Diary of a Residency, Day 21, March 8.2009

I’m tired; perhaps a quick recap will do it.

Nice walk on the desert this morning, although I didn’t find the cemetery. Richard Stephens showed up with his friends; I almost went with them back to the cemetery, but tea and comfort inside the Barn called. Which was just as well, as a couple from Germany wandered in, so I got them to sign the book. Other visitors showed up during the day; Betty and Fred are urging people to drop by.

Todd, Christy, and David worked more on the cistern, which now has its cover. I got a great photo of Christy, and an OK one of David and Todd:

The wood sticking out from the back of the truck is Suzanne’s easel, which had been in the garage at the Goldwell House in Beatty. I asked David if he knew someone who could deliver it to the Barn for a couple of bucks, and of course, he and Todd and Christy jogged off and picked it up. They also screwed in the casters nice and tight and carried it into the Barn for me. It makes a great addition to my workspace, and I feel less guilty about using it because David said he thought another painter was coming for a residency. So that person will get to use the easel also. But I already used it today and it felt absolutely comfortable. I think Suzanne has imbued it with good vibes.

My walk across the desert was in part trying to determine how to do a decent panorama of the sculptures and Rhyolite. I turned the two  that I had been working on to the wall — neither was a good painting, although I think Shorty’s Rebellion was fun. I may do it again, on a differently scaled board. Anyway, those two are on their way to being painted over, and I want to do a panorama that works — and includes those bits and pieces of things strewn across the landscape, looking properly small and even a bit forlorn. They remind me of the ghost town at Gold Point or the higgledy-piggledy layout of Basin, Montana.

And I think I need to include a bit of desert track, ala Rackstraw Downes (who worked at Marfa as well as in NYC). So I’m pondering the composition, which is the essential problem to be solved, first. The others come later.

I did two paintings, neither finished but both decent. One is from a photo — it’s Beatty as it has looked when we’ve approached it as the sun was setting behind us. The mountains that hover above the town would glow and the town would be in shadow. I’m not happy with it as it stands, but I think it’s salvageable.

Approaching Beatty, Evening, 12 x 16, oil on board, 2009

The other one I worked on is a continuation of the larger board that I started yesterday. It’s further along and seems to be abstracting itself. I like that and want to push it further. I also need to adjust the  color a bit.

The Bare Mountains, PM, 18 x 24, oil on board, 2009

This is the companion to the Funeral Mountains AM (The Bullfrog Hills) that I did yesterday. I’m hoping to do one or two more, of the desert directly south, but I haven’t decided on time of day.

So tomorrow is Monday, and I will pursue the question of the panorama — again. And I may even find the cemetery.  Carrie Radomski is coming out to the Barn tomorrow (George was out a while back), and I’ll get to play with two easels. Imagine that — maybe a brush in each hand going at both at once <snort>

Reporting from Beatty, Nevada, the gem of the state.

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