Brush and Baren

Birthday weekend

2008-07-21T12:21:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was the DM's birthday, so we had another adventure! This time we traveled an hour downriver to the Royal Gorge Bridge. I hadn't been there in more than 15 years, and the DM loves crazy touristy places, so off we went.

It certainly has gotten touristy since the last time I was there. A tad expensive, too... but still... Where else can you involve yourself with an impressive list of claimed superlatives AND kitsch, all in the same day?

We walked across the bridge: the highest suspension bridge in the world. (1,053 feet above the Arkansas River.)

A view of the bridge, with the gorge and the Arkansas River below.

We rode the aerial tram: longest single span tram in the world. (2,200 feet long and 1,178 feet above the river.)

We rode the incline railway: steepest in the world. (45 degree angle of travel.)

View from the bottom of the gorge (via incline railway).
The line across the upper corner is the bridge,
the little dot in the middle of the sky is the tram.

We DID not ride the skycoaster, this crazy bungee thing that swings riders out over the top of the gorge. No, thank you. (Although the DM said that if it had been less expensive, he might have thought about it. I might have disowned him.)

It was a ridiculously hot day (95 F +, methinks), but we had a good time. Neither of us is much for heights, which was the irony of the day, but together we were somehow braver than normal. I still wasn't big on looking down.

The most superlative giggle of the day came from this sign, at the head of a PAVED trail to the tram loading area. Put us both in mind of Audrey II.

I'm not sure what might be more dangerous than cactus in that particular habitat (primarily piñon-juniper scrub and lots of cholla and prickly pear), but okay. We kept our guard up.

Bird list from the bridge: swallows, swifts, and vultures. Whaddaya expect?

Twiggy

2008-07-19T10:19:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of conversations about sticks in this house these days. The DM plays a curious instrument called the Chapman Stick... so you can imagine the sorts of confusion and innuendo that goes on around THAT. But this is an actual stick from an actual tree: the perpetually shedding willow in the side yard. We picked it up weeks ago, and I always intended to make a sketch of it. I just love the gesture and grace of that twist!

Of course, the sketch didn't happen right away, and the twig was put in the box of "stuff" that I cart around for students to draw. Out of sight, out of mind.

And so it remained until last week in Crested Butte, when one of my workshop participants pulled it out of the box during a sketching exercise. She promptly declared it "harder than I thought it would be," and back into the box it went.

Today I lost patience with all the other items on my "to do" list, so went hunting for The Stick. That subtle, delicate twist WAS quite a challenge. I don't think I really got it quite right, but it felt great to try.

15 seconds of fame, or, television as time machine

2008-07-18T08:08:00.013-06:00

Once upon a time, in my pre-blogging universe, I had the fabulous opportunity to be part of a lynx reintroduction project here in Colorado. I've worked on many projects with our state's Division of Wildlife, but those two days in April 2006 were a major perk of volunteerism, and definitely highlights.

On one day, I was able to travel with the team to a remote (and snowy) forest area to participate in the release of several lynx. Lucky me, I even got to open one of the crates and watch this confident little female stride out to meet her new territory.

On another day, sketchbook in hand, I was able to observe the "exit exams" for a second group of lynx scheduled for release. The exams and application of radio collars required, of course, that the animals be sedated for a short time. (No less than 20 minutes, since the antidote to the drug can not be given before then, but no longer than 20 minutes if possible.) My happy task was to sit in the corner with my sketchbook and watch sleeping cats. Their exams typically only took 10 minutes or so, but it was important to keep an eye on them while they were still knocked out, just in case they had trouble breathing or some other problem. (None of which happened, thankfully.)

This is George. He snored.

When it was all over, we returned the lynx to their enclosures and administered the antidote. A few days later these cats, too, were released.

It was all very exciting and fun (and furry! ah-CHOO!)... and "oh- by- the- way- there's- a- cameraman- from- National- Geographic- here- don't- pay- any- attention- to- him."

It's been more than two years, and although I have lots of photos from that day, I had more or less forgotten about the cameraman.

So imagine my surprise when, during yesterday's lunchtime perusal of PBS (thank goodness it's the ONLY channel for which we get decent reception) I saw MYSELF! Just little snippets in the background, mostly transferring lynx from one person to another but, hey! Tick off a few more seconds in my alloted 15 minutes of fame.

Entertainment on a shoestring

2008-07-17T08:54:00.000-06:00

My friend Debby over at Drawing the Motmot noted that Garrison Keillor has a thing or two to say about how we will entertain ourselves in the $4.00+ per gallon, post-SUV era. As Debby is a fine banjo player, she enjoyed his prediction that banjo sales would increase.

