The 15, the 15, the 15 is on fire!

The life and death adventures continue! Not only am I risking my life every day driving through LA traffic for 6 to 8 hours, there are obstacles I did not foresee.

Like FIRE!

Traffic was crawling out of Victorville where I had been for work and I was on my way home. I figured there was a big accident or something ahead especially when I started seeing wisps of smoke. After awhile I rounded a hill and saw this smallish beast burning in the wide space between the north bound and south bound highways.

They were letting two lanes of traffic go through until this happened...

The fire very quickly made it to the road and jumped the highway starting fresh on the other side. With new fuel and a strong wind, it spread like...well, like wildfire. If you aren't sure, that means fast, it moves really really fast. You cannot outrun it, unless you're like a long distance olympian or something. Now traffic is packed in and I've gotten closer and closer to it. We (we meaning that special bond you create with the people in the cars around you as you gather to criticize the firefighters and guess how long it will take) all assumed it would burn out on the south side and they'd start letting us through again. But all of a sudden, the wind turned straight toward us.

Everyone got quiet as the flames changed direction on a path right towards us. The cars at the front of the line disappeared into the smoke as new fuel hastened the hungry beast. Soon people started coming from below, running up the hill carrying water bottles, babies, dogs and old women. I sat mesmerized watching the fire get closer and closer and taking pictures like everyone else, of course. Soon a firefighter came up the hill with the rest of the evacuees telling us all to run. I could almost hear the 'you idots' that he probably wanted to follow that command.

I suddenly realized that the temperature had just gone up drastically. It was already hot, but now the wind was sending the heat of the fire all over us. Later on the news they said it reached 100 degrees on the concrete highway. I felt like I got sunburnt in a matter of seconds. A truck was weaving between cars picking up the old ladies and a woman in a wheelchair. I saw some people steering their cars through gaps and trying to follow it up the shoulder. I enjoy my jeep, we've only been together since April...so I jumped in and turned her around, careful not to hit the fleeing people, I pulled onto the shoulder on the north side along with a couple other cars. We didn't get very far as we found ourselves blocked by abandoned cars and now we were stuck by a row of semi trucks. I looked in my rearview and realized how close the fire was getting. More people ran by telling us to run, so I did.

I'll admit I was shaking now, it felt like a scene out of a movie about the apocalypse or some natural disaster about to swallow the west coast. It all felt so unreal, this movie screen had amazingly high definition and my 3-D glasses were working great.

By this time the copters and planes were coming with water and dropping pink and red goo in the path of the fire. They were focusing on the south side of the highway, that fire if left unchecked was the one that would gobble us all up. I wondered if it kept coming if we would have been able to escape it at all. Our luck improved as the wind shifted back, stopping it's momentum up the hill. We all stopped and watched again and took more pictures. Now you could see puffs of black smoke as cars went up in flames one by one. Several people next to me pointed out which ones were theirs and we wondered if fire was part of our car insurance plan. I briefly thought about what a cool story it would be if my jeep did burn up, but that would be way too much trouble and how the heck would I get home tonight? Meanwhile, unbeknownst to us, the fire to the north had crested the hill and went on to race across the drought ridden dessert to take out homes and close all the highways everyone was using to go around it.

As the fire to the south cooled down and the copters started moving to the north all of us who had stuck around started to wander back down to see where our cars were. I peered behind each semi hoping to see mine and eventually came upon it, speckled with pink from the planes.

At this point we're assuming the danger is over and we're just waiting until people come back for their cars and clear the roads up. Obviously we weren't going to move forward, so I knew I had a long ride home going around the fire or back towards Palm Springs to pick up the 10 to the south and head west. But now we start to notice that black smoke is pouring out of the cars ahead, several semi trucks had caught on fire as well as the cars around them. A tanker truck sat next to them and we had no idea what was inside. A kind man told everyone not to worry, if it blew up we wouldn't feel a thing, we would all be dead quickly. I had been hiding in the shade under the semi next to my jeep and noticed the fires to the north side right next to the road had picked up again and were getting very close to our row of trapped cars. The copters were now dumping buckets of water on the trucks that were ablaze trying to stop that from spreading or exploding. We could hear small pops as glass windows and tires exploded in the heat. I guess I'm not out of the woods quite yet...

