Overland Expo 2010

Last Updated on Monday, 7 June 2010 06:32 Written by Chris Marzonie Thursday, 22 April 2010 02:36

Things were so busy last week with the show reception at the Raven on Wednesday night and getting ready for the Overland Expo on Thursday, that I didn’t have a chance to post up. I had to wait for some photography packs from F-Stop Gear to arrive before I could hit the road, and of course, the dirty brown truck didn’t arrive with the goods until 6pm. I crashed out in Tucson and woke up at 5:30am for a fresh start on Friday and made it to Amado, AZ in time to get some shots of the opening ceremonies and unload the F-Stop swag for the photography and video classes (thanks for the help Andrew!)

Once I had my bearings and established some contacts things started rolling pretty fast and it dawned on me that this would be one huge event to try and cover. It was no joke that this was much larger than the expo last year in Prescott. A little background: The Overland Expo is an annual gathering of people who are interested in getting out and exploring the world using anything on wheels as their primary mode of transport. There are lots of motorcycles and 4WDs hanging around, both on display at the show and in the campgrounds. In fact, the campground is a show all its own.

|
The Overland Journal safari tent with Land Rover 110 Dormobile, Royal Enfield Bullet, and Thorn expedition bicycle

There are a couple of ways to go: You can get day passes that let you access the main event grounds and attend a variety of presentations, slideshows, and the film festival, or you can sign up for the Overland Experience that also gets you full instructional classes for everything from vehicle skills (riding and driving) to medical, to cargo logistics, to cooking on the road, to photography, and you name it, the list goes on. Oh yea, and on-site happy hours and the BBQ banquet on the last night, too.

Winching class

Saddleback Leather and Hannibal Safari in the vendor area

T.A.D. Gear

Of course, seeing all the overland eye candy and checking out the latest gadgets and gear is great, but I think the best reason to go is for the PEOPLE. Everyone is such a pleasure to talk to and you are guaranteed to meet fascinating travelers with incredible stories. If you need a little dose of faith-restoration in humanity, this is a good place to find it.

L to R: Lois Pryce, Austin Vince, Lorraine Chittock, Ted Simon, Guarav Jani

I really enjoyed the venue this year at the Amado Territory Ranch. Quick highway access is available to nearby Green Valley and Tucson (including international flights) and it’s a beautiful location with great weather in the Sonoran desert. I grew up around here so it was comforting to have the familiar sights of the beautiful Santa Rita mountains (with snow still on Mt. Wrightson!) and Elephant Butