Morning at Hustai 16×24″ oil (available at Mazaalai Art Gallery, Ulaanbaatar)
I am most pleased to announce that I will now be represented by Mazaalai Art Gallery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I delivered 29 paintings to them before I came home, the same ones which were in my exhibition last month at the National Gallery of Mongolia.
“Mazaalai” is the Mongolian name for the endangered Gobi bear. Quite appropriate for me as an animal artist.The gallery is located at:
Sukhbaatar District
1st Khoroo, Jamyangunii Street 5/3
Marco Polo Place Building
(This is the same building that Millie’s cafe and the Xanadu Bookstore is in, across from the Museum of the Chojin Lama.)
I’m in Ulaanbaatar for a couple more days, then heading for home. The Expedition departed on August 23 and returned on September 10. It was a great adventure that occasionally verged on the epic, was filled with days of great natural beauty,took us to places no artists have ever been and accomplished every goal that I set.
Nomadic Journeys sent us out with a great team who were reliable, professional and fun to be with. It quickly became their Expedition, too. So, really, it was all nine of us together sharing wonderful sights and experiences.
From left to right above: Oidoviin Magvandorj (Mongol artist), Sendag (driver), Odna Idevkhen (Mongol photographer), Tugsoyun Sodnom (Mongol artist), Susan Fox (Expedition organizer and American artist), Batmaa (driver), Tseegii (guide), Sharon K. Schafer (American artist). Photo taken by our cook Soyoloo, who is pictured below at Darvi Nuur.
Two years of planning are about to come to fruition. Everyone who is going on the WildArt Mongolia Expedition is in Ulaanbaatar. Final plans are laid. There will be a social get-together this evening at the Bayangol Hotel where Sharon Schafer and I are staying. We are scheduled to depart at 9 am tomorrow morning.
The first day will take us south to Bayan-Onjuul Soum. We will camp not far from Arburd Sands ger camp, which is run by a local family in conjunction with Nomadic Journeys. Saturday we will explore the area, taking time to paint and sketch the local scenery. On Sunday there will be a local naadam and we’ll be there, shooting photos and video and, with luck, getting in some sketching. Current plan is to leave Sunday afternoon after the horse race and get 3-5 hours down the road to the west and then camp. Monday we will head for a remote Gobi lake which is between the Hangai and Altai mountains, Boon Tsagaan Nuur, which should have good birdwatching on the eastern shore. From that point on where we go and in what order will depend on the weather, road conditions and what we’re seeing in the way of wildlife.
I don’t expect to have an internet connection until we get back to UB on September 10, but if I do, I’ll try to do a short update post.
The two horses at the top are Magvandorj showing me the difference between Mongol horses (left) and western horses (right). You can see how we were working on terms for things in both languages also.
On August 14, Oidviin Magvandorj, one of the artists who will be going on the WildArt Mongolia Expedition, came to the National Museum to sit with me in the afternoon while my exhibition was open.
He has a little English and I have a little Mongolian, but as artists we easily kept a running conversation going for almost four hours. I had my MacBook Air with me which has a lot of photos from my past two trips still on it. They were the springboard for these 6×4″ notebook pages, which I decided were too interesting and charning not to share.
Magvandorj was looking at some of my ibex photos from last year when he did the little compositional sketches. The lower left sketch is an example of the type of stylized representations that one sees in ancient Mongolian rock pictographs. He had also asked me about the camera equipment that I use. “neg” is Mongolian for “one”.I had showed him the main reference photo for “Zuniin Odor (Summer Day)” and that led to an illustrated tutorial of the terms for some of the parts of Mongol horse tack, something I’ve been wanting to learn more about.
Opening ceremony with long singer and morin khuur player
I’ve been interested in what it’s like to do an exhibition opening in Mongolia as opposed to in the USA. I like the way it’s done here.
With crews from two Ulaanbaatar tv stations filming it (I did at least five interviews during the evening), the opening ceremony began with Erdmaa Davgaa, who was my contact person at the National Museum of Mongolia, giving a short introduction. Then I said a few remarks, pausing every few sentences for her to translate. Gaadan Dunburee, who I met last year, is one of the WildArt Mongolia Expedition Mongol artist participants and is a highly honored artist in Mongolia, also spoke about me and my work. Finally, there was a one-song performance by a long singer and morin khuur player. The doors to the hall were then opened and the reception was officially under way.
