My Austin apartment was above the garage on the right
On December 1, 2016, I arrived in Austin, Texas, after an exhausting 10-hour, 600+ mile drive. I settled into my little loft apartment in the North University neighborhood, where I enjoyed mostly warm weather, a lot of rain, a lovely walkable neighborhood, and treks to various sites around the region.
Austin is a very nice city, but I think I've made a discovery about myself along this journey - I don't particularly enjoy cities much anymore. I'm not really into bars or clubs, restaurants are a great way to drain your cash quickly, and why shop for things you can't haul around from place to place that you don't need anyway? After taking in the cultural attractions, I was left at a bit of a loss for things I might want to do. Plus, I just started getting antsy for some sunshine and open terrain.
Then, late in the month my Airbnb host cancelled the reservation I'd had in Tucson, Arizona for January. At that point, I wasn't able to find a new place to stay in Tucson. A lot of people had recommended Bisbee, Arizona to me, so I decided the host cancellation was my opportunity to leave Austin a bit early and check it out.
My Bisbee Home
From December 25-26, I drove over 800 miles and checked in to a beautiful, serene, solar-powered house in the Mule Mountains a few miles outside of Bisbee, and my soul went "ahhhh." I can see for miles across the desert to the Huachuca Mountains, and my yard has been host to mule deer, birds, cattle, rainbows, glorious sunsets, and the sounds of goats bleating, coyotes howling, and roosters crowing. I'll get to enjoy this little oasis until the last week of January.
I wasn't quite as prolific in my artistic endeavors during December as in November, but I was also tending to some contract work, spent several days visiting Big Bend and driving to Bisbee, and maybe felt a little lethargic and uninspired. I still managed to create the following paintings inspired by my travels and informed by my original photography, as well as one very special commission a friend hired me to create for another friend as a Christmas gift. Some are already sold, but I still have a few left that could bring some beauty from across the U.S. to your home or office.
Berg's Eye View (Commission)
Johnson City, Texas: 12/7/16, 12:50:54
Big Bend National Park, Texas: 12/13/16, 19:02:10
Bisbee, Arizona: 12/27/16, 16:55:28
Bisbee, Arizona: 12/26/16, 18:29:11
Every $25 you buy in art helps keep me rolling on my adventure across the United States for approximately 1-2 days (gas is expensive!). I'm truly grateful to all the people in my life who keep me fueled up, both literally and figuratively!