For the first day in the (almost) month we’ve been here, we woke up to a clear blue sky!  Plus, no wind.  Great day for a hike!

 

It’s hard to believe a month has nearly gone by.  I still feel privileged beyond measure to have had this opportunity, and I’ve loved the freedom of a spacious studio and a bedroom of my own, plus meals at the ready.  Even though I’ve never met them, I thank the owners of Brush Creek Ranch, Beth and Bruce White, who have been more than generous to us.  (And thank you, too, to Sara Schleicher, who has managed all seven artists with her particular grace and humor.) Finally, here are a couple of the silk screens I’ve made from photos I took while here ….

Yesterday, in the late afternoon, I looked out the window and noticed the wind wasn’t blowing!!!  Yippee!  Grabbed my boots to take a little hike, and realized the sun was about to set, so I raced up the hill just to watch it go down.

Hard to believe this is my last week at the Artists’ Camp.  One lovely advantage has been the chance to try some new things, and to discard what didn’t work without thinking that I just spent the only block of time I had doing something that didn’t turn out the way I had hoped.  Plus, I’ve made a number of pieces that I’m pleased with.

There’s a quote at the Denver airport, inscribed on the arches over the walkway between the main terminal and concourse A (Burma-Shave style, for those of us who remember those), that I’ve loved every time I’ve read it.  I found a chance to do something with it here, and like the reminder that I’m neither completely at sea, nor required to prove myself.

The quote, by Albert Einstein:  “Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control.  It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star.  Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”

This piece has the quote at the top, and a variety of images of Einstein across the bottom.  The words of the quote, and old sheet music give texture to the background.

Couldn’t resist another post today.  A few of us took a couple hours off to go to the annual Saratoga Chariot Races.  It was a warm day (mid-40’s), and the fairground was muddy, but we could stand in sawdust at the edge of the race course (a quarter-mile straightaway).  Might have reminded one of Ben Hur, except for the surrounding mountains, the American Legion beer tent, and the pickups parked along both sides of the course.  Oh, and the auctioneers selling calcutta bets before each race!  The horses are fast, fast, fast … and the races are over almost before you can take a breath. Here are some pictures to give you a flavor of what we saw.

 

There’s been little blue sky here.  The clouds have been backed up on the Snowy Range, and don’t seem to want to move on.  This morning, the sun was peeking out, so I took a little hike, but by the time I got to the top of the hill, the sun was back in retirement. Here’s this morning’s picture of the Artists Camp.

 

 

I was noticing the other night that everything I had been making was gray, brown, beige or cream. Not my usual colors; that’s the influence of my surroundings, apparently.  So … I made the tree in my landscape red.  Of course.

 

 

 

Playing with an old license plate …

Seems like I’ve played around a lot, and I’m starting to sense some direction about what I’m up to here.  But it’s taken most of the week to get over wondering if I can do anything worthwhile.  At the moment, I’m looking forward to seeing where some of my ideas lead.  Here are some pictures of my workspace in its glorious mess.

I’ve moved into my beautiful, big, warm, brightly lit studio, and now I’m wondering just where I’m headed.  Lots of ideas rattling around at the moment …..  And I’m trying to resist the tendency to mercilessly demand of myself that I do something important to compensate for the privilege of this residency.  (That sure does put a cramp in my style.)

Yesterday, we took a tour of the Brush Creek Ranch main lodge.  Very elegant.  We artists are down the hill in our own little colony.  While we were in the main lodge, the musician who is a resident here with us played one of his original compositions on the Steinway.

I had just about everything in a big pile in our family room this morning, but wondered if it was going to fit in my car????  Thanks to my husband, Jack, it’s all ready for my drive to Saratoga.  I’m off!