My Life & Artwork - February & March 2021

April 18, 2021 Teressa Jackson

My painting among the works displayed at the Phoenix Airport Museum

I started out February with a fun day of celebrating my friend Kalisha’s 40th birthday. We indulged in a truly “wild west” activity of horseback riding in the desert at Saguaro Lake Ranch and then had a little “far east” sushi lunch. The weather was perfect and the company was pretty sweet, too!

I got some great news early in the month, learning I had been selected to exhibit in the 21st Artlink Phoenix Juried Exhibition. The show includes 85 inspired works from over 725 that were submitted for consideration. My painting Quarantine Queen is enjoying her stay at FOUND:RE Contemporary (a dream venue for any artist!). The exhibition opened to the public on February 20 and runs through July 11, 2021.

I finally made it to Sky Harbor Airport on March 20 to see my painting Midcentury Magnate on display at the Phoenix Airport Museum. I was pretty excited to see it in such an incredible venue, but even more excited for the reason that brought me to the place – being able to finally welcome a visit from my mother after fourteen months apart.

Mom and I had a wonderful time around the Phoenix area. We visited Bartlett Lake, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, and Boyce Thompson Arboretum; went to FOUND:RE to see the exhibition; and even did a little rock hounding out in Tonopah. I think we both enjoyed every minute of it!

Aaron and I spent most every Saturday and Sunday of February and March out rockhounding in the desert, knowing that the desert will soon heat up to inhospitable levels for several months. We searched for (and found) fire agates, banded agates, Payson “diamonds” (double-terminated quartz crystals), Apache tears, beautiful colors of jasper and chert, and fossils.

I put many of those finds to good use, embarking upon a rock garden installation in the backyard. I am still working to complete the display, but so far I think it’s a fun way to enjoy our treasures and enhance our abode. I also added a little raised bed garden which has provided us with kale, spinach, arugula, and tomatoes.

I created some larger artworks during February and March, and the overarching theme seemed to be portraits - portraits of cacti, canines, and a couple of winged creatures. I enjoyed indulging my penchant for details in many of these pieces. It seems no matter how much I tell myself I will “keep it simple,” it’s just really hard for me to do so. Regardless, I think I stretched my artistic muscles a bit on these pieces and tried some new approaches. Check them out at the bottom of this blog post!

Shop for art now ›

Transmission 24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper Juried into Portland on the Park Exhibition through late-August 2021. — *Transmission*
24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
Juried into Portland on the Park Exhibition through late-August 2021.

Commodity Corridor 24x18”, Watercolor and genuine copper leaf on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Commodity Corridor
24x18”, Watercolor and genuine copper leaf on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

I've Got My Eye on You 10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — I've Got My Eye on You
10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Relativity 10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Relativity
10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Anticipation 12x16”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Anticipation
12x16”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Shop for art now ›

My Life & Artwork - July 2020

August 3, 2020 Teressa Jackson

This should be brief. I certainly didn’t do much that was exciting during July, between record-breaking temperatures in Phoenix (118 degrees!) and COVID-19 restrictions. Unless, of course, you think grocery shopping is exciting.

My dog Lola enjoyed playing with the giant palo verde beetles that emerged from the ground in early July, and I enjoyed laughing at her antics. I paid homage to them in my painting Big Bug Emergence (SOLD).

The sky teased us off and on, and we finally got the first rain in about four months in late July. It was meager but still enjoyable, and I managed to spot a rainbow.

I continued my artistic exploration with black paper, enjoying the different feel of the pieces that utilize this new surface. I focused a lot on my neighborhood and fun memories for my artwork this month. I created one series playing on the concept of the many Little Free Libraries found around my neighborhood. The three paintings in the series are titled Fowl Language, Pulp Fiction, and Speed Reading, incorporating elements from the desert to correspond with those themes. I enjoyed coming up with all the little details found throughout these pieces, and it appears that they resonated with my fans, too, since two of the three have sold.

I’m now working through a series of desert “critters.” So far, these include the rooster who lives on my street, a Colorado River toad in monsoon, and a javelina helping itself to a meal of my potted plants (javelina not included here as it was completed 8/2). These pieces are back on white paper, but continue with my return to gouache paint (opaque watercolor) from my longtime use of transparent watercolor.

It’s been fun to explore different themes and artistic approaches as I decide what will adorn the walls in my rescheduled exhibition at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, now set for [stop the presses - this is back to being TBD]!

Of course, I was extremely pleased with my productivity, and that of the ten paintings I made this month, six have sold and found their way to a little “show” of their own in their new homes. THANK YOU so much to everyone who supports my artistic endeavors. These sales were certainly the highlight of an otherwise rather dreary month!

Shop for art now ›

Big Bug Emergence 5x7”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Big Bug Emergence*
5x7”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

The Mayor of Mulberry 5x7”, Gouache on 300 lb. Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper SOLD. — *The Mayor of Mulberry*
5x7”, Gouache on 300 lb. Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper
SOLD.

