Badlands Residency Day 13
April 3, 2012
Spent the morning
updating my website with the two paintings I've finished so far. Had
a bite to eat, then got out the brush. Instead of working on sage
creek, I wanted to do something fast and wild. I stretched another full sheet, and slammed together a
finished painting in about 4 ½ hours. Unreal. Not sure what I
think of it, I'm withholding judgment until I see it in daylight. Regardless, the fact that I'm wanting to paint this way is baffling. It is as if I am another person here.
After finishing, I sat on my porch with a bag of carrots,
watching the birds. Ed came by, and I suggested a hike behind the
quad. Steven joined us. I climbed to the top of many of the buttes,
and we walked all the way back to the fence at the edge of the park
boundary. Saw the resident herd of mule deer, and Ed said they should be fawning this month, which will be fun to see. The sunset was absolutely spectacular. Wish I had brought
my camera along, but it is much easier to climb higher without the
uneven weight. We walked back as twilight set in, then headed to
meet Ryan, Tricia, and John at the wagon wheel. After that some of
us watched a movie at Ryan's place. Tomorrow my plan is to spend
the day hiking. Steven and I are going to go together and bring one
of the rangers' radios with. It's so nice to be able to have that
bit of safety net when hiking in the remote areas of the park.
Today's music: Postal Service, Such Great Heights - it's fitting, as you'll see when I post the painting tomorrow.
Haven't visited your blog for a few days Jessica, wow...you've been busy, and PAINTING! I like the two paintings you posted, looking good! In spite of your very windy day, you guys are averaging about 20 degrees above normal every day, since you've been there. Normal for Rapid City in early April is about 52 degree high and 28 degree low. If you were on the reverse side of normal, your temperatures, since you arrived would be averaging a 30 degree high and a 10 degree low. Spokane, on the other hand, is cool and we've had the wettest March on record, I believe. Yesterday 65 and today lots of snow and a high of 38 or so...all the snow melted. Love your photos Jessica. So many of the badlands photos remind me of moon photos from the Apollo missions. What a beautiful but starkly uninhabited looking land. Seems like a great place for fossil hunters. I'm off to West Virginia next Tuesday, to teach. Saw Diane at figure drawing Monday night...a full class! We missed you! Stan
ReplyDelete"Starkly uninhabited" and yet there is so much wildlife here. One of these days I'll take more photos of the prairie areas for you. You know how I love that landscape. Tomorrow shows thunderstorms (we'll see), so it will be a good painting day. Some of my neighbors have asked for a watercolor lesson, so we might fit that in. Enjoy West Virginia, hope it goes better than Mexico.
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