Maynard Dixon Residency #1

Wildfires, mountain passes with snowstorms and high winds, and sandstorms in low areas were interspersed with times of perfect lighting and full clouds above the mesas. What a blessing to spend continued time in an area of the U.S. that can be so difficult to get to. The Maynard Dixon residency allowed me to afford to stay in the area long enough to wait out the weather systems, adapt to colors and conditions, and experience the area at a deeper level. It was too difficult to blog while on the trip, but I’m back and ready to post. Thanks for waiting. Here’s a few photos of where I stayed.

Thanks to Thunderbird Foundation!

I have exciting news today! I was accepted for an artist residency at Maynard Dixon’s historic property in Mt. Carmel, UT near Zion National Park. I started a series out there last year and have been working towards returning to continue the project. The Thunderbird Foundation’s generosity will help make it happen.

This 5 x 7” studio painting is based on a plein air watercolor from that series. It may be one of the 2 pieces I choose to include in the Arthouse at the Jones Center’s 5 x 7 invitational, opening May 12.

Maynard Dixon

I love going to a new part of the country to paint, because it recharges my creativity. This painting, "Western Mesa", was done in Mt. Carmel, UT, near where I was staying at Maynard Dixon’s historic studio/home in very early spring. I was allowed to stay on the property for several days, absorbing the work and landscapes that inspired Dixon, Milford Zornes, Ansel Adams, Emil Kosa, and Dorothea Lang and be in the studio they worked in. It was a fantastic experience. I returned there this summer during their annual Maynard Dixon Country show… more about that later.