Where the Prairie Dogs & the Antelope Play 3x2”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Where the Prairie Dogs & the Antelope Play*
3x2”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

Cotton Candy Sky 3x2”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Cotton Candy Sky*
3x2”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Copper STate Sunset 3x2”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Copper STate Sunset*
3x2”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Fowl Language 8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Fowl Language*
8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

Pulp Fiction 8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Pulp Fiction*
8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

Speed Reading 8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Speed Reading*
8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Monsieur Monsoon 5x7”, Gouache on 300 lb. Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Monsieur Monsoon*
5x7”, Gouache on 300 lb. Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Living in the Weird Wild West 8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Living in the Weird Wild West*
8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

Shop for art now ›

Return to Goblin Valley

July 28, 2019 Teressa Jackson

I am pleased to announce that my painting “Return to Goblin Valley” has been accepted for exhibition in Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s “Historias e Identidades (Histories and Identities)” show. The exhibition will open with a reception on Saturday, August 3, 2019, from 6 - 9 p.m and runs through September 7, 2019. Raices Taller is located at 218 E. 6th Street in Tucson, Arizona. Unfortunately, I will be on a trip to visit family in Oregon during the opening, but I encourage anyone who is able to attend. Their receptions are always a wonderful time full of lively fun!

And now, I share a story about this painting and why a landscape scene from Utah’s Goblin Valley relates to my own personal history and identity.

“The Artist is no other than he who unlearns what he has learned, in order to know himself.”

–E. E. Cummings

Return to Goblin Valley
by Teressa L. Jackson

The photo from which I painted, taken in 2017 when I revisited Goblin Valley with my mother

We pull up to the rim and peer down at the city of bulbous creatures that awaits us. Our imaginations take off like the lawnmower our father had once used to manicure our Midwestern yard. On the dividing line between child and woman, my sister Dee and I both fall back into old familiar territory for a sweet afternoon.

There are passageways and rooms, solitary figures and looming families. “This is my house!” I shout, but I don’t mind if Dee joins me in it. We had spent nearly our entire lives in a standard white post-war Cape Cod house, but in the couple of years leading up to this day, our father’s thin, towering 6’7” frame was no longer a part of that home.

When Dad left southern Indiana in pursuit of that elusive perfect job, Dee and I remained behind, learning to navigate airports a couple times a year. In our tween years, we were young enough for these trips to be frightening and old enough to find them exhilarating. In the late 1980’s, there were no mobile phones and no internet. We were disconnected, roaming free, changing planes through O’Hare’s hurried urban masses and disembarking in his new home, the Rocky Mountain wonderland of Salt Lake City.

The first few years we made this repeated cross-country journey, we enjoyed adventures that must have seemed exotic to our friends back home. We rode snowmobiles in the Rocky Mountains, learned to ski in the powder, breathed in the Grand Canyon, and smelled the sulfur of bubbling cauldrons and steaming geysers at Yellowstone.

Soon we entered the world of high school spectacle and our gravities shifted. We traded shared vistas and road trips for landline telephone custody battles. A year apart in school, Dee’s friends were what I considered “nerdy-popular.” I hung with the skateboarders, feeling a different exhilaration at punk rock shows and along Louisville’s Bardstown Road corridor.

That day at Goblin Valley seemed distant and almost forgotten most times over the decades that followed, but occasionally still surfaced as one of my fondest memories. As age forty loomed, my childhood years spent among desert, mountains, and sweeping views beckoned to me. I needed to return to these places – to rekindle my creativity, reawaken my sense of adventure, and reconnect with my original self.

I’ve spent the last three years becoming reacquainted with that young woman who visited Goblin Valley for the first time. I’ve revisited that wonderland and met new ones across the Southwest and beyond. My father and I haven’t spoken in nearly ten years, and it’s unlikely that we will ever do so again. However, I remain grateful for the foundation he laid through those early adventures and the way those places permanently shaped me.

I am, once again, the girl I left behind in that valley.

Me at Goblin Valley in 2017 (photo credit: Susan Jackson)

My Life & Artwork - December 2018

January 21, 2019 Teressa Jackson

Me at the reception for “Tesoros Pequeños”

I opened the month of December by attending the reception of “Tesoros Pequeños,” an art show I was accepted into at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery in Tucson. Because the theme was small and precious works of art, I made some “icons” featuring desert rarities, complete with copper halos. I wasn’t completely sure how successfully I thought that they turned out, but it was an attempt at something different, which I need to push myself to do more often. I ended up selling one of the pieces and I hope its new owner loves it - it was definitely my favorite of the three. The other two are now up for sale in my online shop.

I changed up my style and technique for some other pieces I created in December, too (specifically, “Sunset over Sombrero Peak” and “Sibling Rivalry”). I feel like I’m in a bit of a “searching” stage, trying to figure out what direction I would like my art to go next. I have a tendency to default to realism, and need to push myself to explore other approaches. I also feel I want to explore some different subject matter and color schemes.

My nephew posing on Christmas morning with the portrait of him I painted

Towards the end of the month, we had a holiday potluck for my art class. Larry Wollam, my drawing and painting instructor throughout 2018, hosts this event annually. It was a lot of fun to see people from my drawing class who I hadn’t seen since transitioning to Larry’s painting class. I’m missing Larry already as our classes are currently on hiatus until approximately March due to an impending surgery he was facing. I hope all goes well and he is on the mend quickly. He certainly taught me so much in 2018 and was a big part of making the year a success for me artistically. What luck that the classes were right around the corner from where we live.

I created some commissioned pieces for the holidays for my friend Heather, and I also created some pieces to give to my family for Christmas. These types of projects are especially difficult because of the expectations that come along with them, but they are also a good opportunity to challenge myself and be a part of someone’s special moment. I hope everyone loves their creations for years to come.

I also did some hiking in December, enjoying the beautiful, mostly mid-60’s weather in Tucson. This is definitely the time of year to live in the desert. I hiked the Finger Rock Trail on Christmas Day. It was a gorgeous way to spend the holiday and made me feel less lonely since Aaron ended up having to go to Mexicali for work. A couple of days later, I spent some time hiking along the international border at Ramsey Canyon Preserve and Coronado National Memorial with my new friend Ursula, who is also an artist and nature lover.

