Blue Planet Photography

I completed the painting of the Baggley Park mural project last Thursday with the addition of a sinuous gray path representing the Boise Greenbelt that travels around all four walls of the building and in the process, ties all the images together. There are 2 interpretive signs that need to be installed and then the project will be absolutely completed.

I’m happy with the results. I think the project shows George Baggley’s accomplishments very well and in a form that people can understand and relate to: photographs in a family album.

I found out recently from George Baggley’s daughter, Ruth Ann, that the research findings I had posted on the web had provided some information useful to the University of Idaho which awards a graduate botany scholarship in the name of Herma Albertson, George Baggley’s first wife whom he met while at Yellowstone. On Thursday, I met a man walking his dog in the park who knew George Baggley. He told me that he wasn’t aware of everything George did during his life because he didn’t brag about it. I understood that, also, from his daughter, Ruth Ann, who provided me with photos and documents to help me understand the man and his beliefs. I’ve explained the art piece to many park visitors who stopped by to comment and ask questions while I was working on it. Most weren’t aware of the history and were glad to find out the backstory.

I don’t think this tribute to him is too grandiose, though my guess is that George Baggley would say it was unnecessary. I imagine him to have been a passionate but modest man. I think it would have been nice to sit in the shade in the park, sipping a cold drink, and just chat with him about his experiences as he progressed through, and had a significant role in, the developmental period of our National Parks system.

I hope future park visitors and nearby residents will become more knowledgeable about George Baggley. Perhaps this artwork and the words describing his life will inspire others to become involved in conserving and protecting our natural spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started back on my public art project in May once the weather warmed up and dried out. I’m nearly finished with the east side of the building, with only one more image to paint. The images on the east side are (L-R) George Baggley in Turkey (1966), George Baggley receiving the National Park Service Distinguished Service Medal from Secretary of the Interior Stuart Udall (1968), a photograph I took of a bicyclist on the Boise Greenbelt (in progress).

The process has been a long one, and I underestimated the time it would take to complete the project. Of course, starting in October didn’t help much, either. I worked at it as long as I could before the cold put an end to if for the season. In December I was painting in thermal underwear and fingerless gloves, trying to keep the paint warm enough with a heater so I could paint a thin line. It was like painting with chocolate pudding, sometimes!

But, I think the mural is representative of the life of George Baggley and an asset to the park and the surrounding neighborhood. I’ve received lots of positive comments from park visitors, some of whom stop by regularly to check on my progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Baggley receiving the National Park Service Distinguished Service Medal from Interior Secretary Stuart Udall in 1968Â

Welcome to the new blog. I’m working out the learning curve, so bear with me. I hope to have the older content transferred over here this week.  New applications always take a little while to learn. Since Blogger has switched to a Google-owned service that wants to use my content for free to promote their applications, I’ve moved over to Wordpress, which is offered by my web host. I will need to wait for Wordpress to update their import tool to be able to import from the new Google Blogger so I can get the rest of my content over here. 

Anyway, this post is about the completion of the mural paintings on the west wall. I will need to go back over some of the work in the spring, particularly to strengthen some lines in the fourth mural, the Lake Mead photo on the far right. This image is of George Baggley (center, in the zig-zag patterned shirt) with the Governors of Nevada and Arizona. I finished painting the final photo just before it got too cold.

I will be making future updates with information about George Baggley throughout the winter. Stay tuned. As always, I appreciate your comments.

I apologize for the lack of updates on this project. The weather has put a hold on things for a few more days. Cold weather and painting doesn’t mix well, and neither does rain. I’m going to be renting a propane heater to keep the work area warm, and setting up my 10′x10′ canopy around the final photo on the west side of the building. This photo is actually about 1/4 done at this point, I’ve just been waiting to get back to finish it. The rest of the project will have to wait until warmer weather. I’ll get photos of the west side when that is done (still a couple remaining finishing touches that will be completed in the spring).

I finished the “Rowboat” image today. This is of George Baggley and his daughter, Ruth Ann, in a rowboat at Isle Royale National Park.

In 1937, George Baggley left Yellowston National Park and went to Isle Royale, where he was instrumental in the development of that park. Authorized by Congress in 1931, Isle Royale was established as a National Park in 1940. George Baggley was superintendent of Isle Royale until 1946. Isle Royale National Park is an example of primitive America. 98% of the park is legal wilderness. The park has been the source of much important scientific research on ecosystems, predator-prey relationships (wolves and moose), and conservation, which have shaped management programs and policies on other Federal lands as well as across the nation and world. In 1981, Isle Royale was designated an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.

Today I finished the 1937 “Jacket” image of George Baggley as he stands on the deck of what appears to be a steamship, wearing a black leather trenchcoat. This photo is to the right of the “1929″ photo of George on horseback, and lies on top of the “Rowboat” image described below. It took me 4.5 hours to paint the details of the “Jacket” photo after about 1.5 hours of tracing the image last night. After finishing the painting, I then traced the next image, George Baggley and daughter Ruth Ann in a rowboat, also at Isle Royale. I will paint this tomorrow (11/15), weather permitting. My concern now is with the temperature. When the paint gets cold it’s like pudding. It’s possible I may have to wait until spring to finish the east side. I should have the west side completed this week or early next week.

