Petrified Forest National Park: Awesome Residency Inspires Art
May 17 – May 30, 2015
For two weeks during spring wildflower season I was an Artist-in-Residence at Petrified Forest National Park. Tramping through red rock and ashen craggy layers formed over 300 million years ago, I lived in a geological time capsule filled with color, textures, mysterious names, and symbols.
Painted Desert, Blue Mesa, Black Forest, Chinle Formation, Bidahochi, Puerto Village, Crystal Forest, Long Logs . . .
Painted Desert
Pre-residency Art Plans
Beginning with the application process, I collected photos of the Petrified Forest. I was drawn to the Petrified Forest for the stark approachability of the landscape, about 5000 feet in altitude, unusual rock formations, old pinyon and juniper trees, and grasslands of wildflowers.
Excitement for working in the park grew as I looked at pictures of colorful mudstone mountains and imagined the woodcuts I would create.
Blue Mesa
Here is a snapshot of the art residency.
