FlyingTortugaBrothers
This is the journey of South Florida artists Carl Stoveland and Shannon Torrence NPS artists in residence on Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas in September 2020
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” -Laozi - Shannon's thought's before the big adventure
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
6 Days and counting Carl's last pre trip post
Hi Friends!
Well here we are six days away from Shannon and I heading to Key west for the start of our residency at Dry Tortugas National Park. We will arrive in Key West on 8/30. We will stay in Key West two nights while we shop for provisions and go through orientation from the NPS. On 9/1 we board the ferry to Fort Jefferson and then take a National Park boat for the last 3 miles to Loggerhead Key and our home for the next month. The time since finding out about our selection for the residency has dragged and flown by at the same time. We are eager to get to Loggerhead key to start creating the art and the movie we have been dreaming of and taking about ad nauseam. This week we have had to sit and watch as two tropical storms took paths near but thankfully not at the Tortugas. Fingers crossed that is the closet we come to hurricanes. We look forward to days and days of exploring and creating. I have had a bit of a hiccup that almost jeopardized the trip. I broke my big toe taking the garbage out. After a trip to urgent care and a podiatrist and two sets of X-rays I am cleared to go albeit wearing a boot style walking cast. It has given me new appreciation for how lucky we are and how rare this opportunity is. I will need to adjust my goals and expectations for myself as to how much work I get done in the first part of the trip. I'm thankful this trip is a month so I can work at whatever pace my foot allows. I'm currently downloading a few more books to my Kindle for times when I decide I need a break. I want to thank again the folks who donated to our go fund me! That was very kind of you and helped make the trip possible and Of Course I'd like to thank My wife Wendy ( and Shannon's wife Deana). Without their love, support and patience with the starry eyed dreamers they married none of this would be possible.
We will be off the grid officially on 9/1 and back on 10/1 during that time you will bot get any new posts from us. We will of course be making new art and content but have no way to share it. We will start sharing our experience with a live cast from Gallery on Green in Key West on 10/2 at 3 pm. I will send out an invite to the event for this right before we leave for Key West.
Peace and We'll be back to regular podcasts and posting in October with lots of stories to tell about our adventure.
Loggerhead 2020
Flying Tortuga Brother Carl,
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Left Brain Artist Podcast
We are guests on Suzanne Redmond's Left Brain Artist Podcast today. The link to the episode is below. Suzanne interviewed us last week and will interview us again after we get back from The Tortugas.
https://suzanneredmond.com/176-carl-stoveland-and-shannon-torrence/
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
In the Blink of an Eye
And in the blink of an eye we have gone from 33 down to 12 days until we leave for Key West and the jumping off point of our residency in Dry Tortugas National Park at Loggerhead Key. What have we been up to? Lots! We have done some interviews some for now and some as party of two part before and after interviews to come out after we get back. There has been a lot of list making and double checking that all items will be packed and will fit in my Suby for the Drive Down to Key West where will board a National Park boat and head off for our home for 30 days on Loggerhead Key.
Currently on my nightstand. Ia dreading up about things for the residency and dreaming about the art both Shannon and I will get to create over the course of a month.
It is getting so very really. We are down to making menus and buying the dry goods we willed for the month. Wee will purchase perishables down in Key West the day before we head out. I know there will be hot uncomfortable days and a lot schlepping of gear around the island and I will miss creature comforts and chatting with my friends over social media, but I am equally sure this once in a lifetime opportunity will be amazing. I plan to journal everyday and hope the thoughts and ideas I get down on paper will do justice to the experience and prove as inspiration to other artists who are considering applying for this very special residency or one of the many others out there.
To our friends who have been following since we stated this journey with our application for the 2019 residency thanks for sticking around and encouraging us through the year plus of time and hard work we put it that had no guarantee would end with getting the residency. It was a gamble that paid off.
Also to everyone who contributed to our GoFundMe. Thank you!!!! because of your generosity we have a few items to make sure we are comfortable on the island, GoPro cameras to film the adventure and a Satellite phone we rented for emergencies and to check in with our wonderful supportive wives!
Loggerhead 2020!
Tortuga Brother Carl
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
33 days and counting
Loggerhead 2020
Carl Stoveland
for the Flying Tortuga Brothers
Monday, July 20, 2020
a brush with the Dry Tortugas in my Family Tree
I am lucky enough to have in my possession My great grandfather, Peder Mikal Pedersen's, autobiography. I have a copy. The original is at my Mom's in Daytona. I from time to time read it and have enjoyed the stories in it over the years. I came across it today and read it from cover to cover. It turns out I will not be the first in my family to visit the Tortugas.
Old Pete went to sea from Stavanger, Norway in 1889 at the age of fourteen as a deck boy on a bark (three masted sailing ship) called Ferda. he spent about five years on various sailing ships working all over the world. in 1894 he joined the crew of the steamer Senaca working between NY, The Bahamas, Havana and Mexico. Dropping off goods in one port and picking a load and moving on along that route ending up back in NY. With that route he would have passed the Tortugas many times. During WW1 he piloted many vessels for the government being deployed for the war effort and would have taken on coal at Fort Jefferson most likely.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
READY SET GO!
Tortuga Brother Carl here. We got a great email last night from Sarah, our artist liaison at the NPAF. The dates which have been a bit up in the air are finalized! It's getting very real. We will be on Loggerhead Key from 9/1 to 10/1. It was a moving target for a little while. Everything is coming into focus. We will also be volunteering some of our time on a turtle nesting project for the NPS. All great stuff!
We have been busy working on figuring out what to bring and getting the items we need to survive and thrive for a month on Loggerhead key.
It feels a bit like Tom Hank's shopping for his journey to the island in Joe Vs. the Volcano. Think "Luggage is the central preoccupation of my life."
What else is going on? I'm practicing shooting with my GoPro Hero 8 doing time-lapses and snorkeling videos. The GoPro is a great filmmaking tool and we will use them a lot on the residency, more than I thought at first. It does have a lot of settings and getting the settings right is important for getting the different shots to turn out their best.