The Nomadic Artist: Introduction

I am a nomadic artist. I want to see the world to better the world. I find poetic wonder in new places, experiences, people, and environments, shifting my perspective to see what matters most: our EARTH.

As I travel across new terrain and learn from others, it becomes more apparent how all places, people, ecosystems, geography, technology, resources and culture connect and influence one another. By witnessing a wide range of systems, from the social systems that make up a small town to the vast biodiversity of a 30,000 acre ranch, I gain insight into the positive and negative impacts of connectivity of complex systems.

One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things.
– Henry Miller

I attended art residencies in buzzing tech-hubs of the Bay Area to far out on the eastern-most part of the United States in a small town in Maine. Drastic changes in locations from urban to rural environments reveal distinctions between lifestyle, diet, faith, political views, ecology, and social values. This enables me to create artwork that derives from outside of myself, a compilation of many perspectives in order to find a more holistic worldview, or at least, better understand the pieces that make up our planet.

Now it gives me great joy to expose what happens at these residencies. What do I see? What do I do? What do I create? I want to show to show you first-hand where my creative inspiration comes from and how it manifests itself into new work. A teenage girl once told me that my “spirit animal” is a barnacle, because I filter and release content while simultaneously cleansing the environment around me. Not my original animal choice, but I understood her reasoning. I want to “be the barnacle” for you to expose you to my process and creations, but also to different places, communities, and natural scenes around the world to uplift your spirits and hopefully broaden your perspective about our vast web of life.

This Summer I am thrilled to embark on 3 (maybe 4) back-to-back fully funded art residencies including Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts working alongside writers, composers and artists on Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, WY (1-month); a science-art residency bringing art to Planet, an Earth-imaging company based in San Francisco, CA (2 months); the Vermont Studio Center (1-month) in Johnson, VT. Each residency provides a stipend, housing, a free studio, a creative community, and a hard deadline to get busy! This retreat-like experience quiets the multitasking, busy mind and unleashes the 24–7 dreamer.

I invite you to join me as I explore, experience, and create shifting between very different programs and places. I will post videos, photos, images, sketches, ideas and new works along the way. Four months of travel and art making begins NOW! First stop, Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, WY!

Follow along!

www.richellegribble.com | FB: Richelle Gribble : Art | @richellegribble
Idyllwild Arts Academy, Visual Arts Major, Class of ’09