Images from the Source: A Shared Experience

2285 Thumb Butte Rd,Prescott AZ 86305

12 November, 2022

Description

In a field experience follow-up to his talk at the Natural History Institute, Ken Gorczyca and NHI Program Director Jessie Rack will lead a small group in an exploration of the natural world at Thumb Butte Recreation Area. This session will include a brief discussion on the ecology of the local area and a short hike to explore the vistas, trees and rocks. Participants will be offered a guided mediation and encouraged to create a painting, drawing, photograph, or poem that mirrors their impressions of the land. These creations will be shared and made into a group film answering the question: What can Thumb Butte, or Gaia, teach us humans today? Bring a lunch; art supplies, writing materials, and/or a camera, as desired; something to sit on; and a drum or rattle if you have one. $40. Limit 12 participants. Interested in learning more about Ken's technique and the concept of Gaia in his work? Come to his artist talk, happening Thursday, November 10th at 7pm. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portraits-of-gaia-a-veterinary-artist-perspective-tickets-439131804047 Ken Gorczyca, DVM, is a nature-based artist, veterinarian and social activist currently sharing his time between the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, San Francisco, and the desert. His grandfather recognized his talent and introduced him to painting at age seven. Ken studied meteorology and veterinary medicine at the University of California at Davis. He has also studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, the City College of San Francisco at Fort Mason and the U.C. Berkeley Visual Arts Program. Ken is an advocate of nature and of the human-animal bond. He uses nature and wilderness as his studio using the ‘plein air’ style while sitting directly on the earth. Ken also loves painting animal companions in memoriam and in life as part of his end-of-life veterinary doula practice. He finds painting to be an essential part of his personal happiness and well-being. He shares his life with his husband, Lorenz, a terrier dog named Kira, and their gardens. Dr. Jessie Rack is an ecologist, naturalist, and environmental educator passionate about communicating how the world works. Jessie has a PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and diverse experiences in both formal and informal education. She is the Program Director at the Natural History Institute.