer and scholar Yi-Fu Tuan defines space as something we move through, understanding its breadth and depth through our sensory perception. We do not understand the scale with only our eyes, but how it feels to the touch and how it sounds. A place, on the other hand, is defined as a space imbued with value.

I did not understand it growing up, but nature and the out of doors became my sanctuary. Communing with rocks and birds, plants and wind taught me about death and life, the sound of silence and the balance between needing each other and needing space.

Poets like Wordsworth and Thoreau crept into my reading list. Upon discovering English Romantic artists like Constable, I looked to the sky and found my spirituality reflected in the ether. Ever shifting, each moment became precious, never the same as the one before or the next one to come. This awareness and the attention called to it have become significant to my work. Going on silent meditation retreat provided a foundation and grounding to understand the devotion and discipline it takes to live a balanced life in our hectic world.

Passages & Interludes is the depiction of being. Moving through the world, we use each of our senses to understand space and how we fit into and upon the earth. The journey of life is full of emotional ups and downs and personal experience. The interludes become necessary for the occasional pause - a moment of reflection and contemplation.

Spring Board

This two year adventure is coming to a close but it hasn't quite set in yet. On Sunday, for the first time in two years, I am having people over to my house. Not just any people, but some of the best people in my life right now. It's funny, Joel and I used to have dinner parties or potlucks almost once per month. Now I don't even know if I have plates enough for everyone! But I don't really care. I'm excited to share the end of my time in Ohio with some really great folks.

And to that end, this is not really the end of anything; but, the beautiful beginning of my art career-- a spring board into the future. I feel amazing (that massage I had today probably doesn't hurt either!). Over the course of two years, the work coming from my studio completely transformed. I never could have imagined I would be making such abstract work, let alone prints that are so large. But it all makes perfect sense to me know. I'm proud to have grown as an artist who stayed true to herself. This work is really me. And it's something I am really proud to show. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible!

Here are some images from MFA exhibition, Passages & Interludes:

Installation view


Song of Birds, Collagraph Monotprint with wax, 32" x 79", 2011


Winter's Movements, Collagraph Monotprint with wax, 32" x 79", 2011



Walking and Weaving Sound, Collagraph Monotprint, 32" x 79", 2011



Sumac, Collagraph Monotprint with Wax, 8" x 8", 2011



Compliment: Sky; Atma: Soul; Sycamore: Earth; Flow: Water
All Collagraph Monoprints with Wax, 6" x 6", 2011

Distance between things

It's been awhile. My life since the last post has been full steam ahead and then some!

Having time to reflect on my sojourn in Ohio, I realized I will miss all the wonderful people here. The kind of people I never expected found me. Or maybe we found each other. Perhaps it's because we've all been brought together in this college town and many, like me, are transient in nature. The faculty who have guided and mentored me are here to stay. It is their choice to be in this place, and live a quiet(er) life. And I very much respect that decision. They still have access to contemporary art; within four hours drive are at least 6 major museums, not to mention a plethora of galleries and art centers. Of course, being a university, visiting artists come and go each semester inserting bits of the contemporary artworld as they pass through.

I will also miss the time and space to make my work. It has truly been a gift. An opportunity recently fell into my lap and it's really got me thinking. All my adult life, I have wanted to open an art center with a residency program-- the gift of time and space for making, given to myself and others. Suddenly, this amazing opportunity is staring me in the face. I had imagined taking my time with growing and building my vision. Start-up money and a building, equipment and a great team would take time to develop. At this moment, I stare back comparing this new opportunity with my original vision; it looks like what I had imagined only many years into the endeavor. As I type, buildings are already built, money is available and the role of director is open, waiting for me.

Though no formal offer has been made-- we're trying each other on like a new sweater, checking to be sure the color and fit match-- I have high hopes for making this work. What their vision is, is not exactly clear. The start-up nature of these projects is often nebulous and vague, especially with no prior art experience on their part. An incredible amount of research has already gone into the project on their part, and of course on mine. Understanding the needs of the artists and the needs of the program will be a balancing act. Most likely, this will change and grow, evolving with each group-- visual artists, musicians and writers.