My friend Kalisha came down to visit from Tempe for New Year’s Eve, and we had a wonderful time catching up while painting pottery. Our pieces both turned out really fun, and it was so nice to see her. It had been far too long.

I’m looking forward to seeing where 2019 takes me and my art. As gorgeous as it is here, I’m definitely itching for some different scenery to help inspire and expand my artistic horizons. Happy New Year to you, wherever you are and whatever it holds for you. Make it great!

Shop now ›

“Sunset over Sombrero Peak” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” — “Sunset over Sombrero Peak”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7”

“Painted Desert²” On exhibit at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery until February 23, 2019 14x11” — “Painted Desert²”
On exhibit at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery until February 23, 2019
14x11”

“The Source 1” Gifted to my mother 10x8” — “The Source 1”
Gifted to my mother
10x8”

“The Source 2” Gifted to my sister’s family 10x8” — “The Source 2”
Gifted to my sister’s family
10x8”

“Sibling Rivalry” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” — “Sibling Rivalry”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7”

“Baby Blue” SOLD (commission) 5x7” — “Baby Blue”
SOLD (commission)
5x7”

“Warm Fuzzies” SOLD (commission) 5x7” — “Warm Fuzzies”
SOLD (commission)
5x7”

Shop now ›

My Life & Artwork - May 2018

June 2, 2018 Teressa Jackson

I sound a bit like a broken record, but it's always hard to believe a month has gone by. I think that if I didn't set a goal to write one of these monthly, I might find that six months had passed before it occurred to me to sit down and record another. I certainly can't complain that time goes by slowly.

The first Saturday in May brought a visit from our good friends Kerri and Brian from our Louisville hometown. They spent five days with us in the desert, and it was so nice to catch up and host them. Kerri and Brian have so many exciting things going on (especially the impending arrival of their baby girl) and Aaron and I were very grateful that they took some time out to journey across the country to spend time with us.

The weather has been nearly 100% fantastic in Tucson since we settled here in October, and May brought a few days of 100+ heat. I guess it can't be perfect all the time. In response, I took the opportunity to visit Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains just south of the city. The elevation means cooler temps and a different landscape. These mountains are one of 27 Madrean Sky Islands in the U.S. Their higher elevation and more plentiful precipitation make for more abundant greenery and lots of wildlife.

Silly me thought that the wildlife in the hot desert would hide from the heat like most humans do. I was wrong! During May, there were several interesting sightings near our apartment, including large troupes of coyotes, even more hummingbirds than in winter, a western diamondback rattlesnake, and a desert king snake (a "good" snake that eats rattlesnakes).

I enjoyed a lot of time with friends in May. In addition to Kerri and Brian's visit, I spent time with my friend Kalisha in Tempe and Heather in Tucson. I also wrapped up May with a visit to Colorado with Jenny, who was once my college roommate at Bellarmine University. She kindly informed people along the way that we were celebrating 20 years since we graduated from that institution of higher learning. What did I say about time?

Jenny and my trip was a bit of an impromptu idea. She wanted to go somewhere I'd never been, and those options seemed a bit slim. She'd also never visited a major national park. So, I suggested Colorado, and we spent the last few days of May in Estes Park, Colorado Springs, and Denver. It was as gorgeous as I expected, and I look forward to painting some of the scenes I encountered there. Highlights of our trip were Rocky Mountain National Park, Garden of the Gods, the city of Manitou Springs, the Denver Mint (where our pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters originate), and the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Work in progress from my watercolor class

I began taking a watercolor painting class from my drawing instructor. While I have a Bachelor's Degree in painting, I trained in college using acrylic paint, a completely different medium than the watercolor and gouache I've been using the past couple of years. I've never really received instruction in watercolor, and I feel the class has already helped me a lot. I plan to continue with both classes for the foreseeable future, both because they help me improve my artwork and because I really enjoy my instructor and classmates.

Sadly, I think this might have been the least productive month I've had since embarking on my artistic journey in 2016. I completed just two paintings, but I do have two more underway and also wrapped up two drawings in class. Of course, I did take a vacation and host house guests, which I wouldn't trade for anything.

June is looking to be a hot one, with triple-digits in the forecast as far as the eye can see. I'll be taking a trip to Phoenix and then heading to the beach in Mexico mid-month, but right now, I think I need to wrap up this update and get out the paints! Thanks for following along. :-)

Shameless plug alert! In case you're wondering, I have a few more paintings available for sale in my online shop than I often do. Also, I'm open to selling any of my drawings - feel free to make an offer or ask about pricing. Shop now ›

Photo from which I painted Sunny (compiled from two separate photos)

Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona: 4/24/18, 9:06:56

Shop now ›

My Life & Artwork - April 2018

May 2, 2018 Teressa Jackson

Well, April sure has been fun and interesting!

The saguaros are blooming and it's spectacular (photo from Saguaro National Park West)

The desert has been in full bloom and it's been pretty spectacular. The palo verde trees are trimmed with yellow flowers, the yucca are popping out big stalks of white blooms, and the cacti are bursting with all sorts of amazing petal configurations. I'm enjoying every minute of nature's celebration. While April was mostly beautiful, May is looking toasty, with the first of the year's triple-digit temperatures set to hit this weekend.

Aaron and I did several interesting things this month, including attending a Mexican street food festival, stargazing at Kitt Peak National Observatory, glass blowing at Sonoran Glass School, and chowing down at the Pima County Fair. We especially enjoyed the glass blowing experience, and will very likely return for more fun with molten materials at some point in the future.

