Big Bend National Park

Summer 2024 I was selected as an artist in residence at Big Bend National Park in West Texas and was able to spend two weeks creating artwork and teaching nature sketching workshops in Chisos Basin. As a native Texan, Big Bend has always felt like “my national park”. From my first visit with by grandparents at age 10 which included donkey rides into Boquillas, Mexico and rafting the Rio Grande, to its incredible Dark Sky, the dry desert air and sunset views in Chisos Basin, most Texans would agree it’s one of our states most beautiful regions. I wanted to create artwork that transferred the expansive feelings of Big Bend, inviting others into the experience, history and trails of this majestic park region.

During my residency I made sketches, detailed notes, went on research hikes, met with a master naturalist, studied in the Big Bend Natural History Assoc. library, stared up at the milky way nightly and dreamed up a whole series of work to create from the experience. While in the park I created a map of the full park featuring geological sites, flora, fauna and vistas. This Park Map is the first of a series that will include individual trail maps of The Window Trail, Lost Mine Trail, Boquillas Canyon, Hot Springs Trail and more (coming soon!).

Map Prints available for purchase in the Print Shop