Recently I spent time at Hot Springs National Park as Artist-in- Residence for the last two weeks of April 2017. As a painter of landscape and still life, I was looking forward to capturing in my paintings the images that make Hot Springs unique. My husband accompanied me and provided needed practical advice and support. We were fortunate to stay in a historic park ranger cabin in Gulpha Gorge campground, nestled in trees just a few feet from a sparkling stream.
It was an honor to be accepted for the residency and a pleasure to spend time in an area so rich in cultural history as well as natural beauty. The Fordyce Visitors Center within the Park is a beautifully restored former bathhouse that preserves artifacts and imagery about Hot Springs National Park . While there, I learned about the origin and maintenance of the valuable resource of water at Hot Springs. The water coming from the Springs today went into the ground when the Egyptians were building the pyramids—4.000 years ago! I also learned some colorful history about Hot Springs’s origins as a therapeutic facility visited by patients with doctor’s prescriptions, and as a vacation destination in the 20 th century for the rich and famous.
Much of my time in Hot Springs was taken up with hiking the trails and photographing sunlight as it fell across the paths and water at different times of the day. I never tired of crossing the stepping stones over Gulpha Creek and hearing the sound of rippling water. At night, I took my camera into town to Bathhouse Row, capturing images of these historic buildings bathed in the slant of evening light.
Working from these photographs, I used black and white prints as sources for the imagery of my painting. Using my own color palette, I created colorful paintings from these colorless images. The resulting series of paintings included nature scenes within the Park, and select buildings on Hot Springs’ historic Bathhouse Row.
As part of my Artist-in- Residence responsibilities I provided two programs within the park. The first was an open air painting demonstration of my artistic process on the street in front of the Ozark Cultural Center on Bathhouse Row. It was delightful to meet people from all over the world and talk to them about my work and their time in Hot Springs. I also visited Hot Springs High School, where I shared my painting process and taught a lesson in which students created their own paintings from black/white images of the Park. The results were impressive!
Our Park Ranger was helpful and made our stay an easy and comfortable one. Park officials will select one of my completed paintings to go on permanent display at the Ozark Cultural Center on Bathhouse Row. I am proud to become a small part of the rich cultural history Hot Springs Natural Park has to offer!
Susan Crum-Cox
