Tucson Artist, Melinda: Travelin' Bug

Well, I've been all over the country this summer (sort of). I'm ready to hunker down for awhile in the studio.

Grand Central--New York (Thanks, Mr. Artyfice) They are beautiful people, n'est-ce pas?

What beautiful people (virtually there)

Boston, MA (Thanks, friendly stranger who took this one. I can almost taste the ice cream!

Going out for ice cream in Boston.

And, of course, my favorite destination, the Grand Canyon (really there).

Standing on the roof of Verkamp's with Ell

One place I haven't been to recently--Facebook. I've been meaning to ask you, do you see a change in the way people spend their time online this year? I mean, have you noticed, as I have, that it appears that most bloggers have headed over to FB and nearly disappeared from Blogger? What do you think is up? I do miss friends there, but I was rarely seeing them as organizations bumped them from my view. I also miss some of the best pet videos.

Are the ex-bloggers power hungry professors now, working on Quantum theories, and too busy to post?

For me, I noticed that I would turn into a small mouse who clicked and clicked the lever (fb) for a tasty 'food pellet,' only to find that I remained hungry, without many finished paintings after all that clicking. Now that I'm off, I'm pushing the lever that really gives me a payoff: PAINTING! Yum.

In the Night, Spirits II (30" x 30," oil on Canvas, Oct. 2012, © Melinda Esparza)

Here is the painting I finished this week, a 30" x 30," oil painting on canvas--a large iteration of, In the Night, Spirits. It was challenging and fun to paint this image on the bigger canvas.

I hope whatever you are doing, that you are getting just the right 'payoff' for you!

Gather 'Round the Campfire, Kids: A Scary Story

After Sunset from Verkamp's July 2012 © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

It was not a dark and stormy night. It was merely an evening--when Ell and I were alone upstairs at Verkamp's settling in for the night. As Ell walked toward the kitchen, and I stood next to the living room sofa, there was a very, very, loud CLAP. He looked at me. I looked at him. Both of us had queries, "Did you hear that?! Was that your laptop?" "No!" Neither of us had made the sound and the laptop didn't have that kind of capability. I, like the good and safe mom posited," It was prolly the fireplace flue, er, something," and we carried on (The fireplace had not been operable for many years, I later learned.) Ell says he totally bought my explanation, even though there was no reason to assume it. I'll take that as a good thing.

The house was extremely noisy, until it wasn't. There were some nights when I would smile listening to the sweet laughter of children and adult voices accompanied by faraway music wafting up from the downstairs gift shop. Then, I'd realize it was 10:30 pm at night! The gift shop closes at 8 pm. Sometimes it sounded like a dinner party, and all this with an evaporative cooler fan running. There were other nights when the house walls seemed alive with strange noises and knocks, when it wasn't windy, but never a large clap, even when the monsoon winds arrived. (An aside: wolf spiders and other strange insects seemed drawn to my bedroom and to my pillow during these days! Okay, old houses have these things, but why, oh why, were they on my pillow and on no one else's?!)

In the Night, Spirits (8" x 8" oil on artists' board© 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

I heard that there were spirits (legends from Native American culture, too) that spent a lot of time around the mule barn and some of the employee housing nearby. They were not the cheerful sort.  Here's one employee's story.  And, there is a book on the subject: Grand Canyon Ghost Stories Spooky Tales About Grand Canyon National Park.

After Ell left, and I was all alone at the Canyon, I became increasingly uneasy--prickly really, with an intuitive sense of energies curious about who was hanging out at Verkamp's old place. And, they were mischievous. I mean, I'd had three roller blinds fall on my head and one window fall out of its frame while I was standing next to it! But, there might have been a slight breeze...On the other hand, the window had been open for days and I'd recently checked to make sure it was in its track.

Okay. I was getting nervous. There. I wrote it. I don't know about you, but I do sense things that sight and ears don't fully account for. Color me crazy, that's just the way I've been all my life. I'll bet you've had some radar for this kind of thing, too.

The intensity of my anxiety continued to roil, until I was so freaked by sounds and sensations each night that I became fed up--and annoyed, and with all the good synchronicity happening, I didn't want things to get ugly. So, near midnight one particularly goose-bumpy night (like being watched and troubled and ready to run from the building screaming and freaking out), I had a conversation--out loud and for a few minutes, in the living room and the balcony under the stars. As I spoke about how I was living there now without malice and that I expected the same, I felt a dissipation of energy (curious spirits?) Peace and quiet filled the house. Even the darkness of the Canyon seemed friendlier.

