The Artist’s Way

 

Really, this has been transformational, and that’s not a concept that I throw around lightly.

I bought Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way about twenty-five years ago. It’s a sort of guided tour through the development of creativity, with weekly reading and assignments.  I started and stalled the course at least twice, and there it sat on my desks (at least three houses), reminding me of my lack of follow-through.  I think it just wasn’t time yet.

Then last May my sister told me she had started it.  She had no idea of my history – she was just chatting about what was up in her life.  I decided I’d give in another go, and this time it stuck.  I’m currently midway through the third 12-week course.  Don’t let that deter you.  The first step is just 12 weeks, and I’d suggest (if it’s the right time for you) that you start by committing to that.

So, in addition to reading each weekly chapter (It’s OK to stretch your weeks out to two or three depending on your schedule), there are two important practices.  First, morning pages are a stream of consciousness journal.  There’s no audience and all you must do is fill three 81/2 X 11 pages each day, as early in the day as possible.  It’s an opportunity to rant and be grateful and sometimes to nurture new ideas to fruition.

The chapters and pages got me off high-center and I printed an archive of my first 13 years of blog posts, and wrote a boxed set of 12 books of my favorite images, mostly arranged by location.  I’m sure I never would have tackled either of those projects without the Artist’s Way. I’m grateful.

The other practice is what underpins this post.  An Artist Date is something you do weekly, ideally alone, which allows you to play and exposes you to new stuff.  Research has shown that creativity is largely about combining disparate concepts, so the more you know, the more creative you’ll be.  An Artist Date is “filling the well.”  Things that are traditionally artistic count, Like museums or the ballet, but also interesting shopping trips or podcasts, hikes or a great conversation.

So I did some classes.

I’ve always been curious about mosaic, so I did three classes at Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden with David Jarvinen.  This is my favorite of the three projects.  In general, I loved the freedom, with mosaic, to be a bit random.  I've learned that I’m not good with hyper-realism because I’m not that fussy.

A cyanotype class with Gabrielle Bitter at the Wickenburg Art Center last month was engaging.  This is a medium I think I’ll work with more at home.  It’s easy and like Raku (which I haven’t tried yet) you don’t know exactly what you’ll get until you’re done.  Cyanotype involves bringing up silhouettes by placing objects on a light sensitive medium (in this case applied to paper) and setting the whole assembly out in the sun.  It’s the same chemistry that made old-fashioned blueprints blue.

Oaxacan figure painting with Julia Fuentes, also at the Wickenburg Art Center, was fun even though it was a bit humbling.  Mine looks OK, but hers are stunning.

I commissioned a “portrait” of Gypsy and this is what Julia made.  Her work is so much more impressive than mine!

I have a heap of beach glass from 50 years of beachcombing in San Clemente.  As a tribute to the home there that my siblings and I sold after Mom passed in 2024, I tackled some crafty stuff with the glass, coached only by Pinterest. It was a fun exercise.  I made four pieces and there’s still quite a bit of glass left.

The project I’m most excited about now is using the app Procreate to transform some of my images to have a painterly look.  I got myself an apple pencil to allow precision and pressure – sensitive work on the iPad, and I’ve been having a ball. Procreate can do much more than that, and there are lots of free learning resources on YouTube.

I’ve got what I call the “re-adjustable” project list, meaning that I’m free to change my priorities any time.  So next up (or maybe not) are blackout poetry, a book based on a series of photographs I’ve been working on for years, and resurrecting something I did when I was 8 or 9 – abstract oil painting on ceramic tile.  But I’m modifying the list all the time.

Maybe I inspired you or maybe just confirmed your unfavorable impression of my mental health, but thanks for the read.  We’ll return to our regularly scheduled photographic content soon.

Dune Tour

Hazy rising crescent moon, Ibex area of Death Valley

"If you say, 'well, that’s pretty much what I thought I’d see' you are in trouble. At that point, you have to ask yourself why you are even here."  ~ Anne Lamott

There’s basically no snow this year.  Having cancelled a ski trip, I had a big block of time to take the van out on my own.  It had been since April, and I was feeling the lack. My introverted soul needs both solitude and wilderness.

Desert Gold bloom, Ibex area of Death Valley

I thought it would be a bit early for flowers, but it was shaping up to be a good year in the California desert.  In the absence of information about the progress of the bloom, I set out for low altitude destinations (which I thought would be showing flowers first) to see for myself. I hope for the best.

I got it.

First I headed for Ibex Dunes in Death Valley National Park.  It’s been a few years since I’d been there, but at under 500 feet elevation, I liked my odds. 

