Pocket XXX: Flourishing Undergrowth – 10.5” x 14.5” x 1.25”, 2024, In Process
Liesegang banded (Kanab) sandstone; malachite and azurite concretions, polished azurite
In The Studio & In The Field
I returned home from what turned out to be a five week trip in late June. I walked into the studio and thought, “What is all this stuff?” I had a list, as I always do, labeled “To Do Upon Return.” I glanced at it and thought, “Why would I want to do any of these petty things?” What were once urgent priorities rang false on my new priority meter. Nothing seemed interesting in the studio which is usually my lifeblood; I had no motivation, very little energy, and basically felt numb.
Three weeks of my trip were in Namibia on a geologic tour. Every day was filled from morning until night with stimulating sites and conversation: the opening of the Atlantic, the shared large igneous province between Namibia and South America, snow ball earth, the largest sand dunes in the world, a 60-plus-ton meteorite, and a family of elephants drinking at a watering hole…
Climbing the dunes-Sossusvlei Susan under a quiver tree
Elephants Etosha National Park Tour group at Hobo Meteorite
Then home – the quiet, the absolute quiet, the unbearable quiet. Usually I relish the quiet, but after all of those exciting exchanges, I felt really isolated. It is a big exciting world out there and it can be hard to return to one’s small little world after a long vacation.I am not the first to fall prey to the post-vacation blues. Studies show that there are changes in your brain chemistry after a trip. Dopamine is the feel-good neurotransmitter that allows you to feel happy and motivated, so when you are doing something enjoyable it increases. But then afterwards the levels drop, and in my case, they dropped like a rock.Some researchers recommend having a reentry plan after a vacation! Was I orbiting the earth or merely Namibia? Travel changes you in ways you may not even be aware. In my case, what seemed important upon departure had little or no relevance upon return. Getting back into my old routines was not palatable. So much for my post-trip to-do list, I needed to figure out how the new me fit into the old square hole…
It took several weeks to get back my mojo. I think part of it was the length of the trip. I bookended the Namibia trip with a week in Scotland, and nearly a week in New York (we have a new grandbaby in the family!). Investigations have revealed that short breaks and vacations are more restorative than long ones.
So the reentry plan started with seeing things a bit differently. When I looked out at the ponderosas in my back yard, I genuinely noticed how green and beautiful they were; and then saw that there was grass, real green grass, most unlike Namibia. Traveling does heighten your powers of observation.
Subsequently I decided to host a get-together with several friends from the trip. Remembering the highlights and laughing about a few tribulations certainly helped my mood. We even had fun poking around in all that “stuff” in my studio ;-). Then little by little I started working in the studio on small new projects. Materials caught my eye that had not been on my radar before. New ideas came to me filtered through my Namibia geologic lens. I started a couple of new series and a Mid-Oceanic Ridge piece is in the works. It took some time but isn’t that how growth happens? One red grain of sand at a time…
Now I am on fire with projects for two upcoming shows…
Nuclei – 20.0” in diameter x 2.0”, 2024, In process
Pyrite concretion, banded arsenic sulfur calcite, orbicular granite, marble, syenite, granite
In The Gallery
Two exciting shows are coming up in this fall.
Next month I will open a solo exhibition, “UNEARTHED: ART FROM THE EARTH” at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in Colorado Springs. The show runs from September 10th until December 14th. Please stop by when you have a chance:
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
225 North Gate Blvd
Colorado Springs, CO 80921Museum Hours:Monday – Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday – Closed
In The Exhibition HallIn October we will be in Park City, Utah at the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. I would love to see you there:
Rocky Mountain Section
American Association of Petroleum Geologists Meeting The Yarrow
Doubletree by Hilton
1800 Park Avenue
Park City, UT 84060BOOTH in the Summit Ballroom
Hours:Sunday October 6th 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Monday October 7th 8:00 am – 6:30 pm
Tuesday October 8th 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Floating Between the Bands – 10.38” x 7.19” x 2.0, 2024, In process
Banded onyx; discs of charoite, marble, travertine, cuprite with chrysocolla; spheres of serpentinite, feldspar, rose quartz, orbicular jasper, jasper
Pebbles in the Sand – 6.0” x 7.5” x 1.75”, 2024
Dumortierite quartzite; discs of amethyst, jade, aventurine, rhodonite, rose quartz, jasper, unakite