I was so at peace after this loud conversation that I never felt concerned about being alone in the building for the rest of my stay. A couple days later, there was an unexpected knock at the door. This never happens! Two local, Native American men in worker's garb wanted to check all of the fire alarms. They went through the place, chatted cordially with me, asking questions about my art and my stay with curiosity and studied, thoughtful looks. Finally, they said they'd be back later to replace an alarm. They never returned. I was in no way concerned about the unexpected strangers. I felt I'd past some sort of test.

You could say that I met my own fears and conquered them. I agree. Yet, I think we are visited sometimes, that there are residues of human energy that can cling to an environment (and what an environment it is!), and that these two possibilities can be hard to untangle, especially when all things must be measured against current scientific studies.

This painting might be in response to my remembering that part of my stay. It was another spontaneous painting that I painted a few days ago.

Have you had similar experiences?

"Now about those ghosts. I'm sure they're here and I'm not half so alarmed at meeting up with any of them as I am at having to meet the live nuts I have to see every day. "
Bess Truman

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/bess_truman.html#x25MurW680C2AyT6.99

Artist in Residence: Melinda as Minor Vessel of Good

There was another workshop I facilitated while at the Grand Canyon. This one moved me so deeply I cried and rejoiced, as I was used as a vessel to speak art to young people.

The program Grand Inspiration offers high school students time to become "immersed in the beauty of Grand Canyon and record ...their unique perspectives."

After some days rafting the Colorado through a segment of Grand Canyon, the kids return to the Rim and put on an art exhibit, reflecting on their journey together.

Grand Kids after the workshop

They gathered at the residence with me for a couple of hours. When an adult guide asked how I came to be an artist, I told them this: I was in my mid-twenties and lost. I had experienced too much tragedy. In despair, I lay down for a week--not eating--waiting for some answer to go on living with purpose. Nothing happened until a week had passed, I heard (almost audibly) two words:
s t a i n e d   g l a s s!

This startled the students. They thought I would have gotten some kind of transformative wisdom from God, not two unfamiliar words. I have to admit, I was a perplexed! Yet, those words were lightning bolts to my soul. 

I went on: I had $60 to my name and no car. I borrowed one and drove to Oakland to buy a book (How to Work in Stained Glass, by Anita Isenberg, Seymour Isenberg) and some tools. I returned to cut glass, bleed, get flux in my cuts, and to make a few small pieces before moving back to Tucson. Four years later, I was supporting myself doing commission stained glass work and had been in two newspaper articles about stained glass artists in Tucson (along with other artisans of the day). I also had completed two large restaurant commissions, one at Macayo Restaurant and one at El Parador. 

My point for them was this: Each of us can find a way to be artists in this culture, despite tragedy, bias, and a host of other obstacles. The way is not straight, nor easily explained in a textbook. 

Grand Kids with their work

That evening the kids had an art exhibit and were so full of life. The Canyon seemed to inhabit their eyes with renewed purpose and strength. As I looked at the large artwork they'd created at the workshop and the fabulous poetry and drawings and photographs they'd worked on, I was humbled to be a part of it. 

Then, a gifted student walked up to me and told me that he'd had an epiphany. Art is saving HIS life. He, too, he had suffered too much tragedy recently. He shared such a horrible loss with me that I was speechless. But we encouraged each other, hugged, and I left overwhelmed with emotion. 

Synchronicity. 

© 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Tucson Artist Melinda Grand Canyon Part II: Segment 2218--Chapter 4

Redwall Canyon (8" x 8," oil on cradled panel) July © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

It could be really easy to write about being one of this year's artists-in-residence at the Grand Canyon. Yes, I could write about it for the rest of the year....Okay, maybe not the entire year, but how about some more?

As part of my volunteer time there, I agreed to lead two workshops for kids. One was Parks in Focus. The kids were in middle school and up from Tucson. They were so intensely interested in their experience. I could tell.

I drew a super larger drawing of the Canyon on several torn pieces of watercolor paper, numbering the backs of the sheets, thinking of David Hockney and his approach to photography in the 1980s.

Each child then got to watercolor and use pastels to paint and draw on their segments of the drawing. You could hear them think the concentrated silence was so strong.