I took a day trip to Phoenix to visit the Desert Botanical Garden, Jerry's Artarama (art supply store - $$$), and my friend Kalisha. I also trekked all the way across Tucson to Saguaro National Park East, since I hadn't been there in over a year. It takes nearly an hour to get there, and although it's certainly nice, I confirmed that I am a bigger fan of Saguaro National Park West, which is a much closer trip from my apartment (about 20 minutes). And, I couldn't resist paying a visit to the blooming corpse flower at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, one of only a handful that will bloom in captivity this year. I thought that it smelled like dirty socks.

What else... oh yes, ART! :-)

I had a really lovely month in this realm. I began April by putting the finishing touches on a special piece for my dear friend's nursery, one which contains a lot of meaning and love. So while I never in my life thought I would paint a raccoon playing a guitar surrounded by fireflies, I ended up rather enjoying the challenge and the result.

Next up, I was commissioned to paint a dog portrait by a Tucson local who discovered me on Instagram. This was a really fun project because her dog Stella is a total doll, and I met a lovely person in the process (a.k.a. Stella's mom). It was also pretty fun to see the internet pay off in terms of both art sales and people meeting. So yay for the internet!

I was then commissioned (is there a theme here?) to paint a piece for my second cousin to give as a gift to a friend. My cousin Kim lives here in Tucson, and wanted to give something special to a friend who lives in Kino Bay, Mexico. We came up with one of my "reverse mermaid" scenes set in Kino Bay, with some special touches (i.e. heart necklace, paddle board, and wine glass) to make the piece unique to her friend's life and interests.

Some of these cactus flowers are just gigantic (photo from Tucson Botanical Garden)

My mother hired me to paint a portrait of her mother in front of her parents' hardware store as a gift for my uncle's birthday, and this project was next on the agenda. This was a bit of a departure from my recent work, but harkened back to pieces I've created in the past. It was fun to do and especially heartwarming to see all the lovely memories people posted on Facebook when my mom shared the piece on there. Apparently my grandparents' hardware store was full of special memories for a lot of people who grew up in Mason, Ohio.

Last, I took a quick break from commissions (yes, I have another one in the works) to create a piece inspired by spring in Southern Arizona, featuring the blooming ocotillos. These thorny, dead-looking sticks get happy, grow leaves, and bloom a few times a year, and this month has been one of those times.

But wait - I'm not done yet! (Sorry this is a long one...)

April was almost over, but I had another fun surprise in store. Another Tucson artist, Addy Cottle, contacted me via Instagram and asked if I would be interested in showing my work with her at Epic Cafe on Tucson's historic Fourth Avenue. Of course the answer was "yes," and I spent the last few days of April framing art and preparing to display my creations.

The corpse flower at Tucson Botanical Gardens

Addy and my show will run through the end of May, and while I know that many of my blog readers won't be in a geographically feasible place to see it, I appreciate the many well wishes I have received. I'm excited to have an opportunity to show my work publicly and connect with new people in Tucson.

I can't wait to see what happens in May. Stay tuned for my next blog!

And now, this month's creations. The only one of these still available for purchase is the last piece, and it's currently only available for sale by visiting Epic Cafe. If it doesn't sell during my show, it will be back online for sale starting June 1.

Shop now ›

Coonie's Reprise (special gift for my friend's nursery)

Gates Pass, Tucson, Arizona: 3/27/18, 9:13:07

Shop now ›

My Artwork - February 2018

March 1, 2018 Teressa Jackson

My goodness! I don't know how a month that's only two or three days shorter than the others can feel like a whole week less. I truly can't believe that it's already March.

This month, I spent a week in Tempe with Aaron and a week hosting my mom here in Arizona. While in Tempe, I visited one of my favorite places in Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden. The second piece featured in this blog is from a photo of a cactus I took there.

The snowy Catalina Mountains, February 28, 2018

Mom and I traveled north to see the Grand Canyon in the snow, and it was a delightful (if slightly chilly!) adventure. We saw more "winter" weather in Tucson this month than I've seen since we put down roots in October, with highs dipping to the low-50s at points. February went out in style yesterday with the most snow I've seen yet on the mountains here so far. I couldn't resist slipping away to the Catalina Mountains at the end of the day to see the juxtaposition of saguaro cacti against snow-dusted peaks.

I have lots of beautiful photos stored up from these excursions, and look forward to bringing them to life on paper or canvas. I'm feeling the pressure to exercise a little more discipline and get cracking. I'm slightly peeved at myself that I only created four paintings this month, although one was a 10x10" commission, which took me quite a bit longer than my usual work due to the size and the pressure associated with it. Commissions are always more time-consuming because I feel the weight of others' expectations, but it's also so much fun to be a part of someone's special gift or moment. So, I put more time in, but I get more from it, too.

I continue to enjoy the drawing class I'm taking and signed up for a second session. I'm also sharing some of the work I did in class on this blog entry. It's nothing good enough to sell, but I created it, so why not? :-)

The non-commissioned works from this month remain available as of this blog's publish date, so if they tickle (or prickle?) your fancy, head on over and shop now ›

"El Pez está Jugando al Béisbol" (Commission)

Shop now ›

Teressa the Tucsonan

October 11, 2017 Teressa Jackson

"To be a human being is to be in a state of tension between your appetites and your dreams, and the social realities around you and your obligations to your fellow man."
~John Updike

I wasn't yet three years old when my family arrived in New Albany. Although I wasn't born there, it and the Louisville area are the only home I've ever known.

