12x12 for $144 IV

My piece for  this year's 12x12 fundraiser at the Harwood Art Center

Abstract Topography, gouache, graphite, wood sealant, 2013

The original shape came from a sketchbook drawing of the bottom part of a squash; the rest just came to me as I thought about how to morph the shape into something more.

6x6s made by kids from Escuela del Sol Montessori School

Caravan of the Sky

I am continually on the hunt for a camper van like the one my parents had ('78 VW, avacado green) so that some day I can venture out on a similar road trip to the one they took in the early '80s, a three month long round trip excursion from Albuquerque to Alaska. In the meantime, this might do just fine.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3022316/the-camper-that-becomes-a-penthouse

Train Travel

It was raining steadily when we left Pagosa Springs at 6:45 in the morning, en route to Durango to board the Durango Silverton train. We had been having some doubts upon waking up to the sound of water pounding on the tin roof. Of course, in the Chambers-Wherritt style, none of us were bothered by the weather, and there was really no question about going. As the train pulled out of the station and rolled through town, I couldn't help but notice the how many people stopped to wave to us and the other passengers. It seems as though everyone is fascinated by the sight of a train, as if it was some long-lost piece of history, which in a way it is.

The train follows the Animas River the entire way to Silverton, meandering through a contrasting landscape of wide valleys and deep canyons. The river was rushing with water as a result of the recent rains. There is something magical about traveling by train through the mountains to an old mining town,  taking the route many miners became intimately familiar with during the 19th century. In many places along the canyon-sides there were remnants of old power lines, sometimes barely distinguishable from the fallen tree trunks.

Proceed and Be Bold

A few years ago, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. came to my college for an artist talk. I bought variations of the two prints above, the "Good Coffee" for myself and the "Fishing" for my brother. I remember falling in love with his work, not just because it was letterpress, but also the powerful, witty, political messages and icons he used to reflect on the theme of racism.

Circus Acts on a SeeSaw

Central Vietnam: Hoi An

"Midieval-looking Hoi An was once Vietnam's most cosmopolitan port. Today the good times have returned and this beautiful, ancient town is bursting with gourmet Vietnamese restaurants, hip bars and cafes, quirky boutiques and expert tailors."

...

The first thing we did in Hoi An was a street food tour. It was led by a gregarious Australian transplant named Neville (fitting I think). We stopped at more than forty authentic Vietnamese street food stands. It was feast for the senses as we walked through the markets and tasted food from stalls we would never think of going to on our own. He dispelled all the myths about street food in foreign countries, including everyone's biggest concern: cleanliness. Neville explained that the dirtier the floor, i.e. how much food/trash is on the ground, the better. This is a sign that the Vietnamese really like the "restaurant." He tried to emphasize that these people are no different that we are; they are just as concerned about what they put in their mouths as the Westerners.

That afternoon we walked through the downtown streets of Hoi An. One of the things the town is known for is the tailors, and there are hundreds of them. It was a good thing we got some recommendations from Neville, or we wouldn't know where to start. I ended up having a dress made. In one store, there were a few women set up in the front making paper lanterns. One was taking strips of paper and pressing them with an iron while another was placing them over the thin wooden frame of a lantern. I'm not sure what attached the paper to the frame, but my guess would be some kind of hot glue. It was fun to watch the process. 

Cambodia: Angkor Wat Day 2

The second day we traveled a bit farther outside the primary Angkor Wat complex. Our driver Serei picked us up and drove us through the Cambodian countryside; along the way we passed through a number of villages. The most striking sight was the level of poverty that ran rampant and was blatantly apparent everywhere I looked. Almost all the homes were thatched-roof huts set on stilts at least 10 feet high. There were open markets all along the roadside filled with exotic fruits, clothing, and other goods. The Cambodian countryside was beautiful; palm trees, rice fields, as well as mango, dragon fruit, and sugar cane farms blanketed the landscape.

The first two temples we went to were similar to the ones we visited the day before, but the third was the most interesting and intriguing of them all. Boeng Maelea is almost completely unrestored and has crumbled in many places. Trees and plants have grown up and around the structure. We got there late in the day which I soon realized would be the best time of day to be there. The light on the temple was stunning. On one side of the complex three different trees' roots were climbing down from the top, curling over the sides and down to the ground like spiderwebs.

A different kind of reminder of Cambodia's past was also present at this site. On the way into the temple, a sign was posted about the number of land mines found and cleared in and around the site. For a moment it was very disturbing to think about the idea of coming across something like that. The bleak past and struggling present of Cambodia surfaced again on the way back to the hotel when Serei began to talk about his family and the social infrastructure of the country. His father was killed by the Khmer Rouge because he was an educated French teacher. I believe there were other family members killed, but his father was the only one he talked about in detail.

The government has no money and is not generating revenue because Cambodia has so many debts to pay off. There was road work being done on the way to the temples, which Serei said the funding came from Korea. Most of the country's electricity is supplied by Thailand and 80% of the tourism profits from Angkor Wat go to Vietnam to pay off debts. There is an enormous amount of foreign aid in all areas going into Cambodia because they are unable to support themselves.