Deep Time, Vast Space

Rain Dance Portraits

2008-09-01T20:18:00.001-07:00

Juan

Mary Anne

Heather - Ringleader

Rain Dance Clip

2008-09-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

2008-07-25T03:25:00.000-07:00

posted by char kluth invasion :D

Select pictures I took for the Kluth Parents

2008-07-25T00:43:00.000-07:00

Group

(this picture is missing a cowboy and two geologists, but still manages to have so much character...)

Install

Bryan, Char, Mary Anne

Char's display

Taylor's sculpture

Juan's painting

Collaborative drawing close-up

Awesome ladies

I'm happy I got to see everyone again! Look me up if you're ever in Portland--my new house has a hot tub!

-Becky

PS: My new shoes in the gallery

Review of Lucky Seven at Site Santa Fe

2008-07-23T16:51:00.001-07:00

Thought this review of Lucky Seven might be of interest.

Heather's Big Painting

2008-07-22T21:59:00.001-07:00

This has several layers starting with petroglyphs, then handwriting and ending with binary code. I was interested in conveying the cultural layers that are imbedded in the collective unconscious and how our current culture will be overwritten by new forms of language in the future. I'm also interested in how the unconscious is hidden below the surface and yet makes its presence known in some everyday actions. When I was painting the binary code of repetitive ones and zeros, my mind would sometimes wander to other things. When this happened my hand made a symbol that encircled the one with the zero. To me this is emblematic of inclusion, rather than binary...in other words, self and other are one and the same.

Diego Rivera Show July 21-26, 2008

2008-07-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

Mary Anne's painting

Some of Mary Anne's photos, Juan's painting and my video. Meredith in pink, and going to the right, Becky, Taylor, Mary Anne and ?

The famous Diego Rivera mural behind the refreshments table, and the view going in the front door.

The collaborative drawing and Taylors sculpture.
Above, left and below are details of the drawing.

The yellow has a map of a modern town representing everyday consciousness and the blue represents the unconscious mind that is unfathomable, hidden and, as of yet untapped.

The Feminine

Left - female figure in the darkness emerging into the binary code of present day technology. Right - Reggie's hand made books.

Charlene's display of photos and soil samples along with personal notes on the trip.

Come to our Exhibition!

2008-07-17T12:16:00.001-07:00

2008-07-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here are my entries for the postcard, Taylor in the valley is suppose to be upright but i am having problems.

till we meet again
Char

Juan's Thoughts on the Trip

2008-07-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

These are my thoughts on the trip, in no real order.

My perspective of Albuquerque from it’s rim was of a vast, fertile garden overgrown with motels, waffle-houses, and Jiffy Lubes. And from the plane, it looked like an immense, charred cattle-brand on the desert. I didn’t get a very good look at Albuquerque.

I was eager to escape San Francisco and it’s paranoid reflex for irony. A road-trip across the American Southwest, or a road-trip in general, makes a good retreat from cultural snobs. Except that I’m an artist, I was going to look at earthworks, and I wanted escape from the culture of San Francisco. Cultural snobbery was the very reason I was going.

Camp is easier to endure with your own family, since with them camp becomes invisible, at least as long as you don’t step outside of their circle of influence and become an observer to your own family. But on this trip I often couldn’t see anything without the grainy filter of camp. It sucks to think that I could never fall for the romanticism of a place, and I imagine if I ever see Paris (France not the obscure California town with the boulders painted to look like fruit), my stunned rapture will be interrupted by that little voice saying “That’s What They Want You to Feel!”, “they” being the man I guess. The one selling souvenirs. Then I think “it’s always been camp. From the moment someone promoted it, sold tickets, set up a museum with colorful displays, and got people traveling across the country to stand in line, exhausted from heat, to see the amazing whatever it is because they’ve been told it’s amazing, it’s been camp and there’s really nothing you can do about it. And you fell for it too. You’re so gullible.” So I guess camp is just something I have to ignore.

The environment of the desert did set a beautiful tone for the trip. Like many of the cities I would see, Albuquerque felt subordinate to the desert’s natural characteristics. There were ads and franchises, but they weren’t crowding my vision, warring and screaming for attention. They stood still, at even intervals, and respectful of territory, giving wide berths and air to breath. Everything seemed in suspended animation, like a ghost town in a sterile, soundless chamber. This tranquility lasted almost the whole trip, and it made everyone more reticent. We were strangers but, the environment justified the silence.

The tight schedule we were on had us whooshing through that landscape, and the impression I took was of flipping through a book to look at the pictures, maybe reading a couple of captions. You glean information from nature by looking at it, but some places asked for longer gazes. The van’s claustrophobic, air-conditioned comfort made it feel like being in a capsule getting sucked through a pneumatic tube. We blasted the air-conditioner and pressed our hands on the windows to feel the heat outside.

What’s great about geological formations is that they are in constant flux, from time and the weather. That’s why Lightning field was the most profound experience. Being there for a day and overnight allowed me to absorb all the effects it produced as it changed with the environment. Everything that we saw was beautiful, but some things would have looked less like postcards if we had had more time with them.