Not being a banjo player (but being happy that adding a musician to my household has turned out to be a good environmental decision), what struck me most were Mr. Keillor's comments about community design:

".... it’s also showing most of us that we live in communities whose design is based on the assumption of cheap gasoline — big lots with backyard privacy make for a long drive to the grocery store.

In the big old-fashioned city neighborhood, if you’re bored in the evening, you just stroll out the door and there, within five or 10 minutes, are a newsstand, a diner, a movie theater, a palm reader, a tavern with a bartender named Joe — whatever you’re looking for."

They reminded me again how fortunate I am to be living where I am: in a small town with more than the usual share of artists, musicians, and community-minded shop proprietors. The DM and I can (and do) walk to groceries, coffee, cafe, bakery, pub, bookstore, workout, bank, post office, library, mountain hikes, movies, theater, and river. I can't bring myself to complain about fuel prices, in part because I saw first hand how our prices were artificially low more than 20 years ago, during my first trip abroad. But I'm also not really feeling this particular pinch very hard.

When the DM came over to Crested Butte for a couple of days last week, he lamented that he had just spent nearly $50 to fill the tank on his car. But he did so with a twinkle in his eye, and I knew he would laugh when I pretended exasperation - "Well, yes, but DARling! It's the first time you've been to a gas station since you arrived in APRIL."

We're not without our financial worries here in the Heart of the Rockies, we're artists and musicians, after all! Housing prices are out of reach, natural gas prices went up 23% last month. And of course those rising fuel costs make transportation of all the rest of our goods more expensive. But we're happy that our community design allows us to use our feet to reduce our footprint at least a little- and to entertain ourselves with art, music, friends, and an abundance of natural beauty just by walking out the door.

I'm sure there's a bad pun here about a life that's hard on the soles but good for the soul, but I will refrain from using it. I need to walk over to the post office.

Music at the bandshell, Riverside Park
Entertainment via foot and tush

It's a winner!

2008-07-13T08:56:00.006-06:00

Still doing email triage after being away for almost a week, but it's nice to sift through the junk and spam-filter-dodging bits to find some delightful sentences. Like this one that arrived via the Chair of an exhibition: "Run Rabbit Run has been selected for an award in Washington Printmakers National Small Works 2008 by our juror, Ann Shafer, Assistant Curator for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art."

Cool. And so much nicer than being told that my computer will dissolve and life as I know it will come to an end if I don't forward a line of hula dancing chihuahuas to everyone in my contact list within 23 seconds.

Whew! What a week!

2008-07-12T22:12:00.005-06:00

Rolled in from the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival this afternoon to discover the roofers were actually working on the house. Call it a good news/bad news thing. The good news is that they seem to finally be making progress. The bad news is that we didn't expect to come home from this....

.... to major pounding and scraping and thumping on the roof and a pile of old roof rubbish all over the yard.

(Note: If the atmosphere looks hazy to you, it is. It is dry, dry, dry here, and fires are burning across Colorado.)

HOWEVER... the week that started with a great group of students also ended with a great group of students... and I enjoyed great groups of students in between. I'm kicking myself that I neglected to take photos of the books created by my handmade journal class... but here are a few students enjoying perfect sketching weather in Crested Butte.

Crested Butte experienced record snowfall this past winter (400+ inches), with mixed consequences. There is still snow in the high country, so wildflower blooms at alpine elevation are "behind." But, WOW! Look at the lupine!

As a result of the winter ravages, and despite an aggressive supplemental feeding program, hundreds (maybe thousands?) of Gunnison Valley mule deer were lost.

What's bad for deer turns out to be good for wildflowers, though. A local biologist speculated that fewer deer meant less nibbling on young columbine plants... and... well.... there are some spectacular shows of our state bloom this summer.

Thanks again to the thoroughly delightful folks who took the pencil-and-paper-plunge and spent time sharpening their sketching skills with me. Best wishes for the remainder of your summers!

Road blogging

2008-07-08T20:01:00.000-06:00

Oops, bad me. I have half a million things in the trunk of my car for my workshops, but did I bring the cable for getting photos off my camera and into the aging laptop? No, of course not. So.. an un-illustrated (dare I say naked?) post from the road.

We're off to a great start in Crested Butte. Weather today was perfect, the flowers are beautiful and the bugs were minimal. I had a GREAT class to start things off, and it has set a wonderful tone for the week.

If you teach, you know what I mean. Class dynamics are an interesting phenomenon, and they make all the difference both for the group and for the facilitator. The group today were engaged, enthusiastic, friendly... downright FUN. The morning flew by and I think everyone made a step or two forward in their skills. It was an all-around satisfying day! Thanks, all of you!

