I’ve been wanting to share more from our road trips, so I’m giving it a try! Reflecting on thoughts and experiences, photos, sketches, and paintings from our trips. The road trips we’ve taken have influenced many of my new art projects, like my series, Spring Mountain: a reflection of early May in the Badlands.
On our first night camping off grid in the Badlands, we pulled up to our campsite and were greeted by a sunset made up of creamy pastels. The colors softly lit up the mountains below our feet, as we made a fire and settled in after our 8 hour long drive.
May 2, 2020 The Badlands, South Dakota
had to get way way way out to remember why why do things seem so much lighter in this bright sun white rocks gradient lines surfaces which crumble when you touch them
Sometimes getting away from the city and our common amenities at home is the best way we can heal and grow. There’s always an obstacles on these trips we take, but it seems like the views are always worth it. It’s about enjoying something that costs nothing.
too much of our lives are spent tucked away in crowded spaces
I study the colors, textures, and lines of the places we camp and explore. Studying the mountains, I trace their edges with my eyes, then draw a contour line. My sketches are inspired by the visual experience of being in a new landscapes.
All of our trips up to date have been pretty mild as far as weather goes, until this one. Twice we had to escape from storms that seemed to have developed right above our heads. One night I watched a black cloud of lightning build over the mountains out in the distance. As the lightning strikes came closer, the sound of the wind got louder. It was so aggressive our pots and crocs flew away in the wind, and our van shook from side to side as clouds grew dark and ominous.
wind is a sculptor pushing and crashing, active like waves fluid, like water free and uncontrolled