What do you like to do at Camp?

Camp and Play

I am rarely bored.  I love all kinds of weather.  If it rains, especially in the Southwest, I cheer, as we need it.  On a bright, sunny, day, (which we have lots of), I hike, bike and enjoy the warmth.  I'm pretty active while traveling, but the list of things I enjoy includes Photography, Uploading and Developing my photos in Lightroom, Reading, Painting, writing, and watching clouds roll by.

But mostly, I make art.

Camping at 9,000 feet in the Mountains of Colorado, surrounded by Aspen.

I have art supplies at my disposal whenever I want to play, and I collect barn wood and cut it into small enough pieces to create affirmations.  Art work that speaks to me.  I use oils on canvas, acrylic on canvas, and Martha Stewart Paints for painting on wood.  Those are NOT permanent and don't hold up well outdoors, so I spray varnish, but also, I just re-do when needed.

This is a two-sided painting.  It spins.

Generally I like to make art at camp that inspires me.  This week I'm focusing on Gratitude.

A few weeks ago I made this gift for a friend of mine, celebrating her 50th birthday.  The truly IS this Helen Keller saying.

And when I'm in my camper, I love to read, to post images on my walls and to write affirmations on the blackboards I installed over my refrigerator and above my dinette.

I like color and fabric, pattern, as you can see.

Camp in the shadow of Mesa Verde National Park (on a friend's 87 acres)

Abundance, Prosperity, Bloom Where You're Planted

Symbols = Om, and Love

And sometimes I bring out the big guns, the acrylics and have a blast.

What do you like to do at camp.  

Last year, while wintering in Arizona I met a woman who loved to quilt and carried her sewing machine and lots of fabric samples in her rig.  What do you like to do?  Do you travel with lots of supplies?  I have an 18' travel trailer and tow it with my Jeep Grand Cherokee, so I pay attention to weight.  How about you?

Next Adventure: Art at the Grand Canyon and Beyond

Trip Preparation.

When I choose a location for travel I search for inspiration on the web.  It's not hard to find.  For the second year in a row, I'm visiting the Grand Canyon for the Invitational, Plein Air Festival. And I love to surf the websites of the participating artists.  While at the Grand, I too will be painting and making photographs, although not part of the Invitational, but I aspire to be invited someday soon.  I'll be hanging out at the Ten-X campground south of Tuscayan near the South Rim.

And the Art of the National Parks book is a terrific, inspiring informative read.  Last year, at Zion National Park's Invitational plein air festival, the authors spoke and showed a terrific slide show of some of the work in the book, as many of the artists featured were present.

I will be at the Grand for 5 days and then I'm participating in the Escalante Canyons Arts Festival in Utah.  My camera is my traveling art studio for the week,  and right now I'm building some drying racks for my oil paintings.  The organizers have reserved some group camp sites at the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.  Photography, painting and travel go together for me.

Today's Inspiration

Here are some artists who inspire me, and trigger my need to "Get Out and STAY out"

Erin Hansen's Website

©ErinHansen

©ErinHansen

©ErinHansen

Matthew Higginbotham, painter

©MatthewHigginbotham

©MatthewHigginbotham

©MatthewHigginbotham

I will be "on the road" for about three weeks, Grand Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante Canyons, and then Capitol Reef National Park.  I love all three of these locations for early fall photography and this year I will practice oil painting too.  Join with me as I share the adventure and new imagery on my blogs.  And since I have a new hip, I will do some hiking in all three locations.

My Website Link

Grand Canyon Photography, 2014

Here are a few photos from my 2014 trip to the Grand Canyon

OOH la laaa, the clouds

By hanging around the canyon for a few days, I enjoy the changing light,
the shadows, and the warm/cool colors.

This view of O'Neill Butte and the South Kaibab trail seduced me as
it was lit be the sunrise.

I was thrilled by the clouds, which allowed me to include quite a bit
of the sky in the image.  Cloud shadows are my favorite subjects.

The sunlit O'Neill Butte really stood out
against the shadows of the inner gorge from Yaki Point.
This year I hope to hike the South Kaibab trail, visible
to the left of the saddle.

Capitol Reef Fall Photography, 2013

Autumn in the Orchard, Capitol Reef

Looking towards the Henry Mountains, from Strike Valley Overlook

Life on the Open Road: A Quick Trip Through Zion National Park

Life on the Open Road: A Quick Trip Through Zion National Park

Artist in Residence: Acadia National Park

Capturing Motion • Waves at Acadia National Park

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the power of the waves really tempted me at Acadia National Park.  I was seduced by the sound, by the power.  Many of the coastal waves were 40 foot high and the crashing of them on the rocky coast was stunning.

Click on this link to see more images from my Artist Residency in Acadia.

And I wrote a few blog posts about the experience, check this out.

Next Adventure: Campers, Cameras and Plein Air Painting, A month of travel to the Grand Canyon, Canyons of the Escalante, Grand Staircase, Capitol Reef National Park.  Ooh la la.

Road Trip: Artist in Residence, Crater Lake National Park

It's been awhile since I posted, but I have great excuses.  I've been traveling as an Artist in Residence at our National Parks.  I spent late April on a road trip from Durango to Crater Lake, where I was the Resident Artist for three weeks in May.  I didn't take my travel trailer, because I was recovering from hip surgery and needed to keep it simple. As part of the residency, I was assigned housing near the Welcome Center, and the staff and rangers were helpful, welcoming and fun to "hang" with. There was no need for my camper, but next time I will spend a few months in the Northwest exploring with my Cherry Baby and Saturn.

Although it was May, the snow was still blocking some of the roads at Crater Lake

Road Trip to Crater Lake

• Durango to Sand Island Campground, Bluff, Utah
• Bluff to Wahweap Campground, Lake Powell
• Lake Powell to Zion National Park
• Zion to Death Valley National Park
• Death Valley to Eastern Sierra, Bishop
• Bishop to Topaz Lake
• Topaz to Klamath Falls
• Klamath Falls to Crater Lake National Park

Here's a link to my blog about the Artist Residency at Crater Lake. And another to share about the process of becoming an Artist in Residence.

Road Trip: Crater Lake to Idaho

What a fun trip it was to head north out of the National Park (where there are current forest fires burning) and to explore the Eastern side of Oregon and Idaho.  My favorite place in Idaho was at the Snake River at Three Island Crossing State Park, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Snake.  A friend flew up to Boise and met me and we rented a sweet cabin for a few nights.  I read about the campground on the Wheeling It! blog.

Three Island Crossing State Park

On the drive east I also enjoyed viewing some awesome murals near Malhuer Creek, along the Lewis and Clark Trail.  I can't remember the name of the town (help me here) but the murals were worth a side trip.

Great Basin National Park

After leaving Idaho we headed south to Nevada and the Great Basin National Park.  Wheeler Peak is the highest peak in Nevada and the Park was a complete surprise, from hot springs in the basin, to mid-altitude creekside lunch, to snow while photographing Wheeler Peak and the Glacier too.  Great Basin has one of my favorite welcome centers with terrific, well produced films about the Park.

I enjoyed a few hours of photography along a creek in the park.

And at the Wheeler Peak Trail, the snow was still built up on the side of the creek.  And the trail was snow-covered

Artist Residency: Acadia National Park

When I returned to Durango from this adventure, I packed, shipped and loaded gear for my flights to Maine to be the Artist in Residence at Acadia National Park for the month of June.  Click here for the blog post.

I'm home now, living in my travel trailer, visiting with friends, teaching, and getting ready for my upcoming fall adventures.  Here's a link to the blog about the Grand Canyon and the Escalante Canyons too.