© 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Didn't they do a great job of abstracting the drawing? Here is a link to their twitter account quoting something I said (Yes, I do remember saying that!): Parks in Focus Twitter Message

Artist Melinda: Home Again, Home Again

Asterism's Dip (8" x 8" oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Perhaps an artist-in-residency should be subtitled: and Spiritual Retreat. Alone at 4 AM, no tourists or rangers, no pets, no city activity, there are other sounds and thoughts to consider. For me, driving away from consuming grief when I left Tucson, and heading north to the Rim, gave me a place to recover, and an opportunity to craft some serious realignment, to bring forward what I know to be true and hear again the soul's voice that really does know everything. We get so lost trying to please others--listening to their requests, their needs.

From silence, love speaks.

In the morning, I got to give Ranger Pete Peterson and Virginia of the Gift Shop at Verkamp's hearty hugs before departing. They were so kind and enthusiastic about my work and the artists who reside upstairs. Good people! They do have perfect jobs...after painting, of course.
 
I'm home now. And what a day of travel it was! I drove us away from one of the best places I've ever had the honor of experiencing. It was a cool day, and the drive home was exciting with the monsoon rains. At the end of the day, double rainbows formed over my home and studio. The second one is barely visible in the upper left hand corner of the sky.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.

The painting, Asterism's Dip (oil on Artists' Board, 8" x 8"), was painted after awakening at 4 AM several nights in a row. The Big Dipper was swooping down for a drink, or delivering energy to the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon. I know I drank deeply.

I ate birthday cake.

Grand Canyon Artist in Residence Melinda Esparza: Of an Evening's Measure

Of an Evening's Measure (8" x 8," oil on artists' board)© 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

What is the purpose of an AiR (Artist-in-Residence)? How is that opportunity honored, and what can one get out of it?

I found that I:

Cleaned my palette

Found I used less of everything

Looked more

Spent time more wisely

Addendum--Things I learned:

Stand back when pulling down ancient rolly blinds

A wolf spider is hard to sleep near

Save the Daddy Long Legs

Condors perform for travelers, and ravens do too

Walking up three flights of stairs several times a day in addition to sightseeing, grocery shopping and laundry doing, will definitely hobble one for a couple of days

Synchronicity is everywhere, if you're open to it

Don't put things with polyester in the public dryer with towels--they will melt

Stop with the multi-tasking already

This piece (Of an Evening's Measure, 8" x 8," oil on artists' panel) was created during the last two weeks. Plus, here's another slideshow of a spectacular sunset last night. Wishing you all paint time.

Grand Canyon Headquarters Art Exhibit: Artist Melinda is There!

It's been an incredible honor to be one of this year's artists-in-residence at the Grand Canyon, only to have the added privilege of having my work exhibited at the Grand Canyon Park Service's Headquarters.

Life with a cherry on top.

A major thank you to Rene A. Westbrook, South Rim Artist-in-Residence program coordinator, Grand Canyon National Park. She has been so generous and thoughtful coordinating my stay and hanging my work. She is also a wonderful artist!

Here are more photos from the Canyon taken on different days:

Grand Canyon: Quiet Walk, and then!

Photo by Ell (recent graduate-Master's in Math-and all around good man)

Here are two paintings from this week's paint demos. They aren't done, of course, but they give me ideas.

I was walking along the Trail of Time this morning, contemplating the beauty and quiet. There is something that happens when you're here for awhile. The world falls away and there is a desire to slow down--way down. It's so subtle, yet powerful.



Then, I spotted large birds circling, and I thought that they'd found something to hunt. They swooped over my head and I began to shake. They were condors! There were about eight of them having a pleasant fly over, landing along the edge of an outcropping, talking to each other, observing. They looked like they were performing too, but there was no crowd.

Wishing you all time to slow down, disconnect and take in a little nature...

Grand Canyon Artist Melinda Video Postcard

Dear artist bloggers,

Here's a quick video of me painting on the Rim Monday morning. You'll hear the wind whistling, so you might want to turn down the sound at first.

Each day gets better and better. Clouds are coming in causing a shadow dance of shapes across the Canyon walls and mesas. You should be here!

Wish you were.

Love,
Melinda

Made It! Life on the Rim is Good

Just a quick note to let you know that I made it here. What a day! What a place! Wish you all could stop in to celebrate with me. Here are some first impressions:

From the Balcony © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

At the Rim © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Ell and Melinda © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Wishing you all a great weekend. More soon.

Grand Canyon Dreaming

In my mind, I'm already there.... Grand Canyon Guide

I'll be painting, musing, thinking of you all. My heart is full of good words of encouragement.

