Every year, I go camping during the Perseids meteor shower. It’s an easy way to see shooting stars because you don’t need special equipment or to look in a specific direction, and the peak of the shower lasts for days. It also happens during the summer, which makes it a great time for sitting outside while staying up all night.
The last few years I’ve been exploring Texas’s dark sky parks (where the Milky Way is easily visible) and this year I chose Davis Mountains State Park.
The park is lovely, full of wildlife, and there’s a lot to do in the area. My friends and I took day trips to Marfa (for lunch and shopping), Balmorhea State Park (which has a huge spring-fed pool), the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (botanical gardens with hiking trails), and the McDonald Observatory (for a tour of the telescopes).
After this trip, I’m totally in love and already dreaming of my next adventure out west…where things are just a little bit weirder, the stars are brighter, and the air smells like sage.
View from the Indian Lodge Trail at Davis Mountains State Park
Huge cairns mark the trail.
A rainbow greeted us as we returned to our campsite.
A scorpion glows under a black light flashlight. We also encountered mule deer, javelina, and some very friendly (too friendly!) skunks.
The huge spring-fed pool at Balmorhea State Park. The water was clear and comfortable. Fish and turtles swam among us.
On the trail at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute.
Sassy selfi among the succulents in the Chihuahuan Desert greenhouse.
One of my favorite spots in Marfa. Nearby, you’ll find an art-filled vending machine.
Unusual seating options at the Planet Marfa beer garden include a school bus, mini rooftop patio, and this teepee.
El Cosmico delights with trailers, teepees, yurts, tents, and more…all beautifully decorated.
Next time, I’m totally staying in a teepee or yurt!
COMING UP!
Find me at the Neill-Cochran House Museum for a pop-up art market on Saturday, September 19th between 11am and 3pm, as part of Austin Museum Day.
This summer has been full of adventure and art. I’ve been busy exploring new places, meeting new people, and I feel like I’ve finally found a good rhythm in my studio.
Here’s a taste of what I’ve been up to:
Sunset over Possum Kingdom Lake. I went camping at the state park for a couple nights and enjoyed the quiet of a lake right before the July 4th weekend.
One side of the rock formation know as “Hell’s Gate” in Possum Kingdom Lake, which was alive with cliff swallows darting in and out of their nests.
My friend convinced me that we should rent a small pontoon boat for the day and I’ll be forever grateful – it was so much fun!
Possum Kingdom State Park is small but has everything you’d want for a weekend on the lake. There are boat rentals, fishing supplies, and even a few short hiking trails which offer nice views. I saw lots of deer, but not a single possum.
Back in Austin:
My art installation “Magic Eye” added a little something extra to a private event.
At night it glows different colors, which creates the appearance of movement in the optical illusions.
Drawing the outline for a stylized painting of Hamilton Pool (a popular swimming destination just outside of Austin).
“Hamilton Pool”, acrylic on canvas, 20″x24″
Live painting at an event in West Lake Hills.
The finished painting: “Flomot Longhorns”, acrylic on canvas, 20″x30″
I’m painting just about every day and currently planning a camping trip to Davis Mountains State Park, which is close enough to Marfa to do day trips. I can’t wait to explore the area and see shooting stars move across that clear night sky.
Mark your calendars: I finally got the dates for my first solo exhibition! Iconic Texas is scheduled to be on display at the Julia C. Butridge Gallery November 6, 2021 through January 8, 2022.
Something special happened this year, and maybe it’s something that happens every year, but this was the first time I’d noticed it. The blooming prickly pear cacti were absolutely gorgeous!
I was inspired by the cacti at Allen Park in Austin and decided to paint them. But I seemed to accidentally follow the path of cacti bloom west to Enchanted Rock and then north to Caprock Canyons, where I was blown away by the number and color of the flowers…
The lovely cacti at Allen Park.
Drawing the prickly pear cacti.
Working on the painting, based off of the outlines I drew.
The final painting “Blooming Cactus”, acrylic on canvas, 30″x30″, part of my Iconic Texas series, which seeks to highlight The Lone Star State’s public parks.
