Week 46: Art News and So Many Adventures in New Mexico!
What a week it's been!
Hey, hi, hello! Thanks for tuning in for another weekly update on our grand advanture! I can’t believe it’s been 46 weeks since we sold our house to travel full time — it won’t be long until it’s been a whole year. Whoa!
This was a busy week with some really special events — let’s jump in!
Sunday-Monday: El Malpais National Conservation Area
Sunday we hiked up the top of the mesa behind our camp spot in the El Malpais National Conservation Area — wow! What a view!
It was cloudy and super windy at the top, and it was a cold wind to boot, so I just did a quick sketch and then we made our way back down.
Of course the sun came out as soon as we got down off the mesa!
Look at those blue skies:
Seeing this giant ponderosa pine near camp was a welcome sight — it really towers above the surrounding piñyon pines and junipers:
I learned from my fellow Valles Caldera artist-in-resident, Melissa Fu, that ponderosa pine bark smells like vanilla — especially when it’s been warmed by the sun — and I took the opportunity to sniff it whenever I could.
We were sad to leave this site — gonna have to come back someday!
Tuesday: World Art Day!
Tuesday morning we broke camp and hit the road.
Tuesday was also World Art Day and two BIG arty things happened in my world:
#1: Selected as Allegheny National Forest Artist-in-Residence
As we were driving to Albuquerque, New Mexico I checked my mail and found some happy news: I was selected to be an Artist-in-Residence at Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania later this year! I’m so excited and honored!
This residency is near and dear to my heart as it’s about 2.5 hours from where my Dad lives in Ohio. He used to take us camping in the forest growing up, and my Grandpa used to go deer hunting there. He also told me stories of picking blueberries with my Grandma and her friend — Grandma made the best blueberry pies and jam!
I can’t wait! I’ll share more details as I know them.
#2: Feature on the Bureau of Land Management Blog
Also on Tuesday my residency at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) was featured on the Bureau of Land Management Blog for World Art Day!
Brigette from the BLM Colorado Public Affairs office interviewed me for the article and did an amazing job writing it up. Read the article here!
Tuesday: El Malpais National Monument
We stopped by El Malpais National Monument on our way to Albuquerque to stretch our legs and pop in the Visitor Center so I could stamp my sketchbook with the park stamp. And I got a sweet surprise: J got me a beautiful turquoise ring from a Navajo artist — will have to get a picture of it!
We really wanted to hike the trail but we figured we better get on down the road since we had so much to do — but we’ll be back!
After stopping at a Maverik gas station in Albuquerque and picking up Chipotle — first Chipotle we’ve been to in months — had to be done — we headed to…
Tuesday: Petroglyph National Monument
I’ve always wanted to go to Petroglyph National Monument! And today was the day!
A little bit about the park from the NPS website:
Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and for the descendants of the early Spanish settlers.
Our first stop was the Visitor Center to pick up some trail maps and stamp my sketchbook again, then it was on to the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trailhead, because when I read the description “1.8 miles round-trip on a unpaved trail. See up to 400 petroglyphs” it sounded like the best option for our limited time here.
So we scarfed down our Chipotle in the parking lot and headed off in search of 400 petroglyphs!
We didn’t see 400, but we sure saw a bunch.
The trail runs along a series of hillsides covered in basalt boulders — which are in turn covered with petroglyphs:
Here are some that called to me:
Each of these rocks is alive, keeper of a message left by an ancestor…There are spirits, guardians; there is medicine — William Wehtee, Pueblo Elder
It’s hard to believe how close the trail is to town — imagine this being your neighborhood park!
Albuquerque, New Mexico
After Petroglyphs National Monument we headed further into Albuquerque to go to Trader Joe’s — we hadn’t been to one since Prescott, Arizona and I wanted to stock up on some things that you can only get there, especially chili lime seasoning.
Traffic was a total shock to the system and stressed both of us, gah! Guess that’s what happens when you spend so much time out in the wilderness.
Tuesday-Sunday: Jemez Springs, New Mexico
We were glad to escape the big city and head to Jemez Springs to find a new home for the night.
Of course we had to play Back in the Highlife (Warren Zevon version) as soon as we hit New Mexico State Route 4 — it’s our Valles Caldera theme song after hearing it in the Longmire TV show.
Random fact: Longmire’s cabin is in the Caldera!
Favorite lyrics:
It used to seem to me that my life ran on too fast
And I had to take it slowly just to make the good parts last
But when you're born to run it's so hard to just slow down
So, don't be surprised to see me in the brighter part of town
We stopped to get gas, and the red rocks across the street were glowing with the setting sun — so amazing:
Then it was on to…
Vista Linda Campground
Tuesday and Wednesday nights we stayed in the Vista Linda Campground in the Jemez National Recreation Area. It’s so beautiful here!
I think we somehow scored one of the best sites in the campground. The Jemez River runs right behind the van and it was so nice listening to the water.
I couldn’t stop taking photos of the fresh green leaves of the cottonwood trees contrasted with those red rocks!
