wild horses
Today I stayed 'local.'
I was up very early so got a great start to the day and was scouting out the best view of Cathedral Rock and setting up by 8:45am.
Pulled over into a few bends and turns but either the location wasn't safe, the shadows weren't great or they wouldn't be great soon... So I ended up painting in the same spot I painted the Cathedral Rock in watercolor when I first arrived. And I do love that view!
I'd like to paint the whole scene sometime but for now zoomed in to that ribbon of dark oranges, yellows, creams, peach and greens... It's just so showy and spectacular! It's Cathedral Rock!
A nice family, a mom with 5 boys, stopped by for a lengthy visit, which was really nice. Other than that, no visitors today. I kept hearing noises like someone walking on gravel behind me, so I'd turn around and then - no one. I finally realized it was miniature rock slides from the opposite side of the road ;)
My god it was hot! I thought I'd pass out so started packing things up before finishing... It's very close though!
I want to knock back a bit of the intensity and value on the orange capped rock but otherwise it came out really nice. 4.5 hours, pretty long for one Plein air painting. It's 11x14. I like that there is a layering in the rocks and a layering of foreground, center, middle and a few background masses. I am pleased with that.
Life is so interesting. I stopped at the Visitors Center to use the restroom and splash some water on my face and as I walked back to my car someone asked me "Are you Sara?" It was Megan, the Ranger from the park that I interviewed with via phone and that I corresponded with when I initially applied for this Residency. She had a vacation planned for the same two weeks of my Residency! Of course I was disappointed I wouldn't get to meet this person who had been so instrumental in my selection to work here....
So there she was, saying hi in the parking lot! Also, asking if I was coming over for dinner tonight ;) umm, yes. sure. Where? Was I supposed to know this?
Apparently word was sent and I would have learned about the dinner once I'd returned to Lands Inn. So after a much needed shower and short rest I met up with the girl who runs the Inn, Molly, and her Mom, Carol, and we drove down to Megan's to have dinner along with her friend Betsy, a Ranger from Glen Canyon in Southern Utah (another BEAUTIFUL park!)
Dinner was delicious and fun, and a great change to my routine out here.
But a gift of gifts, a treat and somehow a spiritual experience, came from our drive back up the mountain. It's of course very dark, Molly's driving and around a curve, through some sage brush came running 3 wild horses!!! Amazing!! A little stocky; 2 larger and one smaller/younger. So cool!
research, scheduling and an excursion
Pretty serious words for a Monday!
Started off the day saying farewell to the other guests. It's been so nice to have such interesting people around to visit with at night; sharing stories of our explorations and our lives.
After a round of hugs, it was back down the mountain to the Visitors Center to schedule the rest of my week with the Rangers and choose the day for my on-location walk-about with a Paleontologist.
Next up was getting the addresses and hours for the different Indian Confederate Tribe centers where I will research the local Tribes of the John Day River area (which I learned today was originally called the Maha River.)
While I've been painting, sketching, hiking, taking photographs and absorbing the unique geography of the area during my residency, my goal is to incorporate these things with some of my research into Native Tribal folklore and storytelling. I want to weave the landscape with the stories and create a series of paintings in my studio.
As part of my Residency, I have 4 months to submit 3 completed paintings to a panel from the NPS here at John Day Fossil. The panel will then select one as the FINAL piece. I'll then have an additional 2 months to make any changes to it, let it dry, have it varnished, framed and shipped! ( Come to think of it I may have already explained this in an earlier post! Oh well...)
I gathered up my schedule for the week, took a walk down to the river for a peek, then headed out for my EXCURSION!
Yes. I, Sara. Drove. 3. Hours. To visit the Pendelton Woolen Mill in Pendelton, Oregon!! Gorgeous climbing drive up to 5075 ft surrounded by Ponderosa Pines then back down and across wheat colored grasslands and past weathered wind blown barns.
I toured. I shopped. I drove down Main Street. Saw great, big old Craftsman Homes. I found a Starbucks! I got gas. I drove 3 hours back.
Well, 3 hours and 12 minutes thanks to a mandatory sunset photo and cow traffic on my last 5 miles up the gravel road
sunday at painted hills
Despite a flurry of moths pinging off the walls and windows all night, and systematically throwing covers off and then blindly searching for them to put back on... I managed to sleep just enough and to wake up early to get off of the mountain and down to the highway in record time this morning.
An hour drive and a hike up to a great vantage point and I was ready to paint by 9 am! Applause, applause!
Check out my fully loaded Kelty backpack, I was ready for anything.
After some sketching I decided on a composition without a sky, I think my first landscape without a sky!
Sunday seems to be a busy day in the park, I had a lot of opportunities to visit with people... Well anyone who made the hike up to the vantage point ;) I was surprised how many people just walk part way or just walk to the edge, take a photo and jump back in the car!
4 hours in, just doing some minor tweaks, a boy hiking ahead of his family stopped to see what I was doing. He was probably 8 or 9... "I think you're done. You've already achieved a lot of depth." His name was Cole, so Thank You Cole!
A couple from Bend came up about then so I asked the girl if she would take a photo for me...
Umm, could you get any FURTHER AWAY?? Too funny.
Overheated, thirsty and tired, I retreated to a small cafe in the bustling town of Mitchell ;)
