Saturday, Here in the Park...

 Today seemed much busier at the visitors' center; assumedly because it's the weekend. Many of the visitors I spoke with were local or regional. I had some great encounters today with interesting visitors. Although I didn't remember him, one of my former dental students from Texas A&M College of Dentistry (class of 2012) remembered me and re-introduced himself to me. We had a nice catch-up conversation. He is now a successful periodontist. Another great conversation came from a fellow Fulbright Scholar awardee. He had served two Fulbrights: one to Tunisia and one to Botswana, both as an a ecology scholar.

I spent most of the morning working on this painting. It's a 9 x 12" acrylic on cardboard portrait of my Montanan friend, John. In 2018, he and I visited Carlsbad Cavern National Park together. I struggle with painting human forms. I used a photograph from 2018 as the basis of this image, and that was quite helpful. I think the image bears at least some resemblance to John. 

Next, I switched back to watercolors. Because there are no large trees around here to paint, I created this 5 x 7" image of a Soto plant.

Next, I went in an entirely different direction. One of the visitors I had a conversation with told me that she was an abstract artist, so I decided to try something resembling abstract art -- and this was the result.

Lastly today, I did this simple and mostly monochromatic watercolor sketch.

The conversations with visitors are always interesting. I am amazed at how easily people will open up and chat with me. I have heard lots of stories about why people happened to be at Carlsbad today. Many families are on vacation road trips visiting multiple national parks. Beyond art, I also serve as a source of some information, although I am often referring guests to the Rangers at the information desk across the lobby. I think today's most frequent question was, "Where are the bathrooms?" Many artist-visitors engage me in conversation, and it's always interesting to hear about their artistic interests. Precocious children are the most interesting as they love to describe their art, and sometimes will show me images on their phones. There are some funny interactions too. One group of kids thought I was a face painter – – like at a carnival. One group of young adults seemed to be under the impression that I was a caricature artist – – Like at a carnival! 

Many visitors ask if my art is for sale and are surprised when I tell them that I don't sell anything. I am not a commercial artist. Regardless, the Artists-in-Residence at Carlsbad are not permitted to engage in sales. Another fun conversation I have with passing visitors is asking them which of my displayed works is their favorite. Interestingly, there is no consensus: Everyone seems to have their own idea of what is good art. This helps me be less critical of my works. It shows me that my opinion isn't absolute -- what i think is garbage is appreciated by others (and vice-versa). Let me know what your favorite piece is, and it just might show up on your doorstep.