Juan's picks for bookcover

2008-07-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

I hope these aren't too late...

I thought this wall at Little Colorado was amazing

Isn't this last one of the Grand Canyon cool?
Doesn't it just put a John Denver song in your head?

Mary Anne's Postcard ideas:

2008-07-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of printing this last one out large for the exhibition, maybe?

Heather's Postcard Image Selection

2008-07-09T19:42:00.001-07:00

Possible postcard images.

These are two of my favorite shots, besides the one of Sun Tunnels with the Sun shining through - see my other post. Another possibility would be the one of Becky's feet at
Bedrock.

2008-07-04T02:10:00.000-07:00

drawing at my studio! next time i will have beer and snacks for everyone.

next drawing session next wednesday?

char_

p.s. thanks Chuck for sending the cacti on a plastic fork and the dried branch!

2008-06-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

To everyone,

Post trip, I've realized that I miss you all and that being alone in the wilderness is daunting.

Till next time
Char

Amateur Night

2008-06-24T18:25:00.001-07:00

A Shoegazer's Guide to the Desert:

Valley of Fire Feet

Salt Flat Feet

Spiral Jetty Feet

Bedrock City Feet!

And some videos:

Plesiobot in motion

Finale of the Golden Spike, for Taylor

Meredith's Victory Lap

Hope all you Honorary Kluths made it home safely!

Thanks for letting me ride along,

-Becky

Final words

2008-06-24T00:09:00.001-07:00

This was an amazing trip with a group of people that were easy to get along with. The whole experience has truly been an inspiration, and I can't wait to get into the studio and start working on ideas that have come through this trek.

Also, I realize that I should have started with the last photos first, since the posting happens in reverse time...but you'll get the gist.

Heather Martin

Spiral Jetty

2008-06-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Along the peninsula into the Salt Lake, near the north east side.

The salt between the spirals of rocks is solid, like ice and crunches under one's footsteps.

Certain algae and brine shrimp give the water a reddish tint.

Becky walking the spiral.

Juan doing a spontaneous ritual with a dry branch.

The Sun Tunnels - the favorite of all

2008-06-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

These are cement tubes in an "x" formation with a space in the middle.

The moon as a witness.

Post dawn shadows.

This is the best shot right at dawn, since there were several other people there, who had camped out the night before.

From inside at night, these holes line up with various constellations in the sky.

A different kind of constellation.

No explanation necessary, it was simply inspirational.

No words.

The Tree Sculpture at the Salt Flats, UT

2008-06-23T23:46:00.000-07:00

Petrified bananas that I got to bring home with me.

A few of us left our mark in an ephemeral way.

Becky Kluth's contribution.

More Bryce Canyon

2008-06-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

The way back up required many rest stops. Charlene and our fearless leader, Meredith, bringing up the rear.

Feeling like General Kluth put us through the paces.

She's still smiling!

Reggie cooling his heels.

Bryce Canyon - another favorite site.

2008-06-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

Chuck warned us that if we went down we would have to climb back out.

WOW!!!

As Taylor would say, "AWESOME!"

Some of these formations are named after royalty.

A smaller natural bridge.

More Tidbits

2008-06-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Chuck's version of art...writing "Help Me" on the inside of a chocolate shake with the end of the straw. (IHOP)

One of the monuments in Zion National Park...definitely have to come back and spend more time here.

Mary Anne emerging from our hotel at Bryce. Juan, Mary Anne and I continued the collaborative drawing on the balcony there, making it tricky for people to pass around that fire extinguisher.

Double Negative

2008-06-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

Descending into one side of Double Negative.

This picture gives an indication of the scale of these large ditches.

I was at the opening of the first side and Mary Anne had already climbed up the cliff and gone around to the second side.

Again, sorry this is sideways...the view from the other side of Double Negative.

Mary Anne interviewed all of us on our reactions to double negative. Her dad was the resident geologist on the trip, so his perspective was quite different than the rest of us artists and quite welcome as well. While this earthwork, was impressive in its massiveness, for me, it didn't carry the same aura as the Valley of Fire.

Valley of Fire - One of my favorite sites

2008-06-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

The pictures don't really show the tremendous color of these rocks, but after a long drive in the a desert with various shades of brown, we came over the crest of a crag and I was amazed to see these bright rust-colored rocks.

Petroglyphs left long ago.

It seemed like one raven or another was our constant companion throughout the trip. This one left its perch and circled around me, cawing as it flew overhead.

Mini Stops near the tip of Nevada

2008-06-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Juan made a beeline for Fred Flinstone's car/trailor at Bedrock.

We just had to stop...don't ask.

Hoover Dam, or if you're a Democrat, Boulder Dam.

It has an Art Deco motif.

The new bridge to alleviate traffic going over the dam.

Grand Canyon

2008-06-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

These columns were most interesting and completely inaccessible. I can imagine that standing on top of one would give one vertigo.

Sweet Charlene, my roommate for much of the trip.

