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I find myself creating a lot of different kinds of art lately, but my guiding principle is my project Atlas.
I originally conceived of Atlas as an artist’s book about ancestry, identity, and belief. But it has since expanded into a much larger project. It includes the beginnings of a book, extensive genealogical research, standalone wall pieces, cyanotypes, crochet, and now something even more involved: travel.
Heritage travel and genealogy research trips have grown in popularity with online research tools and DNA testing. But I’m an artist, and I’ve come to understand that I process information through making art.
That’s why this isn’t just a heritage vacation or a genealogy research trip. It’s an opportunity to explore my history and make art in response to what I discover.
To be honest, I’m a bit of a nervous traveler. Actually, to be more accurate, I’m a nervous and lazy travel planner. Once I’m on the road, I’m usually fine. But I’m not particularly skilled at planning a trip (or planning anything, honestly). I tend to make short shrift of exploring my options and figuring out exactly how I’m going to get somewhere and what I’ll do when I arrive.
So I’ve decided to start with baby steps—right here in my hometown.
Close to Home: The Portland Rose Garden
My first “trip” was to the Portland Rose Garden. I’m a lifelong Portlander, and when I was growing up, my family would go there for picnics or to watch performances in the small amphitheater.
The garden offers an amazing view of Mount Hood, which looms over downtown Portland like a local god.
Mount Hood is an icon of Portland, so the first thing I did was buy some vintage Portland postcards featuring the mountain. I tried to find ones from the 1970s, when I was a little girl.
I made my way up to the Rose garden, sat at a picnic table and did some drawings.
I wanted to capture the feeling of looking so far up into the trees, so I created a pull-up element for Atlas.
You can see my first version my pull up in this video.
I like this piece, but I also wanted to try something new: a design inspired by the National Park travel posters created during the WPA era.
So I started another version on black paper to give it a more graphic look.
Mt Hood pull-up page, in progress
I haven’t made the actual pull-up mechanism yet, so that part is still to come!
A Little Bit Further: Salem Cemetery Adventure
My next baby step took me a little farther from home: a short trip to Salem.
While researching my family, I discovered the website Find a Grave—an amazing resource! I knew my maternal grandparents were buried in Salem, but I couldn’t remember where. It turns out they’re at City View Cemetery.
I also discovered that my great-great-grandparents—not my great-grandparents, who are buried in Michigan—are buried at Salem Pioneer Cemetery.
But here’s the amazing thing: they’re buried in a family plot that’s only half full. Which means I could be buried there someday if I want to!
I took a photographs of some pictures I have of my ancestors, resting beside their graves.
Then I got down to work and made this drawing.
The Wicklander Family Plot
I will most certainly include this drawing in Atlas, although I haven’t figured out exactly how yet. That’s part of the process: making the work, seeing where it leads, and letting the project evolve.
Even Further: The Olympic Peninsula
And that brings us to the present. I’m planning my next baby step: an art and research trip to Washington State. My Big Girl Sleep-Over. I’ll be driving up to the Olympic Peninsula and staying for about four days, all by my little self.
There I will visit museums, cemeteries, and seek out places my ancestors lived and died. I will make my way to Port Orchard, Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, and the The Sidney Museum and Arts Association.
Then I will head onto Port Angeles and the Elwha Klallam Museum, the remains of the ancient village of Tse-whit-zen on Ediz Hook, and the Mount Angeles Memorial Park Cemetery.
From there, I plan to make a day trip to Neah Bay. Why? I have no direct ancestral connection there, but for some reason, I’m often compelled to go to the absolute end of a thing, just so I can say I’ve been there. Neah Bay is at the northwestern tip of contiguous United States, and I just gotta go!
Art Making Along the Way
As I said, this isn’t just a heritage vacation or a genealogy research trip. It’s an opportunity to explore my history and make art in response to what I discover.
Drawing on the experience I’ve gained making art while traveling, I plan to bring plenty of art supplies and an expansive, open mind. You can read more about making art while traveling in these blog posts:
The great thing about this trip is that I will be driving, so I am not as constrained by suitcase space restrictions. Who knows what all I’ll bring!
I’ve already started a map of the trip, which I plan to incorporate into Atlas eventually.
Work in progress drawing of a map of the Olympic Peninsula trip.
Baby Steps
This first extended trip will, I hope, be the beginning of a series of art and research adventures. Eventually, I’d love to travel to New England, Canada, and even Europe to see and experience the places my ancestors came from.
I will continue to write about my experiences here and on my Substack. If this intrigues you, consider subscribing to my Substack page and get updates regularly. I usually write every 4-6 weeks.