We all have those moments in life where things just end up working out. I remember filling out my Black Rock Artist in Residence application over the winter of 2023, assuming that it was an exercise in futility. A small part of me figured I had a shot, but the rest of me scoffed. Who was I kidding? Residencies were for real artists, people who didn't have a full time job and could fully devote themselves to their craft.
Imagine my shock the next Spring when I got the phone call.
Two weeks. Two weeks alone in the middle of nowhere with nothing else to do but explore and paint.
I broke those two weeks out into two separate visits, one in June, and a longer chunk in September. June turned out to be unseasonably warm, but I struck out anyway, arriving after dark, and rising with the sun the next morning.
Morning on the Playa
The view was like nothing I'd ever seen. Vast and open, the whole world was spread out before me. It was already warm, and I packed up what little I'd taken out the night before, eager to begin exploring. I began with a trip back into Gerlach, the closest town, stopping in at the Friends of the Black Rock office and then with the BLM Field Office. Maps in hand, I jumped back in the car.
The Black Rock Desert, though known to most for its Burning Man festival, is also home to a number of wild animals, including wild horses. I'm always on the lookout for herds on my travels, and I was astonished to find some almost immediately after taking a wrong turn. With no traffic to speak of, I pulled off the road and hopped out with my camera. The three bachelor stallions were entirely unconcerned with my presence, and ignored me completely.
Mustangs in the Desert
After a good twenty minute photo session, I resolved my directional difficulties and headed towards the Calico Mountains, one of several wilderness areas within the larger National Conservation Area. These wilderness areas are only accessible on foot and the Calico Mountains did not disappoint. Named for the various colored rock that makes up the range, the Calicos also hold a number of different rocks and minerals, including agate and petrified wood.
The Calico Mountains
I was already itching to paint, so I headed back to camp for the night, the temperatures already pushing into the upper nineties. I found an overlook spot that offered views across the playa, and I camped out in the back of the Kia for the rest of the afternoon, finishing off my first painting of the trip.
The View from Camp
Sunset did not disappoint, and I couldn't believe how epic the first day had gone. I still had thirteen more to go, and as luck would have it, that weekend happened to be a full moon. I spent a long time just sitting and looking at the endless sky overhead as stars began to pop out from the darkness. The next day, I had a trip out to Fly Geyser to look forward to, so I went to bed at a reasonable hour, wanting to be ready and rested for the next day.
The First Painting of the Trip
"Old Razorback"