There are so many reasons I know I'm cut out for this job. And it's a big job! I stare back in the face of opportunity and smile. There will be moments of fear and uncertainty; in fact, there already have been. I will make mistakes, but learn and grow from them. But knowing how to succeed is something I'm good at. Taking risks is part of it. Balance is another. Trust in myself, trust in my comrades. Gratefulness and thanks to my teachers who have encouraged and mentored me; many thanks to their teachers too.

Even if I don't land this dream job, I won't be sad. It's given me time for great reflection on how far I've come. How lucky I am, that I'm doing what I love. ...and someday soon I might make a decent wage doing it! That being said, think those good hippie vibes and help me land this job! I'd love to be the one who welcome you as the next artist-in-residence at Brush Creek Ranch.

Celebration, 3oth birthdays, art

I just got done celebrating my friend's 30th birthday. Nothing too crazy; it was pretty low key. He's been there for most of the past year and a half of graduate school. We've compared highs and lows-- relationship and/or family pitfalls, emotional highs and artistic lows. Instead of getting crazy wasted like we might have at 20, there was a reverence for the history we've each created in our own life and with each other. But also how he and I have shared the past year and a half.

He came to graduate school knowing there was a life-changing miracle growing within his wife and partner. Their son, Holden (what a cutie!), is about 7months old. I came to graduate school knowing my partner and love of my life was staying 1500 miles away. Within the first few weeks of school I think we understood our similar feelings of intrepidity were different than typical graduate students' plight, and there was an instant bond. Over the course of the first year grew a trust and understanding of the deepest parts of ourselves-- where our art comes from, our own personal history and the deeply profound effect that those things can have on each of us IF we choose to acknowledge it. Acknowledging those things to one another has been of the utmost importance to me and my artistic development. Thanks, Brandon!

There were moments where he was unsure of the birth of his child; knowing how drastically it would forever affect his friendships and career and yet being willing to own up to the incredible opportunity to witness and be a part of the positive change in the world. There were also moments where I was unsure of the love that awaited me 1500 miles away. I was tentative to trust with the baggage I had been carrying around. Compounded with the death of my father, this separation from my life partner seemed too much to bear at times. These friendships helped me understand, like Dr Seuss said, "Where ever you go, there you are.".

Over the course of the past 16 months my friends and I have developed an amazing trust and understanding of one another. I write this in celebration of that trust and friendship that we can all celebrate in each relationship in our lives. If we choose to listen and take the time for one another, no matter how busy the circumstance, it will behoove each and every one of us. Listen to the what your friends have to say (or even the silence that hangs in between), and we will knit tighter the connection between each and every one of us. Something I think our society as a whole desperately needs.

Thanks to all my friends, my family and my comrades. You have made me the person I am today. I hope we all continue to cherish the beauty in our lives, questions the curious and revel in the laughter.

Highs and Lows

It's been a while. Did you miss me? I missed myself for a bit. I was down in the dumps coming back to Bowling Green. Joel and I weren't getting along like we normally do, sacrificing our relationship for that of a friend's marriage. Not making time for one another-- to love each other, vent to each other and just be with each other. When I got back to Ohio I couldn't find my work. That's not to say it was missing, it just wasn't coming. At all. Not a drop of creativity or making, or wanting to make. I just felt empty. Focusing too much on fears of teaching, fears of making and just plain old being a scaredy-cat can be crippling to a girl.

But I'm back! Head and heart are open and ready. Learning "no" can be a liberating yet difficult thing to do. I was able to stand up for myself recently and it felt great. I will not be teaching a 4D class that I would have no clue how to even start. (If you're wondering, like I was, what the hell is the 4th dimension?! They consider it time and space; teaching video, performance and animations.) I get to stick with foundations drawing and not feel a bit bad about it. In fact, I'm quite excited!

Cosmos
Sense of Place,
Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

Oh the power of positive thinking. I got work into Sense of Place, an exhibition in August, Georgia. Seems quite fitting for my work so I was happy to be one of the chosen artists. I was talking to my friend here about selling work. "I'm selling this piece," I said affirmatively. A little later in the week, today in fact, I got a phone call from the Toledo Art Museum and I sold the work I had in the TAA show!

Highs and Lows
Sold at the TAA

So, on that note. Both my head and my heart are both beaming a little right now. The world is a beautiful place, even at the times when it seems the lowest.