As a teenager, I couldn't wait to leave the area. I applied and was accepted to Chicago's DePaul University. At the last minute, however, I changed my mind. I remember that my mother was pretty upset, and she issued an understandable challenge given our family's financial situation. If I could persuade Bellarmine University to (re)award the scholarships that I had already declined, she would let me alter my plan. To both our amazement, I was successful.

Bellarmine was a good fit for me, and in retrospect, I think DePaul and Chicago would not have been. A couple of years after graduation, I continued my education at the University of Louisville, and my Master of Public Administration degree led me to work primarily in the human services sector. By the time those eight years had passed between high school and graduate school commencement, I not only had bought two houses in my New Albany hometown, I had a goal to work to actively help those who lived in the area. I was invested.

I can't believe that fifteen years have passed since then. My career has led me to meet some truly amazing individuals who comprise the bulk of the people in my life I refer to as friends. In fact, a humbling number of them have bought one or more pieces of my artwork and helped support my wandering over the past year and/or cheered me on instead of telling me I had lost my mind.

Although I have found great fulfillment in my life and career, I have also always felt that I missed out on something by never living anywhere else. Maybe it was the number "40" entering my life, or maybe it was just finally time, but I felt that my wandering over the past year was something I had to do. I didn't want to be someone who said they were going to do something "someday," but discovered that someday never came.

Once I set my mind to making the events of the past year happen, my determination drove me past hurdles and doubts. Many times, we spend more time thinking about why we can't do something than how to change that reality. I'm admittedly a little proud that I found the courage to set those uncertainties aside, stare the obstacles down, and make changes.

The places I have temporarily called "home" over the past year have provided me with many valuable experiences and inspirations. Staying in a place for a couple of weeks or even a month definitely provides a different perspective than a few days on vacation, but it's still a far cry from truly settling in and making a life there.

Now is the time to take that next step.

After leaving Saint-Martin, Aaron and I flew to Tucson. We had been to the area previously and enjoyed it. The prospect of living in a place with some of the mildest winters possible, beaucoup Mexican fare, a visually inspiring desert landscape, and a population around the size of our Louisville hometown lured us to consider it as a more long-term option. Aaron scored a job more quickly than we expected, and we hurriedly flew home and have spent the past several days driving our few remaining belongings from my mother's house in Johnson County, Indiana to the Arizona city also known as the Old Pueblo.

Me at Tucson's Saguaro National Park in January

I am tremendously fortunate to be in a position to casually look for local employment while I continue my contract work and creative pursuits. It will be interesting to see how we adjust to living in this city, but so far, people have been quite friendly and welcoming. So for now, and maybe even for good, you can refer to me as "Teressa the Tucsonan."

If I know you and you're reading this, chances are, I miss you. I hope to see you on my future visits back to Derby City when I should have more time for socializing, and invite you to look me up if you ever find yourself in this corner of the Sonoran Desert.

Living in an apartment instead of out of a backpack or vehicle, I'm looking forward to having the space and focus to create more and larger works of art. I have a lot of inspiration from this past year, and I can't wait to keep working through it all. Stay tuned as I continue to document my adventures as a new resident of this community, and stay in touch as I continue to keep you all in my heart.

Much Love,

My Artwork - June 2017

July 3, 2017 Teressa Jackson

June was busy, busy, busy... but unfortunately not with art production. As I discussed in my last post, I am in Belize. June included a visit to my sister in Oregon, a cross-country trek from Oregon to New Albany, Indiana, and preparation for life in Central America.

I have a lot of inspiration from my many locales waiting to take shape into artistic expression, but the craziness of June saw me paint just three pieces. Two were commissions I was hired to paint and one will be for sale when I either figure out shipping from Belize or return to the U.S. (potentially several months from now). One of the commissions was 10" x 13", quite a bit larger than my usual 5" or 8" squares.

Feel free to e-mail me to be added to a list to be notified when artwork is available again.

Returning to the Land of Red Rocks

April 12, 2017 Teressa Jackson

On Sunday, I packed up the bikini and beach towel and boarded a plane back to Las Vegas. With my base tan established, I was prepared for more desert sunshine!

My car had been relaxing at the airport for about six weeks, and I was starting to feel like that was my big Vegas gamble. As the parking lot shuttle rounded the corner, I saw her there smiling at me. What a relief! I assessed the exterior: no flat tires, no broken windows, and no new dings, dents, or scrapes. In the final test, I turned the ignition. Voila! I was on the road again.

Since my time in Vegas had been pretty brief (and I wasn't sure that my car would be ready to roll on down the road), I booked a few days at an Airbnb on the outskirts of town. My plan was to see some of the natural beauty surrounding this land of slot machines, roulette wheels, and poker tables.

Monday, I took a short drive west to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The park was full of people enjoying a gorgeous, sunny, mid-70's spring day. I drove the scenic loop, stopping at most points of interest to take some short hikes, snap photos, and drink in the beautiful landscape. I was afraid I had missed spring in the desert, but there was still a pretty abundant sprinkling of flowers to be seen.

Following my tour of Red Rock, I spent some time on a more typical Vegas activity - shopping. My hiking shoes were ready for retirement, and probably had been for quite some time. After a few tries, I was happy to be able to locate the same type of shoe (Ahnu Sugarpine Air Mesh), which had worked really well for me for the better part of a year. I guess I'm not very "adventurous" in my wardrobe choices! :-)

Yesterday, my trek was a little more extensive. I drove about an hour through sparse desert terrain to the Valley of Fire, a Nevada State Park. I had seen a lot of photos of this park, especially its "Fire Wave," and it did not disappoint. It is home to some really unique formations, intensely red rocks, petroglyphs, canyons, and petrified logs. I drove most of the park roads and stopped at many of the scenic points. Hiking the Fire Wave trail, I saw more lovely desert flowers and made the acquaintance of a few chuckwalla lizards.