I am thankful for you.

Let's see if I can blog a little while on the Rim. At first, you can just picture me with an awestruck (and slightly goofy) look on my face. 

Here sits a visitation of joy
Captured by a flickering light
Easing the cry of a world yearning to rest
Just for a moment
This is my gratified wish
To be present in this warm light (of the Rim)
Not far away
Where I am of no use
---Melinda Esparza © 2008

And, a special thank you to:

Kathryn Law
 
Jeane Myers

Barbara Muir

Donald Diddams

Linny D.Vine

Jeffrey J. Boron

MarciaLaBelle

and Mr. Artyfice and Ell.

Could not have done this without you. There are other really special people who have helped in so many ways. I'm thinking of you, too.

With best wishes--m

Woman Artist, Melinda asks: What Are You Afraid of?

Yes, you, dear men and women of the Western cultures. What scares you most? Is it spiders? Or, roaches? Maybe heights, or flying? Now, if you have strong fears, I'll bet there are some things about painting that keep you up at night. Nearly all my of life, I have been afraid of spiders. So much so, that I couldn't even look at photos of them in magazines. But, nature finds a way. One day, my Ell won the fifth grade class's tarantula. That's right. T A R A N T U L A. I was clearly stuck. If I expressed my true terror of the ghastly thing, why, I'd be the laughing stock of the classroom. Ell would know for sure that I am really some kind of cowering, simpering fraud after all those years of being... Mother: The Force of Nature (echo, echo, echo). Her name was Molly. We brought her home and started collecting crickets for her. We added to her name. She became Molly Francesca Gomezina. She was the subject of many a monotype and a very long poem/book. I learned to hold her in my hand. Before she died, she graced us with a phenomenal event. She molted. This is her molt that you see me holding today. Maybe we don't have to be afraid of paint. Maybe we can paint with abandon, knowing that there are scarier things in the world; and that nature and pigment and canvas are not any of those things. Makes the brush a lot less intimidating, doesn't it? Be brave.

Painting! Ain't Gonna Be Dragged Down

Here it is a Wednesday and I'm painting again. This is much better. You guys are great and I am so thankful for your friendship and art.

The other day I was reading an article in New Mexico Magazine about Georgia O'Keeffe and her camping trips with her assistant, Maria Chabot. I wish I could share it with you, but it's in the current June edition and there are no links to the article right now. However, there is this, Georgia O'Keeffe and her houses, that you might like to look at.

Ever the curious web-surfer, I found another article. This one, quite damning of O'Keeffe's work. My. I'm in conflict. I can't help but enjoy her work, but I think the author makes valid points. Pointedly. Here's a link to the article, Inspired illustrator, by Deborah Solomon. This should stimulate some discussion.

I've completed Pedernal One, 18" x 18" (oil on cradled panel) today. Whew! This is the one I worked on during the Tucson Artists' Open Studios Tour in April. I wonder if this is, er ahem, O'Keeffe-like, or maybe, even better...

Blue Pedernal II (18" x 18," oil on cradled panel) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Music is like a great cup of coffee, isn't it? This song by Eric Bibb, Don't Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down, got me going today, and I thought I'd share it with you. Wishing you lots of inspired time in the studio.

Going Forward Again: Painting and Remembering

This is hard. I've been away, but now I'm back. Painting some, but never enough. Here is one painting I'm trying to finish up soon. This was one I started during the Tucson Artists' Open Studios Tour last month. I've been working on the large version of Pedernal One, but I'm not quite ready to share it. Missed you all very much. I didn't do much lurking until this week. I know that blogs and Facebook sharing should, for the most part be fun and cheery, but you know life...Sometimes, things are just downright wretched.
Until his last day, he was on the job. Loki went into his crate to lie down, with one eye on me and one on the rest of the house. There he slept. There he rested--his job done--performed with dedication and laser-like focus until the dawn. Lakota (Loki): 2002--May 9, 2012. May you all know the bond and love of a good dog.

Tucson Artists' Open Studios Tour: Artist Melinda Grateful for All Visitors

First blooms in my yard © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Spring in Tucson is so gorgeous with its clear skies, blooming cacti (yum, food on the way!) and so many events for snowbirds and locals to enjoy.

We had us some fun this Saturday and Sunday! Good people showed up, laughed and talked, and paintings were bought. Whew! I'm a little frazzled today.

Studio view © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

But...I'm mostly very grateful to you all.