George was not the only pioneer in the family. He met his wife-to-be, Herma Albertson, at Yellowstone National Park.

Herma Albertson was born in 1896 in Inwood, Iowa, and moved to Idaho when she was very young. She attended the University of Idaho and received her Masters in Botany there. In 1929, a year after George Baggley started his tenure at Yellowstone, Herma Albertson was a seasonal ranger at Old Faithful. She returned in 1930 as a seasonal, and in 1931 became the first female permanent ranger naturalist at Yellowstone National Park.

Herma Albertson beside antler house in front of Mammoth Museum (visitor center), Yellowstone National Park (courtesy NPS Archives)

Herma Albertson Baggley co-authored a field guide, The Plants of Yellowstone National Park, with W.B. McDougall, in 1936. It was revised in 1956 and is still relevant and in use today as well as a desired collector’s item. She also developed nature trails at Yellowstone which were models for the rest of the National Parks.

In 1952, Herma was the leader of the National Park Women, an organization formed in that year within the National Park Service to address housing issues. The organization still exists today and is active at the area, regional and national levels. Still involved with housing issues, the organization is also involved in scholarships, welcome and orientation, information sharing, scientific concerns, communication, and hospitality.

Herma Albertson Baggley was a pioneer in her field and was dedicated to breaking ground for women in a male-dominated workplace and society. The University of Idaho awards the Herma Albertson Botany Scholarship to undergraduates majoring in Biological Sciences.

George F. Baggley was born in Mercer County, Missouri on November 6, 1898. He began his conservation career in 1917-18, at the age of 19, working in the Badlands area of South Dakota for then Governor Peter Norbeck. Governor Norbeck was a proponent of wildlife conservation and park development and was responsible for the creation of Custer State Park and Badlands National Monument. Governor Norbeck probably had some influence in directing George Baggley’s interests.

In 1926, at the age of 28, George Baggley attended Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) in Ft. Collins, as a special student in the School of Forestry. In March, 1928, George and 4 of his friends took the National Park Service Ranger Civil Service Exam. He passed and was offered a job at Yellowstone National Park, which he accepted, thinking it would be a good summer job before returning to school in the fall. The summer ended and George stayed in Yellowstone. In 1929, he became Yellowstone’s first college-educated Chief Ranger. He never returned to Ft. Collins to graduate, but during his time at Yellowstone George was able to foster the use of the scientific method in wildlife management and helped acquire land in South Dakota that, in 1939, became Badlands National Monument.

I’ll post more in the next installment.

11/7/06
While dodging the rain, I’ve gotten the backgrounds completed for the photos. At least on the west side of the building. This is the more difficult side because I’m having to use water-based and oil-based paints, plus all the detail work involved to get around door trim and other appliances.

You’ll notice a difference between the photo of 11/5 and today. I decided, after 4 hours of work, to paint over the tracings I did on Sunday. I had traced the photos for the left-hand and middle photos thinking that it would be easier to paint the details from the tracings than it would be to set up the projector and re-align everything. After some thought I figured it would be easier to re-align the projector to the blank background and paint from the projection than it would to paint the tracings and then paint the background (or visa versa), essentially painting the small details twice and increasing the time it took. I’m learning as I go.

It was actually a beautiful day, with the temp at 73, great light and golden leaves. An Indian Summer day to be sure. It was predicted to start raining between 8 and 10pm so I was hoping to get some detail painting in before that happened. At about 5:30 the sun went behind the clouds and I could get started. I have an overhead projector that I use to project the altered photos onto the wall so I can paint the details. At about 8:30, though, it started to drizzle and I was only 1/2 way done with the first (left-hand) photo. So I had to pack up.

Even though I don’t think I look suspicious, the local police have made 2 visits to me since I started, both after it got dark, in response to calls that there was a vandal doing things to the building. Once on Sunday and again on 11/7. I think it’s interesting since I don’t know many vandals who would carry so much gear and light up their work are like I’ve been doing. But, I’m glad someone is paying attention.

11/8/06
I’ll be heading back this afternoon to take some photos of the progress so far and hopefully get one photo done and perhaps another if the rain holds off.

I started my public art project yesterday. I’m painting photographs on a building in a public park. The park is called Baggley Park, named for George Baggley, the first college-educated senior ranger at Yellowstone National Park (1927). He was also superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, helped acquire land for Badlands National Monument, was a champion of the scientific method applied to wildlife management, understood conservation and the roles of predator and prey in a healthy ecosystem, was awarded the National Park Service Distinguished Service Award, its highest honor, and helped the city of Boise develop its system of greenbelt pathways and parks. Hence the park being named after him. The photos are historical, starting with 1927 and going until the 1980s. I’ve converted the photos to line drawings to make it easier to paint on a rough-textured cinder block. There are 11 photos total of various sizes and 4 of the photos are photo-imaged onto glass tile which will be installed after the painting is completed.

I’ll post my progress here.

Here’s a link to an article that appeared today (12/19) in the Idaho Statesman regarding my public art project: http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051219/NEWS01/512190319&SearchID=73229941032975