Haystack Bound

 Tomorrow we leave for Haystack Mountain School of Art in Deer Isle, Maine.  It is a Massachusetts College of Art Alumni (and friends) retreat and I will be teaching cyanotype and monoprinting workshops.  It is my 5th year attending.  I love it there.

Haystack is a very special place.  It sits amid trees and rocks right on the ocean.  The architecture won many awards as it uses the landscape as a integral part of the design.  The studios and cabins radiate off a central staircase.  The photo on the left is the staircase looking up toward the dining hall and central meeting place.  Below is the view to the sea from the same point on the stairs.  So called "Faculty Row" is very close to the shore.  Good views on the one hand, but many stairs to climb on the other.  It is probably a good thing since the food is so good--a few stairs may help keep extra pounds from accumulating...

Vietnam calligraphy

This is Nguyen Quang Thang, a Vietnamese artist, scholar and calligrapher who visited Mass College of Art this past week.  He showed us several types of old style Vietnamese calligraphy.  The character based writing of Vietnam was romanized during the French colonial period.  His study has helped preserve the calligraphy and at the same time modernized it.

He is creating an image of my name--or an iteration of my name.  Gail=gale=wind.

Our future travel plans include a trip to Vietnam.
More on that later...

Open Studios

ArtSpace Open Studios was this weekend, Sept 24 and 25 from 12 -5 both days. I spent the week getting ready, hanging artwork, cleaning, organizing.  Here is a photo of the studio--in progress.

There were a lot of people through on Saturday and steady, but lighter, traffic on Sunday. Many engaging conversations with visitors.  Most were interested in my process which involves the 19th century photo technique of cyanotype, 21st century digital photography and rust.  The images pictured on the right are each 52 x 40 inches and the triptych on the left is 30 x 36 inches.

It was rewarding and exhausting.

Reflections on my trip

There is always a re-entry period after a trip.  It includes unpacking, doing laundry and reflecting on the trip.  Some things I did while in Sedona but didn't comment on:

I explored galleries while in Sedona and learned a few things.

Druzy is a thin layer of quartz crystals covering the surface of a host gem.  It creates a section of minute crystals which take on the color of the host gem giving it a feeling of added texture.

I found I liked mesquite wood inlay with turquoise.  Actually, it could be any wood and any object--cutting board, table, bowl.

Horsehair pottery is interesting for the texture and patterns created.  Add inlay of metal leaf and the effect is quite beautiful.

Sorry, no pictures this time.

Last Sedona entry

At the airport waiting for my flight. Good memories of the trip. Glad to be heading home.

Red Rock Crossing

Took a pleasant hike along the creek with views of Cathedral Rock. Relaxed at the pool until the clouds came in. Packing up for early morning flights tomorrow.

Sedona Shopping

A low key day of shopping and eating--what else! As we headed home to our condo we stopped at the Airport Overlook. This is a photo of the view. We arrived about 4:00 and the light was illuminating the rocks. It has now clouded up so the sunset will be a disappointment. I guess we will just have to go drink margaritas.

More Grand Canyon

It rained off and on throughout the afternoon. We learned that it is very unusual for the clouds to rise from the canyon. Despite the rain, we felt privileged to experience this amazing event. We also saw a rainbow over the canyon, a full 180 degrees. It was bright for only a minute or so, then faded.

We had a late lunch at the 1930's lodge, El Tovar. Sat in the window with a view of the canyon. Nice.

Grand Canyon Adventure

We arrived at the Grand Canyon after a 2 hour drive and a stop at the Cameron Trading Post on the Navaho Reservation to find, not sun, but rain and overcast skies. This photo is at the eastern edge of the national park and shows the line between the patch of sun and the dark clouds that overhung the canyon. It was very dramatic.

Balloons in the early morning

This balloon, with several others, soared over our condo early Wednesday morning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining--a beautiful day...

Jerome wildlife

Jerome is a funky art town with lots of galleries and fine craft shops. A former mining town, it lost most of its population and was nearly a ghost town until artists started moving in. We had lunch at the Haunted Hamburger and spent time watching a glassblower. Tasted some wines. And on the way out of town, we spied these feathered friends.

Jerome and Mingus Mountain

A guide book suggested a hike on Mingus Mountain. It is at 7800 feet and is known as a hang glider launch site. We made our way up a series of switchbacks to the top of the mountain and into Prescott National Forest. It was a marvelous view--quite impressive.

Waiting for the sun

Got up at 5:30 am to see the sun rise. This is Pat waiting patiently for the sun. We were not disappointed. The sun appeared and lit up the red rocks. (This mobile app only allows me to post one picture at a time; hence, the several posts during a day.)

More Scenery

Here is another photo of the scenery from the train.

our new friend

Ceci was excited to join our group. We seemed to be having so much fun. Hint: we were. So many fine folks on the train. We really did enjoy ourselves.

Four Fab Gals

Here we are on board the train. This was before the champagne toast!

Verde Canyon Railroad

We took a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad today. It is a 4 hour ride through red rock canyons following the Verde River. We left from Clarkdale. The scenery is wonderful and there are so many rock formations that resemble animals. There are trestle bridges and tunnels. Sheer cliffs and drop offs. The photo is of the train winding through the valley.

shopping fatigue

This is Pat, Peg and Cindy (lying down) after looking at all the quaint galleries at Tlaquepaque.

Sedona, day one

GeoTagged, [N34.84485, E111.86629]

We arrived in the dark after our day of travel so in the morning we were treated to a brilliant sunrise and red rock formations. It was a day of exploring the area including the Tlaquepaque market and, of course, a crystal store.

Vortex

As this is a travel day, I thought I would post a couple of photos of vortexes.  The first is from Sedona near Cathedral Rock (see yesterday's post for a photo of Cathedral Rock).  Many, many rocks that are stacked into cairns.  Impressive.

The second photo is another sort of vortex.  This was taken on one of the cruises that my life guard friends and I went on a few years back.  Somehow, yellow rubber duckies have become a mascot for the group.  Here are the princess ducks (notice the tiaras) being drawn into a different type of vortex.  Sometimes travel days are like vortexes.

Trip Alert--Off to Sedona

Tomorrow I leave for a week in Sedona, AZ.  I am meeting 3 friends--we have shared many adventures starting with lifeguarding during our college days.  This will be our 15th reunion trip.  Our travels have taken us to Cape Cod; Newport, RI; Martha's Vineyard; Las Vegas; cruises; Vermont  and Colorado.  At left is a preview.  It is Cathedral Rock in Sedona, taken in 2004 when I was last there.  I am looking forward to seeing friends and experiencing this beautiful place again.

testing the keyboard

At the Apple store learning how to use my wireless keyboard and my iphone to make blog posts. yea!