Upon arrival home from our much needed camping trip (two weeks without phone or computer!!!) I received not one, but two rejection letters. What a way to come home.
It was fun while it lasted, to let go for a while and draw in my journal, drink camp coffee, hike to high mountains, and swim in cool creeks. While on the road, or the trail, I came to the realization that I am indeed in pursuit of something - but what, I can't be specific. I was trying to explain to Pete how I'm not interested in rote, mechanical, mark-making, nor am I interested in clever puns or radiating color lines - I'm just pursuing Painting.
This was pretty much the whole western view from the top of Garfield Peak at Crater Lake, Oregon
Our first spot was Patrick Creek at the Six Rivers National Recreation Area - be forewarned - they DO allow RV's here
For being pretty much grey, river rocks sure are colorful
We stayed with friends Ben and Karla in Bellingham, Washington. Their cat, Furrball, is one of the hairiest, fluffiest cat EVER, and super super sweet.
Karla and Ben's kitchenware is made up entirely of her own mother, Anna Sabin's ceramics.
I want to always paint from life, but I don't, nor I can't create a painting from pretty much anything under the sun. I'm reminded of that when I'm surrounded by natural beauty, for some reason. The little sketchbook comes in handy for those times.
It used to be that a painter did paint anything the struck their eye. It also used to be that a painter was a painter, she needn't have an angle or a clever gimmick, she just had to paint, and it left room for her to be her most authentic self. I'd hate for 100 years from now, art historians are trying to sift through the thousands of cryptic and clever messages left by my generation of artists.