Thank you for stopping in and for visiting on Ustream as I gave two painting demos in preparation for my Grand Canyon Artist-in-Residence coming up in late June.

Here are photos of the two I worked on, unfinished, as of yesterday. I hope to finish them soon.

Blue Pedernal #2 (30" x 30," oil on cradled artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Catalinas Study Begun (30" x 30," oil on cradled artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

I hope you all are planning on lots of time in the studio this week. When you get a chance, mosey on over to The Madness of Art and look at how it's done in New York (You know, gallery contracts, artist/gallerist negotiations). Gee, I have a bike with one of those bells...In my dreams, I'm ringin' it.

Tucson Artists' Open Studios: Artist Melinda Paints

Windy Point (8" x 8," oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza 

The Tucson Artists' Open Studios Tour will be going on from 11 AM 'til 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday.

In my mind, I'm already there...and painting....live....on Ustream. My hope is to get things set up for painting by 1 PM on Saturday, MST (Mountain Standard Time). If things go well, and I'm not too tired on Sunday, I'll try to paint again at the same time.

More paintings to see:

New Mexico Hill and Junipers (8" x 8," oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Flying Cloud (8" x 8," oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

She Wore New Earrings (8" x 8," oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

The Tucson Artists' Open Studios event is a big deal here in the Old Pueblo. I'm looking forward to all who stop by!

I know that my fellow artist bloggers will be here in spirit, right?! I'll be thinking of you, too.

Tucson Artists' Open Studios Tour Apr 14 & 15 2012: Melinda Makes Ready!

Sky Fell, Sun Followed 8" x 8" Oil on artists' board © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

The big run-up to next week's Tucson Artists' Open Studios tour is ON. I'm getting excited to see all of the kindhearted, funny, extremely intelligent people who'll be stopping by. I'm going to be giving a painting demo one or both of the days, in preparation for my Grand Canyon Artist-in-Residency. Whoo-hoo!

There's something else, too. If you would like to, please go to Melinda Esparza Artists Wanted and click 'Collect Me.' If there are enough people who do, I might just get some of my art flashing in Times Square. Wouldn't that be fun?

Here are some of the paintings you'll see at my studio during the Tucson Artists' Open Studios tour next week:

Abiquiu Ancestors 30" x 30," oil on canvas © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Ghost Ranch Cliff #1 8" x 8," oil on artists' board © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Ghost Ranch Mesa 30" x 30," oil on canvas © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Sabino Canyon Snowy Day (9" x 12," oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Blue Pedernal 10" x 10," oil on artists' board © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Rain Dance Shamans (16" x 20," oil on artists' board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Monks' Quarters Tumacacori 12" x 12," oil on artists' board © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Rincon Peak Winter Snow (18" x 18," oil on cradled board) © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

The weather is fantastic here. Perfect for wandering around Tucson and visiting artists' studios.

I'll be looking for you!

Artist Melinda: Coming Out of the Storm, Painting New Mexico

Blue Pedernal 10" x 10," oil on artists' board © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

If I told you, you would not believe it. So, I'll let the non-weather-storms-of-life story go for now. I know you've had them. I know you shake your heads in amazement when waves of discord, like invisible psychic sunspots, affect all of your mental circuits.

And then, here you are, back again: working, painting, laughing at funny things.

This painting, Blue Pedernal, was painted mid-storm. I am smiling. Actually, I've laughed this morning until tears welled up. Go here, Hyperbole and a Half, to do the same.

May you ride out any storms with a paintbrush in hand.

Hail! Snow! Tucson Artist, Melinda, Remembers Another Snowy Day in Arizona

Sabino Canyon on a Snowy Day (oil on artists' board 9" x 12") 
© 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

I've heard that things are pretty warm back East. Isn't that something? The wind came to Tucson, bringing clouds El Gigante, followed by hail and a few flakes of snowy stuff. It was grand.

It'll prolly be hot as heck next week, but right now, it's so wonderful to walk in the brisk, cool air wearing gloves and a scarf.

Even though I was distracted by this wondrous weather, I did manage to paint. This, Abiquiu Ancestors (Forest Road 154, Abiquiu, NM), might be done--might be--not quite sure. The painting at the top is of Sabino Canyon on a snowy day.

Abiquiu Ancestors Oil on Canvas 30" x 30" © 2012 Melinda S. Esparza

Oh, how the desert sparkles when it snows!