Hiking along the Hot Springs Trail in Big Bend National Park, you spend some time walking beside the Rio Grande. As the trail rises and falls with the cliffs, you get to appreciate the river from different perspectives and find little surprises.
For me, the biggest surprise was finding horses grazing in the grassy river banks. This area feels so desolate, it’s hard to imagine any animal that size surviving out here. But it seems that the Rio Grande provides all that is needed, and the horses seemed quite content.
As we hiked toward the hot spring, we could almost make out the outlines of the palm trees which mark the spot where an old bathhouse was built (a hint that we were getting closer!).
One of the many gorgeous views of the river from the trail.
Drawing the outlines of what would become my sixth large painting inspired by Big Bend National Park (and my second inspired by this trail!)
Rio Grande, acrylic on canvas, 24″x36″
Close-up showing the brushstrokes and detail of the palm trees.
Big Bend is such a large park, and I can’t wait to explore more of it…but I think I might return to this spot on my next trip. The Hot Springs Trail feels special to me.
COMING UP
You can see the Rio Grande painting as well as the Inside Santa Elena Canyon painting at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar, open November 15 – December 24, 2024 (10am-10pm daily!). Blue Genie is packed with arts and crafts from hundreds of local makers and it’s my favorite place to get gifts for the holidays. Visit the market at 6100 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78752 or shop online anytime!
Keep an eye out for the new 16oz can from (512) Brewing Company featuring my artwork! The can celebrates Austin with a colorful illustration of the skyline and iconic graffiti-covered train bridge.
(512) Brewing Company’s 16th Anniversary DDH Hazy IPA, available at HEB, Central Market, Wheatsville, and more!
I had so much fun working on this illustration, I’ve decided it’s time to make a few paintings of Austin. Barton Springs Pool and the view of downtown from the pedestrian bridge are already in the works!
Inspired by the famous hike in Big Bend National Park, this painting is a colorful take on the epic sense of awe one gets while walking between the Rio Grande’s canyon walls.
Inside Santa Elena Canyon, acrylic on canvas, 24″x36″
Hiking into the canyon.
We sat and watched hikers cross the trickling river while listening to the warbling song of canyon wrens. It was so peaceful! This photo became my reference for the painting.
Tracing the photograph and simplifying the outlines.
Painting in the outlines after they’ve been transferred to canvas.
Almost finished!
Detail of the people crossing the river.
Before starting the final painting, I made a smaller 12″x12″ version as a way to test the bright colors before committing to them. This was a slightly different way of working for me and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed creating the same scene in different sizes and shapes. It was a challenging but also freeing, so I plan to continue this process with my next painting.
Inside Santa Elena Canyon, acrylic on wood panel, 12″x12″
Because the small version was finished first, I was able to exhibit it at the Austin Studio Tour’s Group Show, then the Neill-Cochran House Museum (where it won an Honorable Mention award!). Shortly afterwards, it was purchased by a collector in South Austin. I’m thrilled by the reception this painting got as it’s personally one of my favorites – the brightness of the red canyon walls makes my eyes happy!
I’m incredibly grateful for the continued support of the community and can’t wait to see what I create next! Thank you to everyone who has purchased a painting or print, come out to art openings, followed me online, and showed up at the art markets – I couldn’t do this without you!
Those weird stick-like plants that spring up out of the desert floor all around Big Bend National Park.
I timed my visit to catch the plants in bloom, when they transform themselves from dry thorns to delicately leaved stalks, each topped with a flame of brilliant red flowers.
These plants are so tall and strange, they remind me of something you’d find growing underwater, perhaps on a coral reef. (Even stranger, they’re more closely related to blueberries than cacti!)
The ocotillos that inspired me to make a painting, near the Fossil Discovery Exhibit in Big Bend National Park.
Tiny leaves and bright red flowers on the Ocotillo.
Planning the painting by first drawing outlines with India ink pens.