T-shirt revisted

2008-07-02T14:40:00.009-06:00

In the way of these things, Someone decided they wanted a different bird in the lineup for the t-shirt design of last weekend. Hm. Of course I carved the first version as one piece... but through the joys of digital technology and a suitably editable design... no need to start over.

The first version looked like this:

Bird #4 was deemed icky. (I'm afraid I had to concur. I knew better when I carved it.) So... I set up a new tiny plate (2.5 x 2.5 inches) and carved The Replacement:

Through the wonders of digital technology, I scanned the replacement print and dropped it in over the top of the previous Bird #4. Put the whole shebang together with the text and voila! A new design with limited amounts of anxiety. Sure, I had to carve another little bird and print it... but it sure beat having to do the entire line over again.

The problem now, of course, is that I won't be making any prints of the original line to sell AS prints because they won't match until I do some physical splicing of the plate. Oh well.... a challenge for another day.

I expect t-shirt order forms will appear on the RMBO website some time soon. The anniversary party is in August.

Workshoppin' next week

2008-07-02T13:32:00.002-06:00

Workshop participant Margot enjoys a comfy bench view for sketching.

I'm off next Monday to the luscious mountain town of Crested Butte, where I'll be teaching field sketching and bookmaking workshops all week at the Wildflower Festival.

Last I looked, Tuesday and Thursday classes were sold out, but there's still room on Wednesday and Friday. Even if you don't want to draw or make books, there are a ZILLION things to do at the Festival. And the view just can't be beat.

It's gonna be a shirt

2008-06-30T15:25:00.000-06:00

This weekend I carved this little line o' birdies for use as a t-shirt design. It's the 20th Anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory!

I only carved and printed the black. The other colors were added digitally for easy separation at the silkscreener. Linocut as fashion statement. Cool, eh?

Another busy weekend

2008-06-30T14:34:00.005-06:00

This past weekend was the ArtWalk madness here in Salida. It was also the opening of the Impressions exhibition at the Danforth Gallery in Livingston, Montana. Guess which show I missed.

ArtWalk was unfortunately slow this year... lots of people feeling the crunch of weak economy and ever-increasing fuel prices. Still, a goodly number of folks saw some new Sherrie linocuts at Cowgirl Coffee, and the DM had his first two music gigs in his new hometown. (That's the DM entertaining ArtWalkers at Apogee Studio and Cowgirl Coffee.)

We laughed mightily at ourselves on Saturday morning, for our complete lack of culinary foresight. We both woke up famished, so launched out of bed and into the kitchen to make a "big ol' sloppy breakfast" (as the DM likes to call it). Fortified with eggs and turkey bacon and taters and toast, we strolled the block and a half to the farmers' market.

Dang. What were we THINKING? There's food HERE!

More coffee, and of course a delectable slice of apple strudel from the bakery. A loaf of dill bread. Multi-color radishes.

We walked back home, dropped off our purchases (except for the coffee and strudel, already consumed), and headed down to the Steamplant to check out the miniatures exhibition.

Dang. What were we THINKING? There's food HERE! And it's FREE!

Sheesh. We did the entire morning completely backwards. The mini show is a fund-raiser for ArtWalk, and a local sponsor puts up a great little catered breakfast spread during the silent auction hours. Oh, well. The good news is that when one spends the entire morning grazing, one does not have to think about lunch.

Surprised us all, eh?

2008-06-26T08:10:00.003-06:00

I am reasonably pleased with the print, not so much with the scan, but that's technology for ya. "Lovely, Dark, and Deep," reduction linocut, 3 x 4 inches. Next up? A Twentieth Anniversary linocut t-shirt design for Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Risky Business

2008-06-25T13:26:00.006-06:00

The problem with posting the steps of a linocut in progress is that one runs the risk of a very public creative crash-and-burn. There's but one color to go on this baby. Will it resolve itself into an image by tomorrow? Tune in next time as our heroine battles ink, registration, and poor planning to rescue yet another swath of Hosho paper from the bin. (Dramatic music swells.)

2008-06-25T13:26:00.001-06:00

There is no joy in Finchville

2008-06-25T11:20:00.004-06:00

Friday evening I found a dead finch below the apple tree in the front yard. I didn't think much of it, as shortly after we moved in to this house we saw a dead finch far out of reach on the porch roof. I figured it was that same unfortunate bird, finally come to ground, and kept on with my chores.

Later there was a huge blow of restless wind... keeping us awake for most of Friday night. In the wee hours of Saturday morning we heard a finch ruckus of some sort, but the rest of Saturday we ourselves were headless chickens, preparing for a party.

