on the beach

This well-crafted 1959 post-apocalyptic fictional film is set in Australia five years into the future.  Posing a 'what if' scenario after a nuclear war, the film's main characters play out varying reactions to the tragic situation.  Based on Nevil Shute's novel of the same name, Stanley Kramer thoughtfully directs the story with elegant camera choices and long takes with stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire (very different from how you usually see Fred) and Anthony Perkins all performing at their best.

Even though the topic is obviously grim, I appreciate how the film maintains a sense of hope and confidence in humanity.  The complex sentiment felt appropriate for  marking Earth Week.  Kramer, the director, (known for other great films like High Noon - though apparently an uncredited Producer of it) is  quoted saying, "I'm always pursuing the next dream, hunting for the next truth."  I clearly felt his passionate pursuit in On The Beach. He also directed 14 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances in his career which is no surprise after watching this film.   

Here is a scene from the film.

a letter from Sol

Every artist should watch this video by João Leonardo.

Based on a letter from Sol Lewitt to Eva Hesse in April, 1965. 

a studio of one's own

A while back I received a letter in the mail notifying me that I had been nominated to an artist residency at Jentel by an art curator in Seattle whom I respect and admire.  The letter alone had me floating on air.  The residency had me hopping out of my skin.  (It still does.)  




At Jentel, I wandered around working in my head.

I wrote every day. I studied wind causes and patterns.  I watched a stack of avant-garde movies by  surrealists and early film experimentalists until I had a headache.  I read myself to sleep with novels at all hours of the night and short stories at breakfast. I listened to books on CD while making drawings.  I took leisurely walks, even if just to the mailbox.  I took many notes. I cut circles out of paper.  I made storyboards with ink, watercolor or graphite.  I sewed strips of black cloth into circles. 


I snapped  hundreds of photos.  

I just did stuff.   
 

I hiked with my video camera a couple times each week.  

I recorded the texture and movement of dry rattling grass and brittle sage shrubs.  

I edited video until I was dizzy. 


I followed the clouds and tried grabbing the sun.

While crawling around trying to get the better shot, I dragged my leg across a prickly pear cactus. (I don't recommend this.  I pulled at least 50 needles out of my calf and it's STILL bruised.)  Prickly Pears are low-growing and sometimes hidden in the grass, especially hard to see in late winter and early spring.  It's much easier to see in this picture, plus the cool crusty rock next to it.

I pondered the conical lava mound mountains. 

I revisited certain rocks.

I considered how each bit of scoria (lava rock) looks like a red, black or dark brown miniature mountain.  

Miniature scoria mountain.

And how it is sooo light.


I bound the scoria with string.

And hung them on the wall in the profile of the mountains outside on the other side of my studio wall.

T. Matlock, Lighten Up, Jentel scoria, nails and string.

T. Matlock, Lighten Up, angle view.

T. Matlock, Lighten Up, detail.

Finally, I cut them all down, cut away the threads and mixed them back into  the rest of the scoria gravel in the driveway.

Stay tuned for more about movies.  I'll be editing the video I collected for awhile.  

Jentel

Arriving on Lower Piney Creek Road in the middle of March

I just spent a month at Jentel, an artist residency, in Banner, Wyoming.  I lived in Wyoming twenty years ago and have a strong memory of the landscape and conditions there but I didn't have a solid visual for what the accommodations would be like at this residency, so for my fellow artists considering going, I hope this helps you prepare.  
 

I found Jentel to be a real treat, a place to rest and rejuvenate with the permission to do whatever I needed to do.  It was an excellent escape from my  routine of life and work.  While there, I abandoned my normal pressures and relaxed.  Even so, I was productive.  I revisited old ideas, tossing some out while refreshing others, and  I generated truckloads of new ones.  I tracked tangents to their end or folded them in.   I met my self-imposed technical  goals with this newer bigger faster camera enough to build my confidence and use it with more ease.  Plus, I made new friends that I expect to keep for a long time. 

In this post, I'll focus on the resident house, studio facilities and the setting.  

Jentel driveway paved and lined with scoria gravel and boulders.

Jentel office cabin.

Writer's Studio/Coup (2 studios).

Visual Art Studios (4 studios).

Front view of the residence when drive up.

Echo in the snow by the main entrance of the residence.

Mudroom with plenty of orange vests.

Residence foyer.

Kitchen.

Open kitchen and living room.

Living room and stairs.

I had the Hans Hoffman room.

 

The residence houses six artists with two wings, each with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a half bath by the foyer.

I enjoy travel and a change of setting, so maybe in the end for me, home is where you hang your toothbrush?

Upstairs has a library and tv room.

Many details of the house have been thought out.  The house is well insulated so you don't hear your neighbors much or feel like the house is going to come down when the wind picks up.  Sturdy hooks, handles, laundry hampers (labeled by room no less) and generally smart house planning. 

               

And many pockets of light.

The studio space had everything I needed:  tables, a window, good lighting, a monster wall and lots of floor space and a sink.  It also had a bed that was a welcome comfort where I read more than expected.  (I brought my own big reading pillow but didn't really need it.)

 



In my mind, the big draw at Jentel is the setting.  

First, below is a view from the tippy top of the mountain directly behind the house and studio.  You can see that water wraps around the place, so when you walk from the house to studio you always hear running water and the birds, insects and toads it attracts.

Jentel is tucked into a bend in a river like an ideal campsite.

Never underestimate the drama of the constantly changing sky in Wyoming. 

Big rocks and big clouds.

 

The '1,000' is the vast property connected to Jentel available to resident artists to roam and explore.   A lot of the surrounding mountains (left photo) are cone-shaped dormant volcanic vents and stacks.  

Jentel is a working ranch.  Expect to see cowpies!

Important to pack:  If you like to hike, pack a windbreaker, hiking boots and clothes that can get muddy, stained and caked with red clay (especially in Spring), extra shoes or boots, a tick-repelling hat and warm layers and binoculars. For around the house, slippers are nice.

Wear orange vests for safety when you hike around Jentel.

The visual art studios in snow.

Amanda shoveled a path in the snow

While we were there mid-March to mid-April, birds were migrating north and it snowed a few times until Spring finally poked its way out.

Pheasant

See my post a studio of one's own for images of art I made while there. And Sheridan, Wyo for more notes on the area. (Both posts coming soon!)

Me, at the tops.

A fellow artist on another mountain.

Note: 

If you have also been to Jentel and have more tips to add, that would be great, please include them in the comments!  (Added April 18, 2011.)