Friday, February 17, 2012

Day #3 at Jentel Artist Residency

So here I am at the Jentel artist residency in middle-of-nowhere Wyoming.  (That really narrows it down, right?)  Well it's near the western town of Sheridan (Buffalo Bill has ties to this place) and relatively close to the Battle of Little Big Horn, etc.  Essentially just to the East of the Bighorn Mountains.  North Central Wyoming.  Cowboy country.  Beautiful, empty landscape.  Rolling hills, ravines...high country.  Lots of snow and wind, and tons of sun this time of year. 

Nestled off a county road is this amazing artist residency I'm at for 4 weeks, Jentel (see above for website) and I'm planning on blogging about it right here to keep y'all up to date on what I'm up to.  There are a few things you should know, though, the main one that while this place is much like the real world for artists (6 stranger artists living together for the first time), and I should say artists and writers, there are 2 writers amongst our 6, I won't be gossiping about my fellow residents or anything like that.  I likely wont' even be sharing their names, to respect privacy and all....

What happens at Jentel, stays at Jentel.

That being said, what I will be doing, is mostly giving y'all a visual blog of the landscape, the residency, perhaps the surrounding culture, and whatever else pertains to this adventure.  Oh and I'm making art here, so expect some of that too! 

Speaking of local culture, for those of you on facebook, did you see my album of the public art of Sheridan?  Check it out, they have sooooooo many sculptures in that small town it's insane. 


Drove about 950 miles from Seattle to Jentel.  This is my driving face

sometimes I'm looking at this

 
 other times I'm looking at this




 This must be the place!

 


 There's the studio, and my beloved jeep (253,000 miles on it now)

A shot of my very large studio, complete with a huge press (that I won't be using) and a day bed (that I will be using)


 The 1000 acres behind Jentel, for tromping, but watch out for cow pies, and snakes.  Well
no snakes in the winter, but still



 looking down at Jentel from the 1000 acres
 zoom in (house is on the left studio the right with the cream sides.  The house is insane inside
it really does look like a real world house - it's HUGE.  Except it's filled with antiques and art.  


 This is how you cross a barbed wire fence

 oh and I started making some work.  So far i'm just fooling around with gouache - trying to get a feel for it
before I delve into some more interesting things, but I thought I'd show you what I've done so far.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Congrats, Ryan!! You and the Jeep made it! We're all expecting lots of beauty to come home with you from that gorgeous, still place. (At least it seems gorgeous and still from your "still" photos.. Hmmm.). Like your driving face:). Enjoy your gouache-ing!!!! XO