Backtrack to 3.28.2014 Eloy, AZ to Van Horn, TX

Day 2

Flickr photo album
My blog post here

Backtrack to 3.27.2014 Los Angeles to Eloy, AZ

I was supposed to keep a journal during my 2014 circumnavigation around the US.
This did not happen.
I didn't prep the pages in a timely manner, and all sorts of other excuses.

I am FINALLY getting it done and here is my first day's "journal", "memoir", whatever you want to call it. Not reducing the photos so you can click on them to embiggen and read the text.
[2019 update: Want to read the text typed? Read it on my Edge Patreon for as low as $1/month]

Links:
Flickr Photo Album
Connie's blog post
My 2014 blog post here

W is for Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ

Anne M Bray, W is for Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ,

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015

I'm wondering if sleeping in a wigwam room will give you pyramid power.
The conical topiary is genius.

U is for US93, Mohave County, AZ

Anne M Bray, U is for US93, Mohave County, AZ, 

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015 

I was especially giddy when I drove this stretch of highway, the route from Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas. I had been consuming Little Nellie's salsa (see L) for 24 hours and was on a definite chile high.

The image itself has been through several permutations.

Pastel:

Anne M Bray, US93, Mohave County, AZ, 

Pastel on paper, 38 x 29.5", ©1995

As well as in gouache and a digital reproduction of the gouache -- I can't seem to locate either. When I do, I will add them. So disorganized.

Both the digital painting and the pastel are in my current exhibit up at TAG Gallery.
Tomorrow is the opening reception, 5-8pm. Stop on by, if you are in Santa Monica.

T is for Ted's Bull Pen Truck Stop, Ash Fork, AZ

Anne M Bray, T is for Ted's Bull Pen Truck Stop, Ash Fork, AZ, 

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015 

Ted's is now abandoned. I may have eaten here in June of 1994.  Or maybe I just rested.
I can't remember.

R is for Route 66 Motel, Kingman, AZ

Anne M Bray, R is for Route 66 Motel, Kingman, AZ, 

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015

I was operating under the impression that this image was taken in Santa Rosa, NM.
A Google Image search this morning reveals that it's actually in Kingman, AZ.

How on earth did it become so misfiled in my photo album from that trip? 

I hung the piece Sunday in my art exhibition that starts today. It's labeled, the paperwork is printed and for now, I'm not changing it. We'll see if anyone notices my mistake. I'll do a running change and make the correction in the next batch of printing.
I ran out of time to fully vet the A to Z images before hanging the show. Do I have any other mistakes remaining on S through Z? Time (and Google searching for blog links) will tell!

Q is for Dairy Queen

Anne M Bray, Q is for Dairy Queen, Yuma, AZ,

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015 

H is for Hoover Dam

Anne M Bray, H is for Hoover Dam, AZ-NV, 

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015 

Was this was the first or the second time that I saw Hoover Dam? I know for sure that it was October 94. And that French accordion music was playing on the cassette player as I drove s-l-o-w-l-y through the curves around the dam. And that it was all very surreal.

G is for Gila County, AZ

Anne M Bray, G is for Gila County US60, AZ,

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2015

Water towers are one of my roadside obsessions. This one is somewhat worse for wear.
Arizona's US60, between eastern Phoenix and Show Low, is a beautiful drive through a variety of climates and elevations. I drove this with Severo in 2009.

C is for Coffee Tanker

Anne M Bray, C is for Coffee Tanker,

Digital painting printed on various substrates in various sizes, ©2011

This was hilarious to drive behind somewhere on I-10 in Arizona.
A rolling ad for Pilot Flying J truck stops.

Redefining the Edge

I've made the executive decision that ANY road trip takes me to The Edge.

Anne M Bray, Dawn: Reeves County, TX, Oil on canvas, 24 x 48"  ©2001 

I'm having another exhibition at TAG Gallery, entitled Southwest Sojourn.
The show runs
April 21 - May 16, 2015. 
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 25, 5-8pm 
Artists' Talk: Saturday, May 9, 3pm
TAG is located at D3, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica

I wrote my Artist Statement about the work this morning. Here it is:

Southwest Sojourn

The greater Southwest has been a huge inspiration for my roadscapes (landscapes involving roads) that I’ve been working on for more than twenty years. I have driven all over the US, and images that I photograph in the Southwest spark my creative juices like no other region. I think it’s the stark beauty of sky and earth stripped down to their core elements that pulls my soul.

