This has been a tough month and I’m posting this entry a little late. Part of my studio documentation has been slowed by a small family crisis and an infection I contracted via a tick bite. Thankfully for modern medicine and a round of antibiotics I’m on the path to recovery.
While recently cycling in local woods I stopped to document the fading light in the forest as it was angled into the trees from a clearing just beyond the trees. While sunset glow struck the newly budded leaves it contrasted the cool twilight on the path.
Often the smart phone in my pocket becomes a non-traditional sketchbook for me, I use the camera to document an idea while remembering a place or the light at a certain time of day. On my smart-phone there are a number of notes of half written artist statements, research, or project ideas.
To quickly document this time of day I jumped off my bike and wondered off the path, this is probably when I was exposed and picked up the little blood-sucker although I didn’t develop the tell tale rash until a week later.
As we dip into long golden hours of late light approaching the midsummer solstice. I sketched with the camera thinking about what I might find in the Midnight Sun in Sweden. I wonder what other animal encounters I might have later this summer?
Next month I’ll be leaving for my first artist residency this year. I’ll keep you posted of my adventure as I travel far north to the same parallel as Greenland. It’s the first time I am buying wool socks for a trip in July, in-fact I’ve had a few extra expenses and if you would like to support my project I created a small donation page on generosity.com:
Wilderness Guide in Arctic Circle for Artist
Crowd sourced funding is new to me and I was ineligible for grants this summer due to my immigration status. I feel it’s perhaps unethical to ask for support for travel and I’ve budgeted for ticket costs. However Sweden is an expensive country and I have a unique opportunity to hire a professional guide and rent a mountain bike while visiting as Artist in Residence at Ricklundgården.
Any support big or small to help buffer this cost is greatly appreciated. This extra help will support my project as I hike and photograph in the forest and mountains providing a safety net as I work in a very remote part of the world.
As I embark to the far and beyond region of Lapland, more photo updates taken from mountain bikes soon to come!