Leaving the park's east entrance, I wound my way through Lake Mead National Recreation Area. After about an hour of the area's varied desert vistas and distant glimpses of the lake, I caught up with the throngs of tourists who were headed with me to see Hoover Dam.

I can't say that visiting Hoover Dam was anywhere near the top of my list of places I want to see, but it was actually pretty interesting and picturesque. I am definitely a fan of Art Deco architecture, and it's a fantastic example of this style. The Lake Mead side of the dam was pretty surreal looking, with its blue water, art deco towers, and the waterline on the surrounding cliffs. I'm glad I stopped and braved the crowds!

Today, I am doing some work, catching up on things (like this blog!), and painting. I wanted to take it relatively easy since I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow, when I head south to Phoenix, Arizona, my home for the next two weeks. Stay tuned for more reporting from the Valley of the Sun!

Desert globemallow and indigo bush blooming at Valley of Fire State Park

Life in Death Valley

March 8, 2017 Teressa Jackson

Salt Creek, home of the desert pupfish, is surrounded by salty badlands

Following a night of enthusiastic storms, I headed east from Twentynine Palms, California. I decided to take the shortest route to my destination, which sent me through Mojave National Preserve and Mojave Trails National Monument. While this was a beautiful and intriguing landscape, it was also quite soggy from the rains of the previous hours. There were a few close calls, but I luckily made it to my destination of Las Vegas without encountering any roads that were completely washed out and impassable.

I'd never been to Las Vegas before, and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. My first thought was that it was actually a lot smaller than I had envisioned. Other than that, it pretty much lived up to my expectations... gambling, over-the-top glitz, shows, weird people, and lots of intoxicated partiers who could barely walk - including one who had literally passed out on the sidewalk. His friends were pretty concerned. I don't think I have a lot in common with the people for whom this is a dream destination, but it was fun to experience it for a day. I do love people watching.

The streets were pretty empty when I rolled out of town around 7 a.m., wild and crazy party animal that I am. The clouds were beginning to drift away, making for a dramatic and beautiful scene as my car passed through Red Rock Canyon and headed west again.

In about an hour, I was in Pahrump, Nevada, my home for the next week. I hadn't researched much about Pahrump ahead of time, only that it was the closest locale of any size at all to Death Valley National Park. I came to learn that Michael Jackson had once owned an estate here, it is home to the Chicken Ranch and some other (yes, legal) brothels, you can do some hardcore firearms training at Front Sight Training Institute, and famed madam Heidi Fleiss was once proprietor of a laundromat in the town called "Dirty Laundry." I can't say that any of that got me really excited. :-)

Salt in Badwater Basin, which was underwater during my visit

I was pretty pumped up about seeing Death Valley, though. After itching to visit this expansive national park for years, I was finally going to experience it. I had also achieved my goal of visiting during the wintertime, as a summer visit to the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America can be worse than inhospitable. Back in July of 1913, the temperature reached a whopping 134 degrees there.

Death Valley has apparently been growing slightly wetter over the past few years, and they had received nearly half their total average yearly precipitation a couple days before my visit. This meant that the landscape was different than it would likely look in warm and toasty July. The lowest lying areas of the park were home to shallow bodies of water, not dry, cracked salt flats. Salt Creek, home to the rare desert pupfish, was flowing instead of being reduced to a few life-filled puddles. And there was certainly plenty of salty mud to adorn my hiking shoes as a souvenir of my visit.

One my surprises at Death Valley was the variety of scenery that exists there - flat, salty, lifeless expanses; beautiful multicolored striped mountains; surreal, wrinkly, colorful badlands; canyons; sand dunes; creeks teeming with fish; the well-preserved ghost town of Rhyolite just outside the park's borders; and so much more than I could ever properly describe. It literally takes hours to drive from one end of the park to another, and it seems nearly impossible that anyone could ever truly see and experience its diverse wonders.

I have found that the desert has a way of teaching you about the persistence and creativity of life. Some might think that Death Valley would be an exception to this observation, but despite everything it's up against, life creeps through even this harshest of landscapes. In addition to amazing desert fish, I spotted a brave and curious coyote, many birds, lots of darting lizards, and some very hopeful vegetation. While the guy passed out on the sidewalk in Las Vegas probably woke up the next morning wishing he wasn't living and the gold prospectors cleared out of Rhyolite long ago, these life forms slowly and quietly adapt, adjust, and amaze those who take a moment to stop and spot them. I'm glad I am among them.

Badlands at Death Valley's Zabriskie Point

The Joshua Tree

March 2, 2017 Teressa Jackson

I've fallen behind on updates! When I left my readers over two weeks ago, I was preparing to leave Fallbrook, California. My route from there took me north on I-215 and then east on my old friend I-10. When I turned onto California State Hwy. 62, also known as the Twentynine Palms Highway, I knew I was getting close to Joshua Tree land. At the town of Yucca Valley, these sweet little twisted, fairy tale-like "trees" began to appear.

Joshua Trees are not actually considered to be a tree. They are a variety of yucca, but can develop a woody trunk covered in what looks like tree bark, and grow to nearly fifty feet tall in some instances. Their branches end in spiny green outgrowths that echo their yucca genus.