On a quirkier note, there is a lot of unusual roadside business that happens in the Southwest. Route 66 [supplanted by I-40] and I-10 are the two chief arteries for passing through. As every seasoned roadtripper knows, Route 66 is a great source of vintage visual wealth: funky old signage, souvenir shops, ageing motels. I revisit some of these spots in my “Southwest A to Z” series, comprised of 6x6” digital paintings representing every letter of the alphabet.

I’ve driven there so that you don’t have to. My roadscapes are a celebration of fleeting moments frozen in time. Urban, rural, and the roads in-between -- I share with the viewer windows for contemplation.

2015

Anne M Bray, C is for Coffee Tanker, AZ, Digital painting on canvas, 6 x 6" limited edition of 10,  ©2011 

Ever On the Edge

Old notes from the road:

Room 164
This was a good spot.
Chosen because right next
door to a Waffle House
(But I'm not having a Waffle)
Last night's highlight was
I picked up a praying mantis
on my bag (probably
on the bush next to the
car) It was bright, bright
green. I took it back outside,
after my bath.

Left L.A. at 2:00, just like
I thought I would. Traffic
was horrendous and I only
got this far.
Anything on the drive yet?
The image of the stark
rocky mountains rising out
of the desert sandy reddish
as the sun sank behind a
streaky set of clouds --
briefly it flared into a garish
Arizona display -- but that was
behind me. Ahead, the hazy
blue slowly getting darker + darker.

--------------------

I'm on a mad hunt to find a photo of Zzyzx Road that is SOMEWHERE in my stacks of old road photos. I came across the above in one of the piles. Now I can't remember which pile it belongs with. Sigh. Not dated, I can't tell you when it was written.

Ever on the edge -- have I ever taken a leisurely road trip?
Not one trip comes to mind.
This is why I usually travel solo. I push hard, stopping only occasionally.
It's grueling and that's how I like it.

Road Trip Recap Day 2: Eloy AZ to Van Horn TX

I-10, Western TX, digital painting, ©2014 

Day 2.
I set out at sunrise, heading southeast on I-10.

near Picacho, AZ

I didn't have a plan for breakfast. Thankfully the Tucson exit for Congress Street reminded me of the Hotel Congress, which has a great cafe, The Cup Cafe.

This plate of huevos rancheros fortified me for the day. 

When I hit New Mexico, the excessive billboards started for the souvenir emporiums.

I stopped at several, searching for postcards to mail for my crowdfunding rewards.

Instead, I found this very creepy stuffed cat.

With Texas came the very close encounter with the Mexican border.
The view of Cuidad Juarez from I-10, which I first saw in 1993, was one inspiration for the On the Edge project.

Waterlogue version here.

I managed to hit rush hour in El Paso, then hightailed it across western Texas.
My reward at the end of the day was a chile relleno burrito at Chuy's in Van Horn, TX.

Plus a large go-cup of salsa, for the road.

See more photos, here in my Flickr.

Road Trip Recap Day 1: LA, CA to Eloy, AZ

I-8, CA digital painting  ©2014 

I left LA on March 27th.

Getting the car packed. 

First song on the iPod.
Left much later than planned.

Along the coast near Carlsbad

I had planned to meet blogger friend Connie Snow in Carlsbad. We ended up rendezvousing at the Pannikin in Encinitas. Connie treated me to some blueberry pie and chai. (More here on Connie's blog). She also gave me a bag of goodies for the road, including a badly needed bottle of water. Yes, I forgot to pack water.

I managed to hit San Diego at rush hour.
Oh joy.

The closest photo I have to the southwestern corner of The Edge route.
Was not paying attention.

The nav directions made me chuckle, the ETA not so much.

The sun set amongst some clouds, which I enjoyed.

I hit the AZ state line in the dark, with another 180 miles to go.
It was a long day.

You can see more photos from Day 1 here on my Flickr