Patrick: Hey y'all. I'm Patrick and I'm here scanning, documenting all of Cathy's art projects, journals, letters, postcards everything that marks her journey through life living outside the lines.
Cathy: So how many items have you scanned so far?
Patrick: We're approaching 4, 000 at this point.
Cathy: Wow! Which image or idea stands out for you in all that you've scanned?
Patrick: I love all the stuff about your mom. All the vintage photographs. And then you as a young lady in high school and reading your letters. It's just been really an enjoyable experience.
first row: My mother on a horse in WY, n.d.; my mother and father atop the highest point in Ayres Natural Bridge Park WY, 1942; me, age 4 months, with sister Carol and brother Bob, Oak St. house, Midland TX, Christmas 1953
second row: with cousins, Harmony ME, 1969; me at 17 years, Fannin Ave. house, Midland TX, 1971; detail of my carte de séjour, Paris, France, 1973
third row: Mead and Freya, Fernandina Beach FL, Halloween 1990; envelope detail, letter to parents from the Bahamas, Jan 1991
Story behind this video
Last summer, Patrick Davis became my wingman, my confidant, my daring accomplice, following me into a labyrinth of personal histories. The wild plan I’d hatched was to digitize the analog evidence of my life so far, and preserve fading family photographs, too (some, more than a century old!).
We made it 3-month project. My role was to organize the flow of scannable items. To begin, I created a digital document with a chronological list of milestones. I acquired a high-resolution flatbed scanner, stackable storage bins, and archival sleeves for vintage photographs. I shifted through and grouped images, correspondence, and other ephemera, labeling them by year and/or adventure (California 1975, Peace Corps 1976-1978, Boat Year, Press Passes/IDs, Passports/Visas, and so on)—preparing the way for Patrick to scan the lot.
Patrick gave tremendous energy to this tedious archiving process. Even now, he helps me stay the course, standing firm in his respect for each fragment, each piece in the puzzle that is my life.
View Patrick’s poetic cloudscapes HERE
Learn about Ayres Natural Bridge Park HERE
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