Interesting Smaller Dwellings at Wupatki, AZ

2008-06-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

Views like these make me feel contained (safe) and expansive all at the same time.

Petrified Forest on the Way to Flagstaff

2008-06-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

I wish the sun hadn't been so bright because there was such an array of rich colors in these petrified logs.

One of the logs going down stream.

The whole clan after a day learning about the new dinosaur that had been discovered by the paleantologist at the Museum of Northern Arizona (to the left of Chuck, and who ducked out of the picture at the last moment).

Juan finally gets a decent burger, although I don't know what the side dish is!

Lightning Field

2008-06-23T21:47:00.001-07:00

Mary Jo convinced us to stop at Pie Town (it's on the map!) to get some snacks for the Lightening Field. We were the second group in our clan to spend the night out there.

We called ahead to tell the driver we would be late (due to the stop at Pie Town), and we were even later due to interference from a law enforcement brigaide...but we didn't really need to hurry, because Mr. Weathers (the driver - not shown) is a laid back cowboy who doesn't get uppity about much.

Sunshine one of the lightning rods - sorry it's sideways...thought I rotated it already.

Our cabin in the vast space.

A family of rabbits lives underneath the cabin. While we were drawing on the roll of paper out on the back porch, one hopped right up to me from the field and stopped to watch before it scurried under the cabin.

A Final Recap From Heather's Camera

2008-06-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

Chuck & Mary Jo Kluth look fresh at the beginning of the trip in Santa Fe.

I took over 500 photos, so here's my epic post:

2008-06-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Spiral Jetty and the accreted salt.

Becky!

Birds in Valley of Fire.

Heather in Bryce Canyon.

The group at the Bryce Canyon vista.

Thank you to Meredith and my dad.

Pebbles and Bam Bam.

It's a Bedrock Goatasaurus!!!1!

Char at the Grand Canyon.

An overview of Wupatki.

-Mary Anne

the group and the people that made it happen

2008-06-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

It was an amazing trip with surprising moments, extreme beauty, and many laughs.
see you all soon
Char

Sun Tunnels forever!
Mary Joe and Chuck on a mission
Meredith, Taylor, and Mary Anne looking for Juan
Becky, Mary Joe, and Chuck at the Grand Canyon
Mary Anne and her dad Chuck
Mary Anne at the tree of Utah

The last day...

2008-06-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Spiral Jetty, and I think that's Juan in the background.

We caught a reenactment of the driving of the Golden Spike.

Taylor at Sun Tunnels.

The line of spectators at dawn, at the Summer Solstice at Sun Tunnels.
-Mary Anne

The Spiral Jetty and the Sun Tunnels! posted by Char

2008-06-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

2008-06-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

view from Zion national park
more images to come, wireless connection is acting funny

char

2008-06-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Double Negative, with Meredith Tromble in frontRoad to Bryce, very bumpy roads. They actually just pave over the roadkill here, and a common insult is "may you be buried under a speedbump"

Santa Fe Burger, completely screwed up a simple burgerChuck's burger, competently done
Lightning Field
Again
And again, at sunrise

Double Negative

2008-06-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Our cars parked in Valley of Fire. Honk if you see us.
-Mary Anne (again)

On the Way to Double Negative

2008-06-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Valley of Fire.

My dad gives his second lecture of the day, this one about petroglyphs.

The Hoover Dam.
-Mary Anne

Taylor's Entry

2008-06-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

This trip could not be any more deserving of excessive documentation. Half way through the trip, here are some of the things that I've experienced...

The very Large Array (VLA)

Me and my new buddy.

At the Lightning Field.

A little fun at Bandelier.

Not quite sure where this was. Somewhere along Route 66.

Shot taken from the car on the road to Flagstaff.

Pueblo ruins at Wupatki.

The Grand Canyon.

Bedrock, AZ. Home of the Flintstones.

Gas Station

From the road:

2008-06-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Bedrock, outside of the Grand Canyon.
Trees growing in the cinders on the slope of Sunset Crater.
A truck trucking trucks.

Walking into the sunset

2008-06-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Taylor, Reggie and Char walking in the Lightning Field amongst the lightning rods at sunset.

Floor of the Lightning Field

2008-06-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Grass growing in rings; visitor footprints

A quick visual overview by Char

2008-06-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

hidden valley in red rock formation

the giant light array

view from roadside stop

flagstaff, arizona

cliff dwellings

Petrified Forest

2008-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

We stopped on the way from Quemado to Flagstaff and visited the Petrified Forest. This is a giant log that has been transformed, over time, to silicate.

Weather Forecasts

2008-06-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

From weather.com:

June 12 : 90 degrees and sunny

June 13: 92 degrees and sunny

June 14 (hotel): average 90

(fieldtrip): average 84

June 15 (hotel): average 91

(fieldtrip): average 85

June 16 : average 79

June 17 : average 80

June 18: 101 average! Full Moon

June 19: average 74

June 20: average 83, Summer Solstice.

June 21: average 83

June 22: average 84

T minus ten days...

2008-06-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

And we now have a blog.