Whirlwind

I had an amazing, busy and work-filled vacation to Wyoming. It solidified where I want to be in my life. I sit in sticky, humid Ohio writing this and thinking about how crisp the air is, how blue the skies are and what an amazing community of friends and family I have there. That's not to say Ohio is lacking in the community. I've got great friends here and my network continues to grow.

The opportunity presented itself to apply for a job back home. Not just any job, but my dream job. You see, this wealthy couple bought up a local dude ranch and have invested lots of bucks. One of their goals is to open an art center with a residency program. Funny, that's what I wanted to do someday down the line. I always thought it was years away and that I would move somewhere else sticky and humid to teach for awhile and gain some skills in the world of academia. Joel has always wanted to stay in the mountains but says he's willing to go somewhere else for awhile. There's a part of me that hopes he doesn't have to. I know it's a long shot but I already put in the application. Haven't heard back yet, but no need to rush. I still have my last year of grad school to finish!

I know several of my comrades also applied or at least were interested in the position. Good luck to us all; I know any one of us would be an asset to the ranch. And hey if I don't get the job, there's always time for a residency, right?!

Falling in Love all Over Again…

Turns out you can always goes home. My flight back to Colorado was fast and not too bumpy, except for the landing. I always love when I’m on the side of the plane that I can see the mountains as we land. That view warms my heart every single time. The dramatic storm building over the peaks is home.

Joel and I pick up right where we left off. That was the longest we had been apart and it was starting to get to me. Not because we were apart, but more because we are both extremely busy right now. He swamped with summer work hours and climbing; me with studio work, moving and prepping for workshops and visiting artist gig. Busy schedules make for little phone time to reconnect.

I always forget his smell when I’m far away. That’s a powerful sense most of us possess, though most of us do not know how to use it. It has been sent into dormancy and dominated by sight and touch. I challenge each of you to reinvigorate your sense of smell! It’s a beautiful thing.

We were like teenagers. Ate a late lunch at the Pump House in Longmont, checked into the eclectic Armstrong Hotel in Fort Collins, took a wonderful nap, drank champagne and ate delicious rhubarb crostada and then went to a movie. Next morning we ate at Lucille’s Creole Café. Yum! With the champagne we were asked, “Celebrating anything special?” Yes, It’s Sunday!… and we are together again.

On the way home I tried to identify wild flowers zooming by out the window. I can’t believe how green the prairie is in mid July. It’s beautiful in this place. Those colors and changing topography as we drive north is home.

I wanted to walk on the prairie and Joel needed some new pants so we decided to drive to Cheyenne via Roger’s Canyon—a drive that neither Joel nor I had taken. The changing light as it creates shadows on the basin, the short cliff bands up the canyon bring back memories of old friends and past experience for me. We drove upon two bands of sheep and I told Joel about this book I just read about a young woman who tackled the challenge of being a female sheepherder in the 1970s—Claiming Ground by Wyoming writer Laura Bell (highly recommend this memoir!).

Back to senses—driving with the windows down wafts of white sage and my favorite the intoxicatingly sweet and Ceylon smell of fields upon fields of yellow clover washed over us. Grasses crunch as we walk and you forget the small life that hangs low to the prairie. Meadowlarks call. The wind is strong and cathartic. This is love and this is home. I challenge myself – do I remember names of wildflowers? Most of them. We joke about toadflax, a.k.a. Butter and Eggs, a.k.a. my personal favorite nickname Eggs and Bacon!

So even though my time at home is not a vacation my sense of place and home is stronger and my soul is more content. Grounded and centered I welcome the next few weeks with open arms and hope time doesn’t rush by too quickly. But I know if these weeks are fast, I’m ready to take them in fully because this is home!

Tired puppy.

Longs days of packing, playing administrator (I'm the contact for incoming graduate students), and trying to figure out my studio work. About a month ago I was contacted by the University of Wyoming Art Museum to do a visiting artist gig at their Summer Teaching Institute. I was giddy because it's my first opportunity of this kind so I quickly jumped at it. Now I'm feeling the squeeze of all these things I've committed to.

I was looking forward to my month at home having at least some down time with Joel but it's not looking like that will be the case. Not to mention Joel's buddy, The Large Man, is staying with him for what looks like will be the end of the summer because of a recent marital split. I don't mean to sound selfish but it should be an interesting 'break' for me! Joel is dealing with the recent golden retriever addition much better than I would be. He's so kind.