Detail image of the painting.
The flowering prickly pear cacti at Enchanted Rock State Park, Fredericksburg, Texas.
The prickly pears at Caprock Canyons State Park, Quitaque, Texas.
…They were just so absolutely stunning, I think I need to make more of these paintings!
COMING UP! Art For The People Gallery will be hosting an opening reception for their THRIVE! exhibit on Saturday, July 10th from 3-6pm. I’m thrilled to have some art included in the exhibition and to be attending their first reception of the year! Come celebrate with us!
The event is free and BYOB! And if you can’t make it to the reception, the exhibit will be on display until September 30th.
I’ve been curious about black light reactive paint for a while but it wasn’t until a friend asked me about commissioning a painting of a “black light cat” that I put in the effort to learn the medium. It took a lot of practice to figure out how to mix the paint to get the right colors in both natural and UV light, but I think I did pretty good for a first try!
The final painting, in natural light.
I used an Ampersand Art Board instead of canvas, because of the clean, flat texture and the attractive raw wood edges that make framing unnecessary.
The painting under black light.
As usual, I did a lot of the planning for the painting on the computer, and was so happy with the digital version that I decided to make it available as art prints and tote bags on my shop.
The original design, created in Adobe Illustrator.
I was delighted to be able to gift the original painting to my friend on his wedding day…and thrilled to be able to attend! The wedding was the first time in months that I’d seen many of my friends, and since then I’ve done a lot of catching up, traveling, and eating out. It feels fantastic to finally be getting back to normal.
I don’t know about you, but this April has been busy. It feels like the world is reopening, and just in time for some beautiful spring weather!
The drive-thru art event ARTic Expedition took place (where I debuted my dynamic-light and fabric sculpture “Magic Eye”), I went camping with friends, and I got down to the Gulf Coast for some time with my family.
I’m looking forward to more outdoor social time and camping trips before the infamous Texas Summer begins. Bring on the sunshine, fun, and relaxation!
Magic Eye at ARTic Expedition.
Out of the Ashes by artists Rachel Collier and Tess Noble.
Dr. Beak by artists Eric Schiele, Destiny Augustine, and Robert Abdallah.
On the Overlook Trail at South Llano Rive State Park.
The armadillos were out in force.
Spring flowers were just starting to bloom. I love these fanciful little puffs on the “Sensitive Plant”.
Portuguese man o’ wars dotted the beach at Port Aransas.
They’re surprisingly beautiful! And strange.
Back in Austin, I ventured out to the Hike And Bike Trail, which follows the river near downtown. I’ve missed spending time in my city, which has continued to grow and change. I’m looking forward to exploring and finding out what’s new – especially the bars and restaurants!
My favorite swimming holes are starting to fill up along the Barton Creek Greenbelt.
I’m ready for summer afternoons spent outside with good company.
Somehow, during all this activity I’ve made time to work on a secret art project, which I’m excited to share next month. Stay tuned!
I want to thank everyone who came out to the opening of the Hope For Spring exhibition at the Neill-Cochran House Museum. It was a beautiful day and the lawn was the perfect place for an outdoor reception.
The exhibit includes over fifty works of art, in various styles, all depicting The State Flower Of Texas, the bluebonnet. It was interesting to see all the different styles represented, and in a variety of media including stained glass and fiber art as well as photographs, paintings, and drawings.
The Neill-Cochran House Museum is a historical home complete with original furnishings and decor. So, you’ll find the new artworks floating in a 19th century world, sometimes in unusual ways.
I located my painting “Bluebonnets” relaxing on the bed with a lovely piece of fiber art by Linda Miles.
This was a small, socially-distanced event, but I’m so grateful to be able to share my art with the community and to have the chance to celebrate together. I’m looking forward to more of these events in the future. Oh, how I miss big art openings with music, wine, and cheese plates!
The reception took place on the spacious lawn of the Neill-Cochran House Museum.
Hope For Spring is on display at the Neill-Cochran House Museum until April 11, 2021. Check their website for hours and admission information.
“Flora of Texas” by Randy Soileau.
“Sweet Spring” by Kim Kaiser.
