Narrative

After a beautiful snow-filled drive, I made the transition from Zion National Park to my home town of Portland, Oregon. It only took 16 hours to drive here and 2.5 weeks later I feel like I am still arriving emotionally. I went from dry air that smells like the color yellow, skies so blue with no clouds, and towering red rocks... to air hanging with moisture, blooming trees and thick thick moss... wilderness to city, freedom to routine, once-in-a-lifetime to familiar/every-day. Now I feel as if there are three parts of me in conversation: the person I was when I left, the person I became while I was gone, and the person who I am now. Though I can feel the difference between them, it is difficult to know exactly what has been learned... let alone how to integrate it. So I am experiencing it instead. 
Yesterday, I took my first hike in nature since arriving home... I needed to fill my eyes, ears and lungs with some Oregon grandeur, so I went to the Columbia River Gorge. I found it sweet to quench my experience with waterfalls, bird songs, wildflowers and gigantic trees. I even met a couple who had been at Zion while I was the Artist-in-Residence, a coincidence that seemed to speak to my intention for the hike... to allow these two drastically different landscapes to thrive within me.
In my art studio, I am working on commissions and creating a portfolio for Zion, as I work I can see an expansiveness in my practice and a freshness in my artwork. This experience has changed my life, the way that I think and the way that I live. I am beyond grateful, I feel blessed. 

The piece selected for the permanent collection at Zion, titled "Landscape Snippets", can be seen HERE.