Day One

 
Art on the Land has officially begun. Today was everyone's first full day on the ranch and lucky for us the weather was spectacular. There is far less snow on the ground then any of us expected and the sun just warms us all right up. We can walk around outside for hours with just a fleece and hat on.

We started the day with a walk to survey the land surrounding the ranch house. We walked aimlessly for a while, but eventually our destination ended up being the chapel on the side of the mountain. It is this beautiful Mexican inspired stucco spiritual place. You open the doors of the chapel to find a a view of the mountain range impaired by a large organic wooden cross. Everything was made out of wood from the pews to the hanging Christ figures to the pulpit. It felt so earthy like it was a chapel to worship mother nature.

After lunch and unpacking, we set out again for our own personal exploration. I went behind the ranch house and experienced both the frozen and liquid water of a small stream I found there. Parts of the stream were heavily frozen and others were ready to crack into a million pieces so it was thrilling to scoot around not knowing whether or not I was on steady ground.

I found myself taking lots of pictures of leaves using the macro setting on my digital.



This happens to be my favorite photograph of the day. The leaves curl and crinkle in the most peculiar ways...especially the little leaves. So I decided to sit and draw a set of several long oval leafies that twisted as if they were contorting bodies in a wild dance. I was so still and quiet that birds did not notice I was there and came very close to me. I kept hearing the hopping of a robin through the snow and brush, but he never came close enough for a picture.

Later, I met a horse whom I am determined to continue visiting, perhaps everyday if time allows it. He is black and white and rather wild I think because he didn't have any "horse equipment" on him and he didn't expect sugar cubes or some other treat like most trained horses. Eventually, he was gnawing on hay that was close enough for me to give him a good scratch. Although he didn't move away, he seemed pretty neutral about the whole experience. It is one of my goals to get to know him or her better by the end of the trip.

As far as the art experience goes, I am learning how much art and life can go hand in hand. I am realizing more and more just how much more intriguing and exciting art can be if it is your life. I am so interested in creating things, but over the last several years I have experienced a huge dip in creativity and natural self-expression. I have this notion of what my art should be and my work is often very controlled and ruled by fear of failure. I am hoping that this trip will help me learn to let go of my self-consciousness so that I can grow as an artist and really develop my love for art.

We watched a documentary about the work of Andy Goldsworthy and it was inspiring to watch his integration of imagination and art and nature and life. His work is so simple. It reminds me of the types of awe-inspiring things I hoped to find as I explored the woods around my home as a child. I always wanted to find some magical little dwelling that someone had secretly built in order for another to suddenly find it on a walk through the forest.

There is something very funny about man acting as mother nature. Goldsworthy tries to show that the types of things he creates happen in nature all the time, but for some reason they are quite different coming from a man. Are they more beautiful or exciting than the beauty that nature creates itself? What is it about environmental art that is so extraordinary to the viewer?