Next up is the drive-thru art event ARTic Expedition which is taking place April 2-4, and then I’ll be off to South Llano River State Park for my first camping trip of the year!
In my last post I was getting ready for the ARTic Expedition drive-thru art show and promising to post about it on social media. But instead of ARTic Expedition, we got Icepocalypse.
On the day I was supposed to install my artwork, it never got above freezing. There was already ice on the roads and much more in the forecast. So, we canceled the event and everyone hunkered down for the storm (which ended up being a pretty traumatic experience for a lot of people). I consider myself one of the fortunate ones even though I lost power and water for days and had to keep a fire going just to keep my apartment above freezing.
It was so cold for so long that one of the pools at my apartment complex actually froze over.
Even with the minimal damage to my apartment, it took a few weeks to recover. But I’m happy to say that I’m now back to my usual routines. And I have some good news: ARTic Expedition is back on! It’s been rescheduled for April 2–4, which should mean beautiful weather and blooming wildflowers.
Speaking of wildflowers, this Saturday, March 13th, I’ll be at the opening reception for the Hope For Spring art exhibition at the Neill-Cochran House Museum. Join me for this free outdoor event from 5:30-7pm, with cocktails provided by Still Austin Whiskey Co. All the art will celebrate bluebonnets, the State Flower of Texas. You can also view the exhibition through April 11 with admission to the museum. Hope to see you there!
LINKS I’M LIKING
I’m currently watching every episode of Every Frame A Painting and so far my favorite is this one about Chuck Jones, the famed animator of Looney Tunes.
I’ve been watching tons of live music videos to uplift my mood. I’m especially loving this cover of You And Me by Techno Marching Band MEUTE.
Meditation has become a near-daily practice for me and I found this playlist of free 10 minute guided meditation that have been really helpful. I resisted meditation for most of my life but am a complete convert – it really can change your life. No special skills or equipment required!
You might remember that in late November I was awarded an art grant to make a light-up sculptural art pyramid. One of the requirements of the grant was to debut the art piece at a new kind of drive-thru event:
ARTic Expedition will be taking place February 12-14 on Valkyrie Ranch in Paige (about an hour drive from Austin). You can find more information and purchase tickets at https://articexpedition.org/
This is an experimental event (we are hoping to learn from this smaller event so that we can do better, larger ones in the future). What that means is that there are only a small number of art projects participating. This says nothing about the quality of the work, and I expect there will be some really fun stuff, there just won’t be a lot of it.
If you don’t mind the drive to Paige, this could be a fun way to get out of the house and support the local arts community. But, if you’d rather not make the drive this time, don’t worry because I’m sure we’ll do this again and it will be even better!
There will be some effigies that will be burned at the end of the event on Sunday night, but without an in-person audience. Instead, they will be live-streaming the burn for free (no ticket required). I don’t have a link for that yet but I expect they’ll post it on the Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/12UPUVXEq
I will be sharing photos of the event after installation on Thursday, February 11, so watch my Facebook and Instagram accounts to get a virtual tour of the art (no drive required!). 🙂
It’s that time of year when we pause to take stock of the past and make plans for the future. This year feels heaping with struggles and triumphs. When I look back over my schedule I get dizzy. And when I look at the biggest lessons I’ve learned, one thing stands out: this was a year of STRESS.
Learning how to manage and live with stress on a daily basis was my biggest, longest challenge this year. And my number one goal for next year is to keep stress management as a top priority. I’ve watched myself on days when it felt like my thoughts were racing and realized that my ability to focus and make good decision is impaired…and so is my self-awareness.
If I’m chronically stressed, I’m more likely to have trouble planning, make poor decisions, unconsciously seek comfort or escape (hello, wine and chocolate!), and I’m not even aware I’m doing this because I’m stressed. The worst part is that people are really good at rationalizing our actions, so, after eating all the chocolate and drinking all the wine, I might tell myself “I deserved it” or “just wanted to relax”, which is fine sometimes, but could prevent me from confronting the stress that drove me there and finding healthier ways to deal with it.
If 2020 was a year of stress, 2021 will be a year of routine.
I’ve found that regularly scheduling stress-reducing activities into my week keeps me from getting to that spun-out place. The bonus is that most of these are things I wanted to do already (exercise, meditate, go for walks, take a long bath), I’m just encouraging myself to do them regularly by prioritizing and scheduling them.
Everyone has their own list of things that relax them; I challenge you to write yours down and pick one or two that you want to make a habit of. Write it down, make a plan, set an alarm – make time to connect with and care for yourself.
One way I practiced self-care this month was by making a reservation to visit The Blanton’s Expanding Abstraction exhibit.Hiking is a long-time favorite way for me to get exercise, relax, and clear my head. Here, I’m soaking up the sun on the Barton Creek Greenbelt.Some fall colors along Turkey Creek Trail in Emma Long Metropolitan Park.Allen Park’s short but sweet loop trail.Magical springs along the Little Fern section of the River Place Nature Trail.
MORE GOOD STUFF
In November, I was one of over four hundred artists who participated in The Austin Studio Tour. This was the first time the annual tour went virtual and I was really impressed with the quality and quantity of videos produced by the community. Check out art studio tours, demonstrations, and interviews with artists online at austinstudiotour.org for at least another week. (I’m hoping they keep the site up past the end of the year, but we’ll see.)
“Pink Prickly Pear” – Acrylic On Canvas – 12″x24″, painted as part of The Austin Studio Tour.“Among The Hoodoos” – Acrylic On Canvas – 20″x24″, finished during the studio tour. Based on a photo I took of Bryce Canyon National Park in 2014. I think I started painting this because I’ve been feeling some serious wanderlust after spending so much time at home.
In late November I received a grant to build a sculptural art piece that’s inspired by and created from optical illusions, color theory, and color-changing light. It’ll be part of a drive-through art event just outside of Austin on January 15th and 16th. Tickets haven’t been released yet, but you can follow the event on Facebook to stay up to date.
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m loving Elizabeth Gilbert’s take on the creative process and found a short version if you don’t want to read her book. Check it out:
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for letting me share my art with you! Your support means the world to me.
Wishing you stress-free holidays and a safe and happy new year!
Good news! I finally have some dates for my first-ever-solo-art-show that was originally scheduled for May: my Iconic Texas series will be on display during May, 2021 at the Dougherty Arts Center!
Of course, we don’t know exactly what the exhibition will look like in terms of group gatherings, but we will figure out a way to safely enjoy the art together, in person. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and the support of the Dougherty. Check out this amazing video they created for my show:
And coming up a little sooner: the Austin Studio Tour is kicking off in November! It’s a virtual event and I’ve been busy adding art to my online gallery, prints to my shop, and videos to my YouTube channel.
Find out more about my art by checking out the newly expanded tour website at AustinStudioTour.org starting November 14.
The Studio Tour is my go-to for holiday gifts and I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone has been creating.
All this planning for the future made me realize that we’re heading toward cooler weather and my swimming days are numbered. So I grabbed my tube and headed out to a couple Travis County parks along the Colorado River.
Tubing near the cliffs at Tom Hughes Park on Lake Travis.Watching sailboat races from Bob Wentz Park on Lake Travis.
I had no idea these parks existed until just a few weeks ago! After seeing all the new-to-me places on the Travis County Parks website, I’m challenging myself to explore them all.
MORE GOOD STUFF
If you live in Austin, check out Dear Diary Coffeehouse on Chicon Street, they’re helping out the local art community by turning their indoor seating area into a gallery and gift shop! You can browse stickers, prints, and much more when you pick up your coffee and you can even order art delivered to you when you place an order online. Check out the “Local Artists” menu to see photos of the art.
I’m currently re-reading Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s an easy, fun, inspiring journey through the inner lives of creatives. It’s on the list of books that have changed my life and I recommend it to everyone.
I’ve been getting in the Halloween spirit by watching horror movies by A24 Films and decorating my apartment with crafty cute little bats made by reusing paper towel or toilet paper rolls.
Catty and I wish you a wonderfully spooky and happy Halloween!