Up the hill I could here a woman in a emergency vehicle on a megaphone telling everyone still mingling by their cars to get in and follow the cleared path up the highway. My jeep and another car were trapped. At this point several men came from the smoke below frantically telling us to drive away and get our cars out in case the fire keeps spreading on our side. They jumped into the car ahead which was blocking our way (unlocked!), put it in neutral and we pushed it up the hill and through an opening. (Unfortunately for all of those people who abandoned their cars and caught rides to the nearest town, their cars were towed and they were charged anywhere from $600-$1000 to get them back) I waved at some of my new fire friends, jumped in my jeep and fled. I was overheated, dehydrated, drenched in sweat and had drank the last of my bottled water hours ago.

I crossed over the highway with the rest of the fleeing cars to head north bound again towards Victorville where I stopped at a gas station for water and a bathroom. This was not like my snowstorm where I could hide in snowbanks and behind trees to relieve myself. I also had to find a way home. The roads heading west were clogged with trapped travelers trying to get to LA so I decided to head east and followed a winding road up a mountain to Big Bear Lake. The cool mountain air was a soothing balm after being blasted with hot winds for the last few hours. It's a cute little town on a mountain, I decided I would have to come back one weekend and get a lodge for the night. I drove down the other side of the mountain towards home chasing a hazy sunset. After 12 hours of being on the road I took an excedrin, got a shower, ate some ramen (perhaps the most delicious meal ever at that point) and joined my roommate and her brother for the late showing of Trainwreck at the Arclight.

The end.

Worst Road Trip Ever

So the day finally came...time to move to LA! It seemed to take so long to come to fruition but then the last days went so fast. I left 822 while they were still packing up, my apartment was cleaned out and I was sleeping on the floor (oh my back!) and I wanted to spend New Years in my new city. I put most of my stuff in storage then threw what I could and my cats in the Jeep and headed for Flagstaff on the 30th. It was smooth sailing so far.

Now. I did check the weather and they were calling for light snow...but when I got up to leave the next morning at 8, there was already 6" on the ground and they were calling for much more. I figured I'd better chance it and try to get to lower elevations and better roads. And I did, but then I went up again to bad roads, down again to ok roads, back up, etc, passing several jack knifed trucks and small cars in ditches. Finally at one point the cars packed together and we came to a complete stop on a mountain side.

Here we sat for about 4 hours. I had no phone signal and had to keep the car on for heat. I had a bottle of water but nothing to eat. Planning for emergencies is apparently not my forte. Occasionally I would get out to stretch and chat with the neighbors, people were having snowball fights and building snow men, trekking to the nearest bush for a little relief. I finally started reading Gone Girl and got through a good portion of it during this trip. The kitties were resigned to their fate in boxes at this point and sensing my unease they barely uttered their discomfort.

Finally around 3 we started moving again. Word from the truckers was that 40 was now closed and they were slowly digging us out. We went another 2 or 3 miles over one of the mountains and stopped again. From this point I could see the cars and tractor trailers winding through the mountains for at least a mile ahead, not moving at all. The snow just kept coming and eventually turned into freezing rain.

At this point I had a phone signal thank goodness and I started texting everyone to let them know I was ok so far. My friend called ahead to Kingman (which was 30+ miles away still at this point) and booked a hotel room at the Ramada, which I was surprised to hear that anything was left by now. I continued to read Gone Girl until the daylight ran out. Another 3 hours later I could see the cars moving ahead, I thought it was a hallucination at first, but we started moving. This progression kept up for a long time going less than 5 mph, which was fine because the roads were pure ice and packed snow. My hands were white from gripping the wheel, my whole body was tight as a drum and my head was pounding. After several hours of this, the exit for Kingman and the sign for the Ramada glowing in the distance was like every Christmas ever there was and ever to be all rolled into one, I wanted off the road and out of the Jeep!