Continuing east, the town of Joshua Tree appeared next. Little shops and cafes dotted the side of the highway, targeting the throngs of people from Los Angeles and Southern California who escape east to the magical Mojave Desert landscape.

Cholla Garden at Joshua Tree National Park

The town of Twentynine Palms, where I would be staying for the next week, would be next along the highway, but I took a detour. I turned into the entrance for Joshua Tree National Park, my reason for visiting the area.

The park encompasses various elevations and different types of landscape. It straddles the Colorado and Mojave Deserts, the southern section of the park looking markedly different from the northern one. Much of it is dotted with weathered granite boulders, their edges worn smooth from countless years out in the elements. The result, combined with the Joshua Trees themselves, is an almost unbelievable, whimsical landscape.

Over the next six days, I took in the sights of the park at its various elevations - Joshua Trees, a prickly cholla garden, boulder scrambling, and a hike to the top of Ryan Mountain Peak. I saw climbers with their gear on top of giant rock outcroppings, and enjoyed the fact that the Mojave Desert's sparse vegetation means you can pretty much wander and make your own trail anywhere that speaks to you.

I also spent a day touring around the cities of Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs. Cabot's Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot Springs was a unique highlight of that day. It had a fascinating story, having been constructed in the early to mid-20th century of entirely found and repurposed materials. I also soared to new heights to the top of San Jacinto Peak on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

My Airbnb in Twentynine Palms was a sweet little spot above a garage in a residential neighborhood, the perfect cozy spot for working on a few new paintings and hiding out from the storm that whipped through on my last night there. As the palms (I didn't count them, but surely there were more than 29) swayed to and fro, I could have sworn they waved goodbye!

View of Twentynine Palms from the top of Chocolate Drop Mountain, which was located behind my Airbnb

Falling for Fallbrook

February 11, 2017 Teressa Jackson

Following a lovely sunny last Sunday in January day at Encinitas' Cardiff State Beach, I wound my way through the hills to Fallbrook, California, the place I would call "home" for the next two weeks. In more ways than one, my Airbnb at Equinox Farms was sure to be a different experience than my previous temporary residences.

First of all, I would be staying in a camper. Although I did a fair amount of tent camping as a kid, I haven't camped at all in years, and had never actually slept in a camper. When looking at Southern California Airbnb options, this was certainly one of the most reasonable arrangements, so I decided to see how I fared in one for a couple of weeks.

Roosevelt the alpaca gives me the stare-down

More interesting than staying in a camper, though, was the property on which it sits. My host Tricia and her husband reside in their home on the property, and have created a beautiful and peaceful oasis of a little farm here. The camper looks out on their menagerie of critters, which include an alpaca, a llama, two miniature horses, a full size horse, two goats, chickens, ducks, a pig, and a couple dogs.

The day after I arrived, I came down with either a tremendous migraine or a terrible 24-hour stomach bug. Being sick is pretty miserable, but being sick all alone is even worse. I'm not one to ask for help, but when Tricia learned I wasn't well, I eagerly accepted the Sprite, crackers, and rice she delivered to my door. It did, indeed, cure whatever it was that ailed me.

Fallbrook is a cute little town that is apparently known as the Avocado Capitol of the World, and I have definitely eaten my fair share of these delectable fruits over the course of the past two weeks. I also enjoyed some local flavor at area restaurants, chowing down on a hearty breakfast at Fallbrook's Main Street Cafe and devouring some seriously spicy Thai food at Thai Thai.

My day trips have included time to enjoy the rugged and beautiful coastline at La Jolla's Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, the retro vibe at Oceanside's pier and downtown, strolling the streets of Temecula, foggy trips to Carlsbad's Ponto Beach and to the top of Palomar Mountain, and the artsy streets and breathtaking oceanfront of Laguna Beach.

After months in more rural locales, it took me a bit to get used to the way people drive here, but outside their cars, I've found them to be incredibly, surprisingly friendly. Aside from a brief trip to San Diego years ago, I have mostly experienced the culture in northern California. I don't care to delve into negativity, but I'll just say that the demeanor around here seems markedly different from my previous impression of Californians.

One of my favorite pieces I created in Fallbrook, inspired by a pelican I saw on the pier at Oceanside, CA

I have enjoyed the places I've visited, their lush green scenery in stark contrast to the ruggedly beautiful Arizona desert. The hills are covered with boulders that look like they were sprinkled there by a hand from the sky, and the roads in the countryside boast orchards of avocados, oranges, and grapefruit. In other parts of the country, we forget how much of our food comes from this gargantuan state.

However, I truly think what I will miss more than anything is this lovely place I have called home. The camper, while small, really has everything I need. I can gaze out my window and see bunnies, a pig, chickens, and a miniature horse frolicking - all in the same unbelievable scene. I have also been quite productive, cranking out paintings at a relatively quick pace.

Painting of Dolly Llama I created for Tricia in gratitude for her hospitality

But most of all, my host Tricia has been an absolute delight. I have had little interaction with most of my other Airbnb hosts, and really didn't want or need to. They have certainly been responsive if I needed them - this is just a much different arrangement. A successful photographer and businesswoman with a whole lot on her plate, Tricia always had time for a few moments of lovely chitchat. She made great recommendations. She made me feel at home. I'm delighted to have met her and shared her space for a bit.

I'm not ready to take up residence in southern California anytime soon, but this place has definitely carved out a little boulder-shaped niche in my heart. Hasta la vista, Fallbrook!