Valles Caldera National Preserve HQ
Thursday we headed a few miles down the road from Vista Linda Campground to meet with Ranger Lauren at Valles Caldera National Preserve Headquarters and discuss setting up an art exhibit — the main reason we headed back this way!
Read on for more!
Art Exhibit: 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆
I’m honored and excited to report that some of my artwork from when I was an artist-in-resident at Valles Caldera National Preserve last summer is part of a traveling art show! (Click here to read about my residency from the start.)
Here’s the announcement (with some annotations by me):
Featuring original artwork by regional creatives and National Park Service artists-in-residence, including Melissa Fu (yes, the same Melissa that taught me about Ponderosa pines smelling like vanilla!), Heather Heckel, and Lisa Spangler (that’s me!) and many more, 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆: 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 celebrates the universal connection between humans and the natural world.
This traveling art exhibit will be on display at Jemez Fine Art in Jemez Springs from April 18-24, 2025 — just in time for #NationalParkWeek! Free entry; gallery hours are 11 am to 4 pm, Wednesday thru Monday (closed Tuesdays).
Virtual Tour of the Exhibit
I posted a video of a virtual tour on Instagram if you’d like to check it out:
Click/tap the image to watch.
I had a proud moment the first time I pulled into the Jemez Fine Art Gallery parking lot and saw my art on the sign!
Behind the Scenes
I thought I’d share a little behind the scenes of setting up the exhibit. It took Ranger Lauren, Stan, Jason and I about 4 hours to get it installed. I wish I would have gotten some before and after photos, but I didn’t think of it until we were almost done, darn!
Here’s a closer look at my art, starting with these botanical specimen style paintings — it made it feel like spring!
Ranger Lauren printed out placards with QR codes for each section of the exhibit — here’s the one that goes with the botanical specimens:
The QR code links to Melissa’s essay, “Arrival”. So cool!
I also have three landscapes in the exhibit — these were super hard to photo in the gallery — you can find better images of them here on my portfolio site.
That last landscape of the Tres Amigos was painted while looking at the Valle Grande webcam — I have it bookmarked and check it out whenever I’m feeling stressed. (The QR code on the placard links to the webcam — so cool!)
Watercolor Demo
Sunday I did a watercolor demo at the Jemez Fine Art Gallery — here’s a quick clip of a work in progress that I painted from the webcam:
The exhibit will be at the gallery through April 24th, then travel to Valles Caldera National Preserve for Art in the Park Day on April 26th — can’t wait to see all the places it goes!
Home for the Next Few Nights
Since we volunteered to help with the art exhibit, we got to park the van on the property near staff housing. (We’re actually considered staff according to the contract that we signed, which makes me feel pretty cool.)
I can hear the Jemez River as I type and it’s so peaceful and relaxing.
It was really feeling like spring — until Saturday! Foreshadowing…
Thursday: Jemez Historic Site
Thursday we walked across the street from HQ to visit the Pueblo of Gisewa (sometimes spelled Giusewa) at Jemez Historic Site.
From the website:
The Pueblo of Giusewa (pronounced Gee-say-wah) was established among the hot springs of Jemez Valley around AD 1350.
It was a multistory village which may have contained as many as 1,000 rooms. Giusewa was first visited by Spanish in 1541. Later, in 1598, Franciscan missionaries came to convert the Jemez People to Christianity. By 1621, the priests along with their Native American converts had constructed San José de los Jémez Mission. However, the missionary effort ultimately failed. Brought on by suppression of the Native religion and a devastating drought, the Jemez joined the Pueblo Revolt on August 10, 1680. This culminated in the removal of the Spanish from northern New Mexico for the next 12 years.
Here are some photos from our time there — I love the color of the rocks against the sky and the junipers:
Descending the ladder into the kiva was the highlight of my time there (learn about kivas):
No photos are allowed inside the kiva, but it was peaceful there. Someone had made a recent offering and it smelled good, plus the air was cool — it was 82 degrees so a welcome respite!
Saturday: Unexpected SNOW!
Friday the temperature started dropping and early Saturday morning it started snowing — and kept snowing and snowing and snowing — we wound up with about 4 inches!
It was a great day to get cozy — we watched a movie, read books, and I made one pot lasagna, yum!
Snowfall finally stopped around 4 pm and we had to go for a walk — it smelled amazing!
By Sunday afternoon the snow was mostly melted:
I’m so glad we got to experience it — I loved the contrast of the snow with the red rocks and junipers. (Noticing a theme here?!)
That’s a Wrap!
That’s it for this week — and what a week it was! Thanks for reading to the end!
We always say that we need to slow down and stop having so much fun (ha!) but we really wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m feeling so lucky and grateful for this life we get to lead.
See you next week as we start making our way to Big Bend National Park — can’t wait! And cross your fingers for us that it doesn’t get too hot!
Thanks so much for following along on our advantures! — Lisa, Jason, and Walter-the-Van
A wonderful week. Congrats on your next Artist in Residency gig
Hey! What a cool week and congrats on the upcoming AiR opportunity! Can’t wait to see some cool art from that area of the country.
Out of curiosity, how do you manage to find these Artist-in-Residence opportunities? Besides Google of course! 🤣
Sending you cool weather vibes for Big Bend!