On Sunday we realized we hadn't seen the momma finch at the wreath nest in a while, but we couldn't remember the last time we'd seen her. Friday? Saturday? I figured the eggs should have been hatching this weekend, so where was she?

Monday, no momma.

Tuesday, no momma... but we did see an obviously unwell finch on the porch roof. I haven't looked today to see if there's another finch carcass in the yard. I think it's safe to say our grand-eggies won't be hatching.

It's difficult not to take this nest failure personally... as if we ourselves neglected our duties as grand-egg-parents. There are six perfect eggs still sitting there... I suppose I'll give it a couple more days before I take them down and candle them to see if perhaps they just weren't fertile.

The conditions are no longer right here for a do-over attempt: the roofers arrived this morning and started sliding large chunks of ancient roof-matter on to the ground. It's none too sedate a situation for ME, and I understand what's happening. I can't image a bird wanting to set up housekeeping here for a bit.

Sigh.

Sometimes paying attention is no fun.

What to do when you wake up early

2008-06-18T11:57:00.003-06:00

Print the next color on the linocut, of course.

How we spent our weekend

2008-06-17T21:02:00.007-06:00

It was the DM's first opportunity to experience the madness that is FIBArk, the annual whitewater festival (now 60 years old) that invades our little town each June. We spent more time down at the park this year than I ever have before, taking in events and music and eating bad fair food.

As always, the Hooligan Race was a favorite: Homemade water craft and the crazy people who built them trying to navigate the whitewater park and make it under the F Street bridge. Think duct tape and empty milk bottles.

There was a little concern this year that the river would be too high and fast for the Hooligan. We had record snowfall last winter, and the week before the race the water was coming through town at 4000cfs. Exciting, but potentially dangerous. But it seems the river gods smiled on the festival once again. We had a couple of cooler days just before everything got started, which slowed the snow melt and lowered the flow. So they say. Today the flow is back up. Methinks there were some control issues in play at the headwaters reservoirs. But what do I know?

Sunday we decided was Adventure Day for the DM. Time to show him some more of his adopted new state. After a couple of delays (we're still learning how to organize together) we packed a lunch, loaded up the car and headed south in to the San Luis Valley.

First stop, Great Sand Dunes National Park, one of the great hidden wonders of our area. Medano Creek was filled with a greater flow than I'd ever experienced... it was wonderful to wade through the damp sand and pulsing stream. We started up the dunes on the other side, but found the sand already entirely too hot for a leisurely stroll in inappropriate footwear. Next time.

Since we were most of the way there, we cruised through the town of Alamosa. Half again as large as Salida, but aside from a few more chain stores, you'd hardly know it. Sunday afternoon, Father's Day. Quiet.

On the way home we OF COURSE stopped at the UFO Watchtower. This quirky icon of the San Luis Valley is run by a couple who gave up on both the city and on ranching. Strange things are said to happen in The Valley, so Judy and Stan decided they'd test out the adage "build it and they will come." Eight years later they're still at it, hosting an annual conference and nightly campers.

We waved goodbye to many kayak-laden vehicles headed AWAY from our little town as we dawdled our way back over Poncha Pass. It's good to get away... and it's great to come home.

Proto-garden

2008-06-16T21:02:00.005-06:00

When we moved in to this house last month, friends began to provide us with the botanical means to make it a home. The very first day we had pots with two new tomato plants, one oriental eggplant, and one basil.

Since then? A mixed pot of herbs and edible flowers, a hugeongous pot of mint (the DM's favorite), another tomato (cherry), peppers, chives, and a pile of native flowers. We've not yet got everything in the ground... still nursing it all in pots and rushing out periodically to cover the lot when we get a ridiculous overnight temp below freezing. (You might expect such a thing in June in Australia, but we're north of the 38th parallel for pete's sake!) Tomorrow morning we hope to turn one of the backyard beds and get some of these little fellers settled.

But two days ago.... miracle of miracles! I discovered proto-tomatoes! On all three (different) tomato plants! Yippee! This is almost as fun (and certainly less nerve-wracking) as finches nesting over the front door. They're small and timid... hiding away under clumps of leaves, but they're there! And this time the rotten deer can NOT get to them. THIS yard is surrounded by 6-foot-high wooden fence. I might actually get to eat these instead of the ones with the Tim Burton stems from the grocery. Which, incidentally, no one can eat right now because of a tomato-borne salmonella outbreak amongst commercial output. One more reason we can't wait for the local Farmer's Market to open this weekend.

Progress

2008-06-16T21:02:00.004-06:00

And a full rack of drying linocuts (second color pass) in the new studio.

Can you hear the happy sigh from there?

