I am just a little more than a month from departing for my 2 week venture as an Artist in Residence at the Petrified Forest National Park in AZ. I can hardly stand the wait.
I am beginning to think of the logistics of preparing for a 2 week stay where I bring all of my own food, linens, camera gear and all the other art paraphernalia that I think I will need while there. A nightmare for one who works in several different mediums. Focus, girl, focus. Can't bring everything!
I am also formulating in my mind the routine and schedule I would like to maintain while there so that I can be productive with my time. No internet service, so I will have to make the trek to the Visitor's Center 1.5 miles down the road. I hope they have wi-fi! I will most likely do that activity mid day as I'd like to reserve the early morning and late afternoon for my photo shoots when the light is best.
So excited, so excited....
I thought about doing a separate blog for this project, but for now, I think I'll stick with what will look like a running dialogue on this page on my 'portfolio'.
The photo you see here is from when I was there in May 2009 as a park visitor. The colors that you see are the actual colors! I did not saturate them at all in Photoshop! Isn't that wild? I mean, the colors that you see here?
Less than 35 days to go!!
Post Script:
Internet access there was difficult, so posting after I got there onto this page was nearly impossible. However, you can view a video I made of one of my treks out to the wilderness area in the Painted Desert:
Nov. 5, 2011
I always say that there is nothing like a deadline to get things done! When Donna and I wrapped up our Artist in Residence experience at the Petrified Forest National Park in October of 2010, I made arrangements for our work to be shown at the Esther Bone Library in Rio Rancho for Nov./Dec. of 2011. I figured that a year is ample time to get all the work done (because many artists do have UFO's-unfinished objects-sitting around their studio waiting and waiting for completion).
I had a few more hurdles than usual to get this work done. Not long after I returned from our trip, our business partner of 18 years did a hostile takeover of the company that my husband and his partner both started. Devastating doesn't even to begin to convey that journey (since then, we've started another company from scratch-the old company wasn't worth fighting for if it meant continuing the partnership). Then the holidays came and I thought I'd be able to get the work completed in Jan./Feb. after the holidays. On Jan. 3rd, with several days of sub zero weather, our 2 story studio/office had a pipe freeze and break (on the second floor, of course, which flooded the entire building). That was more than a 2 month journey to take care of that and get back on track. Anyway, so the year went much along this up and down manner. I now have the work completed and boy, does it feel good!
I did a couple of videos: one of the experience itself and the second one is just the visual inventory of the body of work that I created from my artist in residence experience at PFNP.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK
And, here is the completed work:
(display case at Esther Bone Library)
(both of our completed work on exhibit)