Nonetheless, here is the most recent print I am struggling through. I don't really like how it's working but it has a lot of potential. The transparency needs some tweaking for sure. I plan to make the pattern more transparent and the gradation from purple to yellow in the upper portion of the sky more prominent. I think it needs some line work too.

It will have to wait until tomorrow or Friday though. Picking up the keys to the new pad and then strong men are helping me move tomorrow night... yippee!

* Note to self: Pastel work is not translating as easily into print as I would have hoped. Don't lose sight of all that color work you just did!

Be Bold!

So I find myself sitting in my hot, muggy studio listening to bangs and booms from thunder and hellacious rains. It's kind of dramatic.

I've embraced Ohio the past two weeks and found myself more accustomed to the humidity, the denseness of the trees and yet finding solace in the openness of the Maumee River. That being said, I still do not love humidity and I am craving the crisp air of the Wyoming mountains.

Home

The class I just finished was a great experience for me... funny I dreaded it before I started! Any time one devotes intense hours so something, be it meditation or plien air drawing as I have done this summer, we grow in ways that were never expected.

In my last job, one of the things I learned is that relationships make the world go 'round. We are all so connected to one another, for better or worse. Color is not so different! The science of color is quite remarkable and I feel as though I've merely skimmed the surface. The sky is not really just one blue and clouds aren't even close to white. The same yellow that makes up the highlights in that perfect cloudy sky is the same one used to neutralize the purple in that pile of rocks in the distance. It's all about the color relationship, what is butted up against it or softly nestled over the top can dramatically change the emotion of a landscape.

No white in there, no sir-ee

The only way to really learn how to use color is to try it out! Yes, intensive hours are helpful but my advice is, Be Bold! Now I can't claim full credit for that. One of my favorite art instructors, Bill Park, used to tell me that. He didn't even go to art school but he's had the soul of an artist his whole life and has made beautiful paintings and prints since the age of 40. The only way to be bold is let yourself make mistakes and not be afraid you'll "ruin" a drawing. Very few things are ever truly ruined. Sounds like it should apply to life, right? Well, mostly. Definitely couldn't hurt.

Last drawing of the class

Now that I've sounded all mushy-gushy all I have to say is, it's time to pack, move my shit to a new apartment and then off to Wyoming, Bitches!

Feelin' hot, Hot, HOT!

Oofta. It was around 90 degrees today and lots of humidity. Even the shade was hot. Not quite as hot as India, but too hot to draw in and maintain good concentration. That being said, I found a breezy, shady spot early in the day and managed to kick out a decent drawing.

All in a day's work:

For the past two days we've been at the Schedel Gardens. Beautiful! The website doesn't really do it justice. They've got a great veggie garden, rose garden and Japanese style garden complete with resident swans. When I was sitting at the edge of this pond there were fish jumping clear out of the water throughout the morning. "Ker-sploosh", "Ka-plump!" It was good comic relief. Suffice to say, I could work in a place like that and be very happy. They also had banana trees and taro planted in the ground with papaya and pomegranates planted in nearby pots. It did remind me of the tropical locales I've visited...

I could be coming out of my Ohio funk!

So I've been at this pastel class for 4 1/2 days. It's been hard. It's been a fun challenge. It's been full of crazy bugs!

Here's a few of the field drawings:

I'm working on a longer studio piece but it's definitely a work in progress... I'll keep you posted!

Other than that, I'm still missing Joel and Wyoming. I forget that Saturdays are his day to sleep in. I texted this morning at 9:30 (2 hrs earlier, his time!) thinking that he'd be up and getting ready for work. I called at 10:30 and woke up a grumpy bear. Whoops! This living apart, two hour time difference business is wearing on me. At least we get to see one another in a few more weeks. Pheww!

A day of "it's been awhile"s.

This was the first day in a ten day outdoor workshop in chalk pastels. I have to admit, I was extremely nervous because it's been so long since I've drawn from life. I was also quite excited to fuel some of my other studio work. Turned out it wasn't so bad! Here are the two drawings I did this afternoon. It was about an hour and half from start to finish.

Colors a little flat on both (camera phone, d'oh!)

While we were prepping surfaces this morning, Dennis said the sky in the Midwest is gray. I didn't really understand that until I went out. Atmosphere makes such a big difference-- Wyoming's calling me!

Note to self: buy bug dope and sunscreen!