Artist in Residence

    I spent two weeks serving as the Artist in Residence at Carlsbad Caverns National Park outside of Carlsbad, NM.  This opportunity allowed me to revisit a place where I was familiar with the geology, but now could look at through the eyes of an artist. I had taught many geology field schools there and had learned to love the beauty, calm, and isolation of the Chihuahuan Desert.

    The National Park Service provided me a place to stay, not far from the natural entrance to the cavern. My temporary home was an old stone cabin, built in the late 1920s, (all limestone blocks, pisolites and tidal flat laminae) that looked to the southeast over the Delaware Basin. The weather was great and the sunrise shown light through my window at the kitchen sink every morning. In the evening, I could look west and see the sunset behind a silhouette of El Capitan.

    After arrival, I spent 1.5 days searching for inspiration. I walked the cavern a couple times and took photographs that could be used as a subject for a painting.  I also did a short hike in Slaughter Canyon to see the impressive stratigraphy there.  During the day, I primarily worked in the visitors center painting and interacting with the public, showing my work and describing my interest in art and geology .  I made a 24” x 30 acryllic painting of the cavern and an 8x10” linocut print of a series of axial cuts through fusulinids (in honor of the Permian!). Two weeks turned out to be a relatively short time to produce a lot of work, but my pieces turned out well.  At the end of my stay, I gave a public talk called “The Elements of Art: Examples from Carlsbad Caverns National Park”.

  I would like to thank the National Parks Service for this opportunity to integrate my love of geology and my passion for art. The Artist in Residency program is a great program and there are additional opportunities at other parks