You are now able to pre-order the upcoming print inspired by the experiences and observations during the trip.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Today was a half day, settling in. The place is a nice rustic basement/lower level apartment/cabin. Surrounded by giant trees, a horse barn, wild flowers and big skies. I can feel myself relaxing with each moment, though there has been bear sightings recently so I was a little on edge while hiking around and checking out the property. 

At the end of the suns light, the temps are dropping beautifully and a light breeze is now being felt. The place has a stone fire place, big wood beams and a lot of old craftsman touches, really makes for a comfortable setting and a good place to rest and heal. I’m starting to feel a bit better today but still taking it easy. Tomorrow I’ll get out and check out some of the local trail heads and some scenic spots. Take some photographs and gather random references for possible future works. 

Friday, August 16, 2024

It’s funny because I think, like a lot of artists, our job makes for a very solitary work life. For me I’m alone in the studio day after day but I’m busy. It’s work. I don’t feel lonely, I don’t feel alone. I feel occupied, my time is occupied, my mind is occupied, my hands are occupied, there is little room for anything but the moment I’m in. Yet I continually crave alone time. 

That alone time is obviously become down time, alone. Not working. Nature, while inspiring and motivating, is also relaxing, away, in that moment, without the busy work of art. Moments can still turn into paintings, or even just sparks of ideas but mostly I just want them to be for me. My own moments, that are for no one else. Not to be explained or shared, not to be conceptualized and documented but just things for myself that I can hold near when the world feels overwhelming. 

I love being home alone, because it’s all the conveniences of home, but being in nature has me alert, observant, focus on now. Not the comforts of home that are a safety away from needing to be focused. There are no fears or concerns at home, alone. 

I find myself on trails, alone and I have to squash fears of going to far, of pushing myself. I’m really good at thinking things like “what if I have a heart attack out here and no one knows” as if it would really even matter, I’d be dead. Side note I have a weird obsession with needing people to know if I’m dead. Haha, much more so than them needing to know I’m alive. I don’t far the act of death so much but I don’t want to leave a rotting corpse behind and ruin someone’s day. So these are the thought I’m on. Despite that last one, being morbid, it’s generally a relaxing moment. There is little to no noise here besides the very occasional car and the rustling of critters in the bushes. In the back of my mind, knowing there have been recent bear sightings does make me glad to have a walking stick for protection. Cause that’ll scare them I’m sure. Oh no! He’s got a stick! Run! 

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Today was a day of rest. Realizing I’d busied myself with doing for the last couple days made me slow down today. I did a couple small trails but at a very leisurely pace, no pushing. Less taking photos and more just enjoying the nature. There were some light showers on my hike, just passing small cells that left little to no trace behind them. 

I’d woken up around 5am, which is unusual for me. Went outside and there was this deep owl hooting in the night. Echoing down the canyon. I have no idea how far away it was. Sounded like it could have been 20 feet tall and miles away. I found a small local plant nursery that has a shop and serves breakfast at 7:30. I was the first customer, sat in the morning sun and watched the workers busy themselves with the days work. I drove some random back roads and then headed back to the cabin for a later morning nap to try and catch up for the sleep lost in getting up so early. 

Couple hours later I drove up the mountain a little ways for the said hike, watching the small storm clouds roll through and so. After went back to the cabin and sat in a patio chair in the rain watching the way the sun was bouncing off the waters movement. Spent most the afternoon doing much do the same, rest, stillness, walking the property a bit and then settled in for some dinner and called it a day. I’ll likely head outside a few times tonight to see the big full moon and soak in my last two nights of these foothills.