When I got to the hotel, it had been overbooked by all the online ticket sales and there were no rooms. I ended up at a Denny's and Flying J truck stop where I spent the night very uncomfortably in my Jeep with my two confused and nervous furballs. My tailbone still spasms when I recall this night. I wasn't the only one there, many others also pulled up to the safety of the Denny's glow and 24 hour menu. I made friends with Phil who was moving to Dallas from LA to join the navy in order to help pay off his student loans. (Not gonna lie, I considered that once) I managed to fall asleep at one point and missed New Years at midnight, but frankly I could care less what day or year it was at this point.

After a night of basically no sleep, the sun finally came up and I could see the cars and trucks finally passing on the interstate, so I shoved the kitties back in their boxes and got back on the road. It was icy at first and I did some sliding but it quickly cleared up as I went west and soon I was crossing the state line and into snow-free California! (I definitely cheered out loud) Another 5 hours later, 29.5 total being in the jeep nonstop, exhausted and loopy with road fatigue I pulled up to my new apartment in LA.

It's better than I even expected, a nice large place with a generous and cool roommate with her sweet little dog, Noodle! The street and buildings themselves are beautiful and just around the corner are restaurants, shops, Trader Joe's, and I just found an art store today. If you're familiar with LA at all, everyone seems impressed that I can walk to The Grove which I plan to do tomorrow. Today I visited the beach and might go catch sunset tomorrow. I'm itching to create some art already. I'm still a little traumatized over the whole snowstorm thing...definitely one of the worst experiences of my life, but my mom thought I should blog about it. Theraputic perhaps. Definitely a story for every New Years that rolls around. When I go back to get the rest of my stuff in Santa Fe I'll be taking that uhaul truck down to interstate 10 no matter how clear the weather claims it will be in AZ. And I'll pack extra water and food and maybe another book.

Now it's time to start scoping out galleries and job searching. I have an interview for a non-art sales job soon which could be a great experience. I'm pretty open to anything right now, I just want to meet people and learn new things! And get back to painting, of course. :-)

Oh, and the kitties...they're doing just fine now that they have a new cat tree and the worlds largest cat bed (my oversize Lovesac that I've always wanted! Thanks craigslist!).

Change is afoot

Blogging is not as easy as it sounds...amazing how busy life can be! I thought I should do a little update as there are big things happening in my life and for my art. Mainly, I've decided to leave the beautiful but sleepy little town of Santa Fe and try my luck in the modern energetic city of Los Angeles! 

Now, many of you are probably shaking your heads...why! Why would you leave Santa Fe?! Well, I've been here almost 7 years now and while I have learned a lot, I'm ready for a change. This is not a place for the young and single. It's been a great education in the business of art and galleries, as well as a great notch on my resume. Now it's time to take those lessons and build on them and learn something new. The Los Angeles art scene is more contemporary and I'd like to work in a more abstract market that may even reach overseas to the European art scene. Adventure! I crave adventure! That and riding my Harley up the Pacific Coast Highway while watching the sun set over the ocean.

As for my art, I will continue to do my cloudscapes as best as I can without the amazing New Mexico sky as my daily inspiration, but I have been wanting to focus more on color fields and some abstractions based on meditations, color and transitions. I also want to paint on a very, very large scale...like wall size, maybe even looking into business markets who need large scale works for offices and lobbies. 

At the same time, after talking to my boss and discussing my exit strategy, they decided to close Gallery 822, which means I'm out of a job either way! What a great kick in the butt, don't you think? Go, Sara, get out there and find something/somewhere new! I couldn't change my mind if I wanted to. 

As of right now, the plan is to leave Santa Fe on December 29th and stop in Vegas for a few days to celebrate the new year. From there I head to LA where I will stay at a nice cheap AirBNB in West Hollywood while I find the cheapest/nicest studio apartment I can find. I'll also be looking for a job at a gallery or something in sales (don't worry mom, I have a lot of friends and contacts!). Speaking of, you reading this, if you have any connections in LA involving gallery work or living spaces, call me!

So that's my plan. I am busy cleaning out my stuff and downsizing, painting commissions for friends before I go, and looking for someone who can take care of my kitties while I'm apartment hunting. And feel free to peruse www.sarashawger.com if you're interested in purchasing any of my art, I'll need every penny for my big move! 

I promise to keep you updated here and on my Facebook, but for now I'll leave you with this LA cat...