First ink-up!

2008-06-13T11:51:00.006-06:00

Finally, after a month of getting moved, settled, organized, and distracted by illustration work... a new linocut is on the table! Yippee! It's a tiny thing, just 3 x 4 inches, and it's a winter scene, of all things... but it's something I wanted to try before the crazy rollercoaster of change started. Better late than never.

I'm not very efficient yet in the new space; still reaching for things in the old places and coming up empty-handed. The ceilings in this house are quite a bit higher than the old, even where they were lowered, so my drying rack hangs a tiny bit too high. (Requiring a stretch to hang up wet prints!) Easy enough to fix, I just didn't realize it until this morning. Little by little it all becomes comfortable, just a few more tweaks!

I'm in!

2008-06-11T15:04:00.002-06:00

A nice piece of mail this afternoon:

"It is my pleasure to inform you that your print "Run Rabbit Run" has been selected for inclusion in Washington Printmakers National Small Works 2008 at Washington Printmakers Gallery from 29 July through 31 August, 2008.

The juror, Ann Shafer, is Assistant Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland. She selected your work from among more than 220 works by 73 artists. This year, 30 states were represented in submissions, providing an interesting cross-section of printmaking nationwide."

Also coming up: an exhibition of original prints, featuring 7 of my linocuts, at the Danforth Gallery in Livingston, Montana. June 27 - July 19.

Doncha just love summer chaos?

Workshops, workshops, workshops

2008-06-09T11:32:00.005-06:00

It's that time of year again! Summer workshop season. It looks as though I'll be wandering from here to Maine and New Mexico in August! Fun! (I think.) Just in case you're looking for something to do:

In JULY:

• Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
Crested Butte, Colorado
July 8-11, 2008
Visit the Wildflower Festival website for registration and details.

What's on at the Festival:

Field Sketching Basics
Even if you think you can’t draw a straight line, you can keep visual field notes. In this workshop we will cover several basic drawing and observation skills and techniques, including contour, memory, and gesture drawing.
Two opportunities:
Tuesday, July 8 or Thursday July 10 9:00am-12:00 noon

The Handmade Journal
Keeping a journal can be that much more special if you record your observations in a book you’ve made yourself! We will use artist-quality supplies to build a soft leather-bound book.
Wednesday, July 9 9:00am-3:00pm

Field Sketching II: Let’s go draw!
Have you been wanting to keep a field journal, but don’t know where to start? Are you ready to add to your repertoire with color? Spend the day in the field and classroom with us and fill some sketchbook pages through guided exercises and experiments.
Friday, July 11 9:00am-4:00pm

In AUGUST:

• GARNA Summer Seminars
Salida, Colorado
August 2, 2008
Visit the GARNA website for registration and details.

Field Sketching and Book Making
Time spent aboserving nature is ALWAYS worthwhile, and to sketch while you're at it is just plain fun! Grab a sketchbook and a pencil and join us as we learn to record the world around us. We'll also spend a little time looking at different sketchbook and journal forms, including some easy ways to bind your own books.
Saturday, August 2, 9:30am - 12:30pm
Meet at Salida Regional Library

• Audubon Leadership Camp
Hog Island, Maine
August 10-16, 2008
Visit the Hog Island website for registration and details.

• Teacher InService, Santa Fe Public Schools
Santa Fe, New Mexico
August 21-22, 2008

Look! We have Grand-eggies!

2008-06-06T12:37:00.004-06:00

Mum took a stroll so I took a pic. Sorry it's blurry, but what do you want for reaching over my head and aiming blindly with the camera?

:-)

5-minute iris

2008-06-02T15:56:00.003-06:00

This weekend we dug more long-accumulated leaf litter out of garden beds at the new house, and I discovered that we had iris buds almost ready to bloom. Oooh... what color will they be?

Overnight we got our answer: This morning we found soft blooms of the palest yellow... lovely!

Windy and hot today, so only time and patience for a 5-minute pencil sketch. Hoping for calm and cooler in the morning to give them proper sketchbook attention.

Doesn't everyone have a dead fish phase?

2008-06-02T15:48:00.004-06:00

Whilst looking for something else (of course), I came across this little study of small trout. There's a fish hatchery conveniently located on my usual walking route, so one morning I stopped in and asked for some cooperative models. A few minutes later I was the happy owner of a bag of frozen hatchery failures.

There was, of course, the matter of having to carry this bag about 2 miles home, but I wasn't worried about it. The air was cool and it was early and I hardly EVER run in to anyone I know on the trail.

The punch line is obvious, isn't it?

That particular day still holds the record for number of acquaintances encountered and explanations proffered. But I got nice sketches, anyway.