Brainstorming

In Europe earlier this summer, I made a list of the most important bodies of water that inform who I am (artistically and personally). There are twelve: eleven I know well and one I strive to visit one day. It is my hope that the removal of the fake dessert from the water and simply studying the location, the form, and the feeling will resolve many of the questions I ask but neglect to answer.

I packed art supplies (including the transformation of a Mason jar into a carry-on airplane snack receptacle perfect for cashews and green beans) and headed to two on the list: the Thunderbird Hotel in Marfa, Texas where my vision of floating a fake dessert first materialized in 2009 and Balmorhea State Park an hour to the north.

It is not a typical summer in West Texas as the desert was nearly as green as the Thunderbird Hotel's swimming pool. I battled many clouds, at first willingly but later with disappointment.

No visit to Marfa is complete without visiting the Chinati and Judd Foundation. More on that later including the purchase of my first performance art piece. In the meantime, I am researching, making notations, writing and thinking, and with any hope, there will be developments this week before my summer comes crashing to an end, enveloped by school for the first 17 days of August.