Drawing

 Carried Away, 10x10, pastel/graphite on paper

I've been feeling my pastels lately, I love creating the smooth transitions of sky and playing with all the different shades and varieties of blue that I can find.  That subtle shift right at the horizon where it can be green or pink, grey or even white.  When I work on my paintings I stand tall (well, as tall as my five foot two inches can go!) and paint with constant action and energy.  My drawings are more intimate, I sit at my drawing desk, close, hunched over the paper, a lamp hanging precariously over my head.  The pastel gets everywhere and I'm constantly wiping my fingers on my shirt or pants and blowing the dust from the surface.  I make a total mess, surprisingly moreso than when I'm painting I think.  

Storm on the Mesa, 4x6, pastel/graphite on paper

I think my favorite part is when I finish the color and I start my outline with the pencil, all the forms take a bold shape and pop off the paper.  Drawings feed my paintings, paintings feed my drawings, when I'm doing one I'm excited to return to the other.  I have these pieces put under a mat and wrapped so clients can frame them as they choose.  

Teach Me to Know, 6x5x8, pastel/graphite on paper

heavy lifting

in case you've wondered where i've been the last few weeks...i've been working! although my type of work pretty much always includes art, whether it's mine or someone else's.  several weeks ago i drove to loveland, colorado to work a booth at the loveland sculpture invitational.  i spent almost a whole week with the owners of my gallery (where i am the director), joshua and jojo tobey. josh is an amazing wildlife sculpture know for his patina and whimsy.  i also know him for making damn heavy art that i had to lug back and forth from studio to booth, back to studio and on to santa fe.  (i think my muscles are bigger...)

the entire event was amazing to behold, huge tents upon tents filled with sculptors creating wildlife, figures, abstract, bronze, stone, ceramics, etc.  if you ever get a chance to go, i highly recommend it, especially the friday night patron party when the food and beer come out.

my evenings were spent relaxing after the long days with several artists and friends at josh and jojo's house in the mountains.  deer, elk, and turkey kept us company as we drank wine, ate jojo's amazing food, and watched 100s of hummingbirds on the porch feeders. (here is another great bronze artist jim eppler getting some down time)

jojo's cat sunny kept watch in the kitchen, all these people needed a supervisor after all...

the drive home had some amazing clouds and i took every opportunity to pull over and take pictures. driving is one of my favorite things to do...it's my way to relax and i feel so much better after i get to do some exploring.  rather than take the highway, i always prefer the bi-way and got to see a lot more mountains and little towns like south fork, which the show south park was modeled after.

once i got home i jumped right back into gallery work as we prepared for our indian market exhibition and private party.  it's the biggest weekend in santa fe for the whole year as a hundred thousand collectors flood the city.  needless to say, i didn't get much sleep this week either!  but now that's done and i've caught up on sleep and i'm painting for my show next friday the 30th at beals and abbate fine art.  we're calling it 'sara shawger seven' and hanging my 7 newest works.  hope you can come!

i need a vacation... namaste!

seven

working on a series for a small show that i'll be having at Beals & Abbate on August 30th that we're calling 'sara shawger seven'.  the idea is that i will paint away and then ultimately pick 7 of the best works to display.  my focus is on light and shadow and creating three dimensionality while still retaining my brush stroke and the expressionistic feel.  the first piece in this series will also be in the august issue of Southwest Art magazine, i'm excited to see the article, it will come out at the end of july.  

The Storm on the Other Side

30" x 40"

oil on canvas

right now i'm eating throat lozenges like candy and can only talk for a few minutes before breaking out in a coughing fit.  being sick in the summer is not fun.  another good night's sleep and i should be feeling good again.  not to mention monsoon season is starting here in santa fe and i can't wait to spend my evenings chasing storms with my camera and coming back to my studio full of inspiration!

wanna see something crazy?!

yup, that's me and my huge paintings!  these are two pieces from my senior show at west virginia wesleyan college.  my signature brushstroke is present and the basis of the surface being broken up was to show different times of day, different space, different perspectives all in one painting.  i still rather like those...

next up, my mfa thesis show at james madison university.  these are just a few of the paintings, a good portion of my show was drawings.  these are much more to the abstract side and based on amorphic forms bobbing in and out of the surface.

it's always so fun to do some house cleaning, you find the coolest things!