Dear Artist,"rejected" I muttered to my husband.
...A thank you for submitting...
....A bit about how many worthy applications were received and how difficult it was to pick just a few...
....An appreciation of the work that went into submitting an application...
But then, in the next sentence, the letter took an unexpected twist. The word "congratulations" jumped out at me and I realized I was accepted as one of the 2013 artists in residence at Grand Canyon National Park!
I had visited the north rim on a tourist-vacation-loop, breezing by Bryce, Zion, North Rim, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley and Petrified Forest in two weeks, so as you might imagine didn't really have time to really explore any one of the parks, but this residency allows an artist to stay for 3 weeks in a little cabin 1/4 mile from the North Rim of the canyon.
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| PHOTO/NPS |
Not content with my good fortune, I've also greedily sent out an application, once again, for Denali National Park. How I'll manage it if I get both...well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Since I've been rejected many times from Denali, I certainly am not packing my Xtratufs yet, but if I apply EVERY year they may accept me just to stop the pestering.
Speaking of Xtratufs, I was thrilled that the wilderness rangers I hung out with in Alaska were in RI long enough for us to be able to get together for dinner. One of the Rangers who is also an accomplished clay artist, Barbara Lydon, surprised me with this super cool Xtratuf ceramic vase! It will take an honored place on my mantle to remind me of my good Alaskan friends and my kayaking adventure.
The Opening reception is on Gallery Night, October 18, from 5-9pm, and it's up until October 31.
Oh, YAY!!! I think it's safe to say that the Park Service finally knows who you are! If they have half a wit, it might occur to them that, by sending you to out to paint all of the parks, they could wind up with a very valuable (can you say marketable?) collection of very accessible art? At the very least, you'll own that collection. So, I say, off to Denali!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Lucky you can string a sentence. Captions are a book.
Congrats, congrats, congrats. And you'll get back to Alaska; the universe just threw a dart this year and it hit the Grand Canyon for you. So delighted you keep on chugging in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Kathy, the email from the GC announcing the 2013 NR artists just hit my inbox. I love your landscapes & can see that the Canyon will be the perfect match for your aesthetic. So glad you left a comment on my blog, which allowed me to discover yours!
ReplyDeleteMy time as the Sept 2010 NR AiR was sublime & I just know yours will be too! I will be so interested to read the journal that I suspect you will keep. So great to "know" another artist who blogs about AiR experiences. It would be fantastic if my trip there to deliver my work coincided with your residency.
p.s. I also am a Denali "reject" :)
Hi Lyn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, and nice to hear from another AIR. If you are in the area when I am (July 17-Aug6) do stop in! You know where the cabin is! And keep trying for Denali, I've been trying for about 6 years. Have you checked out the other Alaska residencies, The Voices of the Wilderness Program? You can find info in my Blog List.
I'm working on setting up a Wordpress site so all us NP AIR's can have a place to interact. If I can get it up and running I'll send you a link.