Artist Melinda and the Good Heart, Ancestry and Abstract Play

Abstract Study Oil on Art Panel 18" x 24" © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza A month it has been! Hard to believe. I was not well for a few weeks, and it's been a struggle artistically. But, I can write that I believe I am back and ready to burn more web space. How sick was I? Well, I was so sick that I became worried about my heart, which led me have it checked out. I recommend it. I was able to put my fears to rest as I heard the doctor say, "You've got a really good and healthy heart!" Whew. 

This led me to recall that while I was recuperating from some weird and awful virus/sinus infection, I wandered off into the genealogy world to see how long my ancestors lived. You know, to tally up my odds. A significant number of them lived to be 100 years old, or into their eighties and nineties. See?

Knowledge is comfort as well as power... Remember when those blog questions were going around about your interesting life facts? I wrote that I had known a Russian prince. Well, I found out I was wrong. The truth is, in my opinion, even more interesting. Our family friend was Alexis Badmaeiff. He was the son of Rasputin's friend (?) and colleague, Doctor Badmaev (Russian Physician). This became connected to another interesting thread: NPR's resent segment on "'Rasputin Was My Neighbor' And Other True Tales of Time Travel." Alexis was smuggled out of Russia during the Revolution, and was taken to France. He later immigrated to the US and built a good life here. I remember that he started his day with a raw egg in a glass of vodka. He told me once that he had wanted to be a physician. Hmm. He even operated on my foot after a vacation mishap I had as a child. Anyway, I hope you'll have a look at the NPR article. The comments are quite entertaining too. If you have some connections to the distant past, I would love to have you comment and share them! Abiquiu Ancestors Oil on Canvas 30" x 30" © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza Now, back to thinking about our Abiquiu ancestors, the painting, and a sketch I've wanted to paint for eons. I've wrestled, pleaded, cajoled and harangued this Ancestors painting. It's starting to give me clues. This is not done yet. It demands more diplomacy....or a minor revolution. Maybe it is cooperating a bit more because I turned away and gave some attention to a sketch in my Moleskine, seen at the top of this page. This, too, is not finished. I missed painting so much that smearing anything on canvas/canvas board was a major thrill. 

Don't be afraid to have your heart checked. You might get some really good news. If it's less than stellar though, know that there are great new ways of fixing them. Trust me, Miz Scardeycat, on this. You're young enough to correct almost any problem.

So, I Shall Go There--New Mexico!

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? 

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