San Miguel Mission, Santa Fe (8" x 8," oil on artists' board), Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
The Good, the bad, the spectacular news.
What do you do when you've planned an artist's retreat for months, only to have it all fall apart due to illness?
We have choices, don't we? We can scrap everything. We can use we what we've learned through mindful meditation. We can redeem some portion of any time available.
This is what I did.
I left for New Mexico last July 28th, hoping to spend one night in Albuquerque and then on to stay for eleven days at the Gallina Canyon Ranch north of Abiquiu. Yes, that Abiquiu made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe. I packed everything, including all of my food and large canvases, pochades and palette tools. Some kind of food borne illness got to me before I could get to Santa Fe.
There is so much that happened that I can't really write it all. Yet, I would like to say 'Thank you' to Elizabeth, one of the owners, and David, ranch employee, for more kindness, help and generosity than I would ever have expected from people I have never met. I would highly recommend traveling there because of the incredible beauty, but mostly for their beautiful spirits.
Enchanted by Juniper (8" x 8," oil on artists' board), Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
I let go of my plans, got well in Santa Fe, and decided that taking over 400 photos from the car would redeem some of what I had lost.
wearing my purple huaraches, Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
It was a proud moment standing at the entrance to the Ghost Ranch, turning to view the Pedernal that is now iconic as a result of O'Keeffe's work. I cried when I made it one mile onto the road that led to the ranch.
Something amazing happened while I was recovering in Santa Fe.
My son sent me a text that a packet had arrived from Flagstaff, AZ--not the usual rejection letter that an artist can receive in the mail after a submission...but a large envelope. Should he open it?
Enchanted by Juniper (8" x 8," oil on artists' board), Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
I let go of my plans, got well in Santa Fe, and decided that taking over 400 photos from the car would redeem some of what I had lost.
wearing my purple huaraches, Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
It was a proud moment standing at the entrance to the Ghost Ranch, turning to view the Pedernal that is now iconic as a result of O'Keeffe's work. I cried when I made it one mile onto the road that led to the ranch.
Something amazing happened while I was recovering in Santa Fe.
My son sent me a text that a packet had arrived from Flagstaff, AZ--not the usual rejection letter that an artist can receive in the mail after a submission...but a large envelope. Should he open it? The spectacular news: I've been accepted as next summer's visual Artist-in-Residence at the Grand Canyon...for three weeks...a four bedroom house on the rim...with a studio. Did I mention it would be for three weeks?!
I'm kind of speechless.
P. S. Two days after I returned home, our vehicle's power steering belt jumped off its pulley. This could have happened two hours from Santa Fe, in the middle of the wilderness. It could have blown the engine, because the belt also drives the water pump. I accept that circumstances change and letting go can reveal the reasons later. I am grateful.
The Road to Ghost Ranch, NM Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
The Road to Ghost Ranch, NM Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza