Ellen Augarten, artist-in-residence at Mesa Verde National Park, will conduct a photo workshop at the Cortez Public Library on May 8 at 6 p.m.
The theme of Augarten’s residency, which runs April 30 to May 12, is “Focus on Fire: Beauty and Future.” She plans to visit sites such as the Wildhorse Fire of 1934 and Soda Canyon Fire of 2008 to capture the forms of burned and growing trees, using double exposure and camera movement. She plans to photograph unburned areas too.
“I am greatly looking forward to an education about Mesa Verde’s fire history and how climate change will impact the regeneration of native trees and plants, and mostly, looking forward to just being in the park, and meeting people,” Augarten said in a promotional release from the library.
The library event also will feature a talk by a ranger or volunteer about fires in Mesa Verde and the impact of climate change on native plants.
The park’s artist-in-residence program, which is managed by the nonprofit Mesa Verde Museum Association, provides professional artists the opportunity to create art in a national park.
Augarten is from Northhampton, Massachusetts. She has worked as a photographer since the 1980s, focusing on children and families. Her personal and ongoing work involves using double exposure and camera movement, which can create unexpected images.
Bring a camera; ideally, one with manual and multiple exposure settings and a neutral density filter.