Hit the Road!

On Wed morning I'm leaving this lovely residency at Art 342. Damn.

We had a hell of a party last night to celebrate our 15 weeks of working here, a lovely group of 8 ladies that Jim, the founder, likes to refer to us at "The Sisterhood". And I'm "Mother Superior". Hmm.

The beautiful weather and the freakiness of packing (for the umpteenth time in my life) unnerves me with its elegant solitude. I need to buy and install new clamp-on leaf springs on my truck since I broke one moving out here. Poor truck. But I bought her a new set of tires. Well, that fits my Sunday afternoon of sun, packing, and beer drinking.

Visiting friends on the road en route to Boston- my storage unit haven.

I'm giving a lecture at my alma matter, Kansas City Art Institute on Thursday night, which is an honour and a treat.

Then, to Boston. Deal with storage and do lots of schlepping, retreiving artwork from shows, logistics like the dentist and doctor, visiting friends. I have a sound piece in a work that will screen at the Axiom Gallery in Boston the following Thursday, April 29. Then to Troy, NY and the fabulous Contemporary Artists Center @ Woodside is having a residency reunion weekend, which should be a hoot of communal cooking, art chats, and a sleepover.

I expect to begin hiking the Appalachian trail on Sunday, May 2. I hope to cover all of MA, CT, NY, and NJ. Got all my gear together, and my friend John "Stove-Lab" Osorio-Buck will provide with a kickass custom homemade lightweight backcountry kitchen. Thanks, John!

I will hike for 300 miles or 3 weeks, whichever is longer. I don't know about you, but when I have to clear my head, I like to take a walk.

This is a first- step training for doing the whole 2,650 mi Pacific Crest Trail next summer, with my wonderful old friend Aili Schmeltz. She's an artist too, and somehow this will become an art project. I'm hoping my shorter journey will teach me how to figure out what that's all about. I follow my gut. My gut says: take a walk. It's just as compelling a desire as what makes me make my artwork. I'm unconvinced it's different.

planning Appalachian Trail hike

So, I have been in training since Jan. Summer of 2011 my friend Aili and I will hike the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail. Her idea... really. But I've always wanted to do it! Later this month, I'll meet up with my old buddy Derek, who did it in 2000 to pick up some tips.

I've gotten together or ordered most of my gear. I had to get lots of new stuff as most of mine is about 15 years old-skool and heavy. Next month I will section-hike the Appalachian trail alone. Around May 4 I will start in northern Massachusetts and then thru CT, NY, and NJ. I am hoping to complete the 301 miles in those 4 states in under 3 weeks.

After that I gotta scoot up to the Canadian Maritimes for two nice residencies and a solo show!

And MOOSE viewing!

So, the highlight of my day was discovering the ULTIMATE hiking skirt. Thank you ARC thrift store, for my "Express" brand polyester above-knee black skirt with red, yellow, and pink polka-dots. Lightweight, breathable, chafe-proof, and privvy savvy! Not to mention cute. How can I possibly feel tired and defeated in polka-dots?

Theater of Fish by John Gimlette.

Very fun. Basically a travel writing book exploring Newfoundland and Labrador.

And lemme tell ya, it's the only one out there. Not a lot of folks go visiting "the Rock" let alone wholly forsaken Labrador.

It' written interestingly, as he follows the route of his great-grandfather. So the story flip-flops between around 2002 and 1893.

Good prep for my trip to Newfoundland. My residency is in Brigus (home of infamous Capt. Bob Bartlett) in Conception Bay, about 1.5 hr drive N of St. Johns. HOPEFULLY I'll have a bit of time afterwards to explore and do some camping, not that I want to be trampelled by a moose in the middle of the night.

Peary was an asshole.

This is probably the most recent book to come out about the whole Peary/Cook "Polar Controversy". Now I'm not sure what to think about it. One thing is for sure though, Peary was a milk-whet mamma's boy and a ruthless fame-seeker. He was also a toeless old fart with a huge crew in his 1909 "discovery" of the Pole. Cook was quiet and meek, not boastful, and he was a friend to Amundsen, who seems awesome (though I've not yet read full bios on him) and pioneer of ultralight travel. Well, it sure was a good read.

drawin an' a hikin'

So I gave up awhile ago on trying to track my progress in training for the PCT thru-hike. Lets just say I'm gettin into it. The weather's getting nicer, I've started exploring my local hikes... testing my endurance, seeing how much I have to eat on the trail, and just getting back into being in the elements all darn day.

When I first started working on the schooner Mystic Whaler (I crewed summer '07) I found myself seriously pooped the first few weeks. All that sun and wind takes it out of ya, but then you just get used to it. Always feeling your skin. And some sore muscles somewhere.

I've been exploring gear online and there's tons of info out there, and blogs. I need to find more by short ladies though, to help in the gear department. I will buy a new sleeping bad (finally) and a teensy lite stove before leaving Colorado. I think I can do at least a 2 week hike in May maybe on the AT.

In other news... I'm finishing up the octopus on my USS Constitution drawing.

Sir John Franklin

This was pretty good.

I hadn't realized how OLD Franklin was at the time of the expedition. It was so well funded, and such a huge deal at the time.

drawing progress