Some Interesting Land Artists

Here are 3 different land artists that I found intriguing. The first one is Simon Beck, who has created art in snow and sand. I think I found something new I can do with my snowshoes.

The next artist is Cornelia Konrads. Here are two of her works. Cornelia seems to have done a lot of work that incorporates structures such as houses, and parts such as doors and windows.

And, finally, here is some work by Sylvain Meyer, a Swiss artist. His work seems to conform more to images and concepts found in nature:

Places That Are Special to Me

Below are several photos of one of my favorite places: Grand Teton National Park. When my family took trips from Moscow, Idaho to Rexburg, Idaho, in the summers, I could see the Tetons off in the distance and always wanted to go there. So, after my second year of college, I got a job working at Jackson Lake Lodge, in the national park. My spare time was spent hiking, mostly, some canoeing, and socializing with other like-minded students. I still go back every one or two years. These photos were taken in the Fall of 2015.

Natural Container: Curly Willow Basket

My friend had some branches come down during the high winds we had yesterday and the day before. I brought some of those home, along with some green branches that were pruned from the same trees, and proceeded to make a basket with a handle. I watched a couple of videos online, describing how to make a willow basket. The original intent was to use this to hold paint brushes or other items when I'm plein air painting. We'll see how functional it is. The videos I saw, demonstrated basket weaving using long straight willow branches. These are curly, which definitely created some interesting challenges and effects.

Dry curly willow branches

Green curly willow branches

Making the dry branches more flexible by simmering them in hot water.

Removing the leaves from green branches.