Ready for the guestsGuests arrivingGathered around the refreshment tableDunburee chats with other guestsjan Wigsten (center) and a number of staff members from Nomadic Journeys were there. Also, all of the Expedition artists; seen here- Oidoviin Magvandorj (left), Tugsoyun Sodnom (center with back to camera) and Batnasan Davaasambuu (right)OIdoviin Magvandorj, unidentified woman, journalist Michelle Tolson, AldraaPosters for the exhibition and with information about meThe National Museum of MongoliaClose-up of the big banner poster for the exhibition
It’s a blessedly cool morning in UB. Coming from the north coast of California, heat and humidity for days at a time wears me down a bit. Thunderstorms predicted today. Rained yesterday, which settled the worst of the dust. This is a dusty city and I was definitely having a reaction to it. But I know to bring my neti pot to Mongolia and it did the job.
Sunday mornings are very nice here. So quiet. No traffic to speak of until after 11am. Very little construction noise at the moment either. (Oops, 7am and they just started up. The building season is very short here, so it’s a seven days a week until dark necessity). There are buildings going up on the both the east and west sides of my building. The apartment extends the width so there is an enclosed bump out balcony on the east side and a window on the west side. Good for a cross breeze.
The bedroom
For the first time I feel like I’m, in a way, living in UB rather than staying here. I like being in a neighborhood with a little mini-market close by instead of isolated up in a hotel. And I’m close to everything I need to get to. It’s one of the old socialist era buildings, probably built in the 1960s. Thick walls, nine foot ceilings, have to drink bottled water due to old pipes and arsenic/uranium/other minerals in the city water supply. No hot water for the last five days, but I’m managing, just like everyone else has to. The electric tea kettle does the job. It’s in the original core district which is called the 40,000 for the number of housing units and is a desirable place to be.
The kitchen
The apartment has an entry hall, one bedroom, one bath, a small kitchen and a large living room. I was told that one like this sells for $90,000 these days. Probably could have bought it for less than $10,000 in 2005. Not sure who owns the various older apartment buildings, maybe the city, maybe individuals, but one can own the apartments and live in them or rent them out. Some people buy two and knock them together. This one is being rented by the Denver Zoo, which uses it for the scientists working at Ikh Nart. I was given access to it also, which I greatly appreciate!
More coming up soon on my exhibition at the National Museum of Mongolia!
Red Rock Ger Camp, Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve
I’ve been in Mongolia for eleven days and and they have been jam-packed with things to do.
The top priority has been the preparations for my exhibition at the National Museum of Mongolia. I brought 32 paintings with me. Fifteen of them were in an Archival Methods transport case. Which didn’t show up on the baggage carousel at Chinggis Khan International Airport. It turned out that it had been held for inspection in San Francisco by the TSA and didn’t make it onto my SFO to Incheon flight. So much for requiring that all luggage be on the same flight as the passenger. It arrived the following evening and the great staff of Korean Air brought it to the apartment where I’m staying. Definitely some anxious moments.
The next couple of days were filled with getting a sim card for my phone, checking in at the Nomadic Journeys office and getting my paintings to the frame company. Nice frames for all the paintings came to $500. The museum is also printing large and small posters and invitations for the opening ceremony, which will be this Friday from 4-6pm.
With members of Ikh Nart Is Our FutureFelt items made by the collective this year
On Wednesday, I boarded a train to Dalanjargalan, where the felt-craft collective that I help support, Ikh Nart Is Our Future, is based. I stayed at a private home and spent a lovely day with some of the members of the collective. Our meeting was very productive with new ideas like making del (the traditional Mongol garment) for visitors to the ger camp. In the evening there was another meeting with the soum (county) governor, Oyuntsetseg, who I met at the first meetings to help set up the collective in 2009. Back then she was the Vice Governor of the Soum. It was really nice to see her again.