“Superbloom” is a label used for a phenomenon when an unusually large proportion of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil germinate and blossom at roughly the same time, generally in large carpets. The prerequisite is well-timed rains the previous fall and winter. There’s little agreement about what exactly constitutes a superbloom.

I do think I was treated to one at Ibex Dunes, though.

Desert Gold bloom, Ibex area of Death Valley

I turned a corner on the rough road and was astounded to see several multi-acre carpets of desert gold and golden suncap on the rocky east-facing slopes.  I immediately decided I’d stay for more than one night.  It was spectacular.

Brown Eyes, Ibex area of Death Valley

The walk from the road to the dunes at Ibex is about a mile, and I was surprised by a huge mat of brown eyes along the way.

Carpets of Phacelia and Desert Gold, Ibex Hills

On the way out, I decided on a whim to check out nearby Saratoga Springs.  I don’t find much that’s photogenic at the springs, but on the way there’s a geologic formation which I’ve wanted to include in a composition for many years.  It’s at the south end of the Ibex Hills and reveals delicious striped strata.  The thrill was that at its foot were blankets of Phacelia (scorpionweed) along with desert gold.  I love it when a whim pays off!

Brown Eyes Detail, Ibex area of Death Valley

I moved on after a couple of nights to Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve.  Those of you who have been there know that it’s a tough place to shoot with lots of dead vegetation.  High winds (I had to hunt for my stepstool when breaking camp in the morning) and socked-in overcast made for a challenging session.  I have nothing to share from Kelso.  I can vouch for the delights of an afternoon in camp, though.  Time for reading, processing photographs, art projects, and napping is a real gift. In a moment of synchronicity, I read the Ann Lamott quote that I opened this post with just when I needed it.

From there I swung by Amboy Crater, in the Mojave Trails National Monument.  I thought flowers among the black volcanic rocks would be beautiful, but I didn’t see much along the trail.  I did see no less than six camper vans in the parking lot (where camping is not allowed), with folks walking around in their pajamas and having their morning coffee.  I had planned to camp there (in the overflow parking lot, where it is allowed) if I thought there was photographic potential, but I moved on.

Dune Primrose backlighted at sunrise

My last stop was a dune field nearby.  I first heard about this place years ago from Jeff Foott, who died recently.  He asked that I not be specific about this location, so I won’t.  This visit felt like a chance to pay my respects to this kind man and talented photographer. I had some nice light there and delighted in the scattered dune primroses.  I’ve done lots of conventional dune photography here, but I decided to work mostly on the flowers this time.  That’s no small challenge because the areas in bloom are cluttered and chaotic compositionally.  I did make a few images I’m pleased with.

Massive blanket of Desert Gold flowers, Mojave Trails National Monument

Finally, there was a farewell gift of gargantuan fields of Desert Gold on the way home.

I’ll never tire of sand dunes, I’m sure.  And the superbloom is a welcome bonus.

More images are on the website, in the Winter 25-26 Gallery.  I know it looks like Spring, but really, it’s only mid-February.

Argentina

 

Mapuche Elder.  He didn't respond to my Spanish, but was game for a photo

First, a couple of disclaimers.  This was Marco’s fishing trip, on which I tagged along.  Photography was where I could find it, so there are not so many landscapes in ideal light.  I also spent two days in bed with food poisoning, during which photography was furthest from my mind. 

Marco casting on Lake Tronen

I'm going to hit the highlights. 

We spent a couple of days in Buenos Aires, enjoying art and landmarks.  One of the latter is the Grand Splendid Bookstore, a converted theater. 

Another favorite was the very old giant fig trees in the Recoleta section of the city which I was able to photograph in morning light.  It was a great, safe place to walk. 

Once in the Lake Section of Patagonia, wildlife was a highlight.  There was a guided morning birdwatching, and my favorite was a red fox in Lanìn National Park. 

From the back patio of the house we stayed in, there were views of Lanìn Volcano.  Photography doesn’t get much easier than that. 

The house was right on the Chimehuin River.  I didn’t find a landscape composition of the river that I liked but had fun with abstracts and reflections.

 

Hiking through the rainforests and among the monkey puzzle trees were a best part.  Lanìn was visible from many angles. 

The trails were full of flowers (it’s summer there after all).  Many native species show up in our gardens and flower shops. 

Perhaps my favorite photographs are portraits, taken of the Mapuche people and of Gauchos at the Rural Festival in Junìn.

As always, there’s more on the website, in the Winter 2025-26 Gallery.