One of my favorite pieces I made this summer was on a steel-toed boot. I remember the boot catching my eye off the side of the highway as I returned from getting groceries in Carlsbad. But by the time I registered what I had seen, my car had already sped past and an abrupt U-turn seemed a little sketch last min on the highway. So I kept a mental note of the general spot so I could return later- and a few weeks later, I did! There happened to even be a little pull out right before the placement of the boot so I wasn't in TOO much danger retrieving it!
Once washing the boot off, the next step was to prime and lay an orange ground as a base. I was immediately struck by the shape of the shoe and loved how the tongue of the boot tucked behind the tall sides... almost like a MOUNTAIN peeking through a CANYON... The object itself had such incredible depth and offered similar shapes of one of my favorite hikes in the park- Devil's Hall!
Once the painting was completed I took my boot on a little hike up Devil's Hall. It was a little extra weight, but the hike is relatively flat so it wasn't too much of a challenge. However, this was my first painting photo shoot that included a hike as opposed to a walk. I enjoyed this extra final step of the process. My own hiking boots on my feet were able to mobilize this once forgotten boot, and it directly commented on our human footprint. I'm hoping to continue this idea and perhaps revisit even longer hikes in order to connect the art to the landscape!
Original dirty boot, fresh off the highway.
Some of the first few layers of paint. Loved working with the boot oriented forward- as if it is stepping right into the landscape!
Super fun hike with the company of the finished product! Notice the rocks of the natural staircase directly behind the boot and how it aligned with the boot! Awesome when things like that just work out.
Final image alignment. My favorite part of this photo is how the colors of the rocks on the lower right completely coordinate with the painting. I never know how the colors I paint in my studio will compare to the colors of the landscape- it is so dependent on the weather, time of day, shadows, and season!
This was one of the pieces I decided to donate to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park as a thank you for the incredible experience of the summer. Here is a final photo the park was kind enough to take and send to me! It looks so snazzy!