Salvation and a Forgotten Sea

January 27, 2017 Teressa Jackson

Yuma, Arizona, was about as close to California as my former home of New Albany, Indiana was to Louisville, Kentucky. Within moments of leaving my hotel this morning, I was cruising down the interstate in the Golden State.

Before too long, I was in the midst of rolling brown sand dunes. On a windy day like today, that meant sand was blasting my car and all over the roadway. I couldn't believe that people were riding dirt bikes on the windy dunes, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves just fine.

My first destination was a short jaunt off of State Highway 111. I encountered Leonard Knight's creation, Salvation Mountain, shortly after passing the sign for Slab City, "The Last Free Place on Earth." I had wanted to visit the Mountain for years, and by the amount of traffic they were getting, I clearly wasn't the only one with that wish.

Leonard, a Vermont native, landed in this California desert in 1984, beginning construction of the mountain that he worked on for nearly 30 years. Salvation Mountain, which he constructed out of clay, bales of hay, latex paint, tires, and pretty much anything else he found useful that had been discarded or donated, was named a National Folk Art Site in 2000, and a National Treasure in the U.S. Congressional Record. Leonard passed away in 2014, but the not-for-profit, Salvation Mountain, Inc. continues to work to maintain and preserve his labor of love.

Unfortunately, I picked a somewhat bad day to visit Salvation Mountain. Going inside Leonard's creation or climbing the "Yellow Brick Road" stairs that led to the top were off limits, as the recent rains had made the construction wet and vulnerable to damage. I still enjoyed seeing the site and appreciated the care that was still going into its preservation.

Next, I was headed to another "weird" destination. Sometime, ages ago, I saw a television documentary about the Salton Sea. For some reason, I never quite got it out of my mind, so when I found myself in the general vicinity of California's largest inland body of water, I went for it.

The Salton Sea was a dry basin when European settlers first came to the area. Apparently, it was actually, at one time long ago, a part of the Gulf of California. When farmers in the area needed water, a man was hired to engineer a canal from the Colorado River to the basin. After a couple tries, he got the canal to flow, but it ended up flowing for over a year and filling the basin to create the Salton Sea.

In the 1950's, the sea was a popular recreational area for Californians. However, the destruction created by a couple of hurricanes combined with the increasing salinity of the sea caused the area's eventual decline. The sea continues to increase in salinity, and is currently about 50% saltier than the Pacific Ocean. It's still quite a ways from being as salty as the Great Salt Lake, but it is inhospitable to most fish except the tilapia who live there, and they don't appear to be living the dream, either. It is, however, a popular spot for abundant bird watching. I'm sure the birds don't mind the fish snacks, either. I found it to be weird, peaceful, and oddly beautiful. :-)

After my tour of the Salton Sea, I cruised until the white salt crust no longer lined the roadway, through the cities of Indio and Palm Desert, and headed up through Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument to my home for the next couple of days in Aguanga, California. And now... I'm hungry for something salty...

Crossing Paths and Collecting Adventures

January 22, 2017 Teressa Jackson

I had a lot of really wonderful experiences during my four weeks at Red Mountain Cottages in Bisbee, Arizona. I gazed at the sunset over the Huachuca Mountains each evening. I enjoyed visits from mule deer, roaming cattle, and flittering desert birds, and heard the sounds of coyotes singing in the night. I visited Old Bisbee, Ramsey Canyon Preserve, Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Coronado National Forest, Cochise Stronghold, Kartchner Caverns State Park, the Whetstone Mountains, the wild west town of Tombstone, and the border towns of Naco and Agua Prieta in Mexico. And last but not least, I devoured ridiculous quantities of delicious Mexican food.

Mom and me at Chiricahua National Monument

My mother came to visit for my last week in Bisbee and shared in the fun, too. She was perhaps even more mesmerized by the beauty of the desert than I was - standing outside each morning in her coat and pajamas to watch the sunrise, strategically placed to see nature's fireworks to both the east and the west. The time whisked past, and it was hard to believe it was time to pack up the SUV and head to the next adventure on January 21.

I had made a couple of day trips to Tucson (about two hours from my Bisbee home) to see Saguaro National Park, and decided that my run to the airport to bid "see you later" to mom was a good reason to spend a couple more days there.

Mom and I spent her last day in Arizona visiting the Arizona - Sonoran Desert Museum, which was an interesting and expansive combination of museum, zoo, aquarium, art gallery, and botanical gardens. It was home to an amazing array of cacti, interesting desert creatures (including my favorite - the javelina!), and some informative exhibits. Our four hours there flew right by, and we took a small rest at our Airbnb before heading to El Charro Cafe to meet my second cousin Kim, a Tucson resident.

Kim, who I hadn't seen in 15 or so years and had never really known, graciously invited me to her gorgeous home for a hike after I deposited mom at the airport this morning. We journeyed six miles into the saguaro-covered mountains, watching her sweet dog Murphy busily investigate the landscape and getting to know one another. As someone who has never lived near extended family, it was fun to make that connection, especially with such a lovely person.

After three hours with Kim, I had another social date. Kalisha, a friend from home, had recently relocated to Phoenix and we had arranged to meet up in Tucson. It was nice to see another familiar face, and we talked non-stop for the next four hours. I have to admit, she made me wish a bit that my next stop was in Phoenix so we could have a few more visits, but alas, my route is set through February. Perhaps my path will encounter hers again sometime in the next few months... time will tell.

For now, I'm westward bound in the morning. Stay tuned!

Blog

Return to Goblin Valleyby Teressa L. Jackson

Return to Goblin Valley
by Teressa L. Jackson