Oyuntsetseg, Governor of Dalanjargalan Soum
Then it was off to Red Rock ger camp at Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve. I saw a number of people I know from past trips, got to eat some of the summer white food (dairy products like airag, orum and yogurt) and see a variety of wildlife like argali, ibex, cinereous vultures, tolai hare, pikas, lizards and other birds.
Argali ramSiberian ibex
I got back late yesterday afternoon. Today will be a meeting at the museum to finalize plans for the exhibition and then another meeting about the WildArt Mongolia Expedition. Updates when available.
Done for the Day oil 17×30″- one of the paintings in my upcoming exhibition
I am proud to announce that “My Mongolia: The Paintings of American Artist Susan Fox” will be hosted by the National Museum of Mongolia from August 9-16. The opening ceremony will be on Friday the 9th from 4-6pm.
The exhibition has literally been a year in the making since the seeds of it were planted when I in Mongolia last year.
I will be showing at least one painting from each of my seven trips, over two dozen in all. The subjects range from argali to Mongol horses to herders, horse trainers and Gobi landscapes. All are original oils created from my experiences, memories and the thousands of reference photos I’ve taken over the years. A number of the pieces have been juried into various national shows, sometimes more than one.
If you live in, or will be in, Ulaanbaatar I hope that you will come by and share a little of my Mongolia.
For the last few years I’ve done a post shortly before I leave about the new equipment and other items that I have purchased for the upcoming trip. Looking back on my previous posts, which you can see here, here and here, a lot of those things are still in use. I also did an overview of what stuff I take and why in 2010 and am interested to see what has changed and what has not. Mainly, I replaced my faithful, but heavy, MacBook Pro with a new MacBook Air. It’s what I use for primary image storage with an external hard drive for backup.
NEMO Nocturne 30 down sleeping bag
There’s really not much new for this year. The big purchase was a new sleeping bag. My five year old LL Bean Katadin rectangular bag had developed cold spots last year and holding it up to the light revealed that there was almost no down in some of the compartments. No wonder. But it did serve me well and can still work as a comforter for car camping.
I searched the internet and finally decided on a bag called the Nocturne 30 with a new design from a newish company, Nemo. REI had it and I found that it is one of Outside magazine’s top bags for 2013. And also a Backpacker magazine Editor’s Choice. I’m a side sleeper and hate mummy bags. Apparently I’m not alone. The “spoon” shape feels like it will work well. I can roll over and curl up just like in the old bag. I really liked the feel of the lining. It stuffs down nice and small. So now it will get tested in Mongolia, from the Altai Mountains to the Gobi.
MoKo Slim-fit iPad case
I had to get a new iPad case to replace a now-defunct one that I really liked. After extensive research bordering on analysis paralysis, I picked a red MoKo Slim-fit iPad case based on function, price and the reviews on Amazon. So far I’m quite happy with it. The fit, even with just the stiff tabs to hold the iPad in it, is secure. The cover folds all the way back flat. The grip strap is handy. The bottom comes loose easily for propping it up. The channels are deep and solid enough that the iPad doesn’t slip around.
Trans-Port shipping case
Finally, I needed a case for transporting artwork on the plane and I’ll have more to say about that soon. After a LOT of searching I found the Trans-Port Shipping Case from Archival Methods. It looks like it will do what I want, which is to check it as one piece of luggage which will be within the size and weight limits. It’s foam-lined polyethylene plastic and is much, much less bulky than the alternative, an Airfloat Strongbox crate. Checking or shipping artwork is a risk no matter what, but taking it with me is better than trying to ship it. There are still serious reliability problems with shipping to Mongolia, sad to say.
As a final note on one item from the overview post, I was not able to unlock my iPhone in Ulaanbaatar and have continued to use my old Razr. But the other day I asked on the Facebook Mongolia Expat Group page if anyone knew how to get a phone unlocked. In less than an hour I had a message from an expat offering to help and giving me the link to a website where one can do it for $1.99. I went through the process with my husband as back-up since he is far more savvy about this stuff than I am and we think we’ve done it. The unlock was successful, but I won’t know for sure until I get to Ulaanbaatar and stick a non-AT&T sim card in it. But I am cautiously optimistic that I will have finally joined the smartphone age when I’m in Mongolia.
Susan Fox, American Artist 