The final painting: Ocotillos, acrylic on canvas, 24″x36″
COMING UP
This weekend I’m bringing paintings, art prints, and stickers to Blue Genie in preparation for their May Market! It’s a great place to find unique treasures and gifts and the May Market tends to be less crowded than the winter one, so if you’ve never been to the Blue Genie Art Bazaar before, this is the perfect time to check it out. Find dates and times on their website.
I’m moving to a new studio in South Austin! I’ll have more space and will be closer to some of my favorite places (like Barton Springs Pool and the Greenbelt). I can’t wait to get settled in and share photos of the new setup!
Thanks for reading – I hope you’re enjoying this fabulous spring weather!
The high desert in Far West Texas has a certain something that calls to me, and though it’s been less than a year since I’d camped in The Davis Mountains and Marfa, I wanted to go back.
The weather was good, the crowds were low, I had the time and so did my boyfriend, so we packed up the car and headed west.
We took our time exploring Marfa. We stayed a few days in the middle of the week, enjoying the empty feeling of the place (though tracking down meals became a game of cat and mouse), and took day trips to swim in Balmorhea Pool, attend a Star Party at the McDonald Observatory, and check out some art installations along Highway 90.
Soaking up the things that make Marfa different.
We stayed at El Cosmico, a hip hotel/campground that offers unusual lodging like teepees, yurts, and travel trailers.
We got a teepee which felt incredibly romantic…until I was startled by a camel spider who decided to hang out on the canvas wall all night (I had never seen one before and thought it looked seriously creepy. Like if a scorpion and a tarantula had a baby!). Luckily, it had moved on by the morning.
One night was spent soaking in one of El Cosmico’s wood-fired Dutch hot tubs. It was perfection!
The McDonald Observatory during their Star Party, where we got the chance to look at stars through several large telescopes.
Spotted along Highway 90: “The Giant Marfa Mural” by John Cerney.
After Marfa, we headed to Big Bend National Park for two days of camping and hiking, stopping in Terlingua on the way.
The ghost town in Terlingua.
Terlingua Ghost Town’s cemetery, which is still actively used. We found many types of offerings to the dead, but beer and liquor were the most popular.
Stunning views while hiking the Hot Springs Canyon Trail in Big Bend.
I took so many pictures while hiking! How could I not, surrounded by beauty like this? I’m excited to begin working on a series of paintings inspired by this trip.
The Rio Grande brings life to the arid landscape. We even spied some wild horses near its banks.
We arrived at the hot springs just in time to catch the sunset.
Blooming cactus along the hike into Santa Elena Canyon.
The Rio Grande running through Santa Elena Canyon. The Rio Grande marks the border between the US and Mexico and we heard many hikers, wading out into the river, joking that they’d crossed over (Mexico on the left, the US on the right). Of course, even if you did cross over, there’d be nothing around for miles except dry, sun-scorched desert.
At the Chisos Basin campground, stars were visible down to the horizon, even with the moon out.
On our way out of Big Bend we stopped in Marathon, which proved to be much cuter and friendlier than expected. I was so charmed by it, I decided that I must return on my next trip out west. From there, we made our way east and then to a little-known and very remote state park along Devils River.
We stayed two nights and enjoyed a spectacular night sky. The river is difficult to reach (the campsite was miles down a rutted dirt road, offered no water or even a toilet, and an additional drive and then mile-something hike was required to reach the river) which meant that we only had one day to enjoy the water.
So, we packed up our snorkels, a big lunch, some wine, lots of water, and headed through the desert in search of the river.
The glorious Devils River, an oasis at the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert.
The whole day was spent hiking, swimming, picnicking, and snorkeling. I was thrilled! The perfect end to a week in the desert.
This was such an inspiring trip, by its end I felt filled up with ideas and a drive to create. I also felt a shift in my personal life become solidified. There’s a simplicity in the desert that I’ve been longing for. I think it’s one of the reasons I always want to go back. Every time, I feel a little clearer on what I want, what I want to create, and who I want to be.
Surrounded by nothing but desert, time stretches out and I get more in tune with my thoughts and feelings. It’s a wonderful thing to realize and to know that if I’m ever feeling frazzled and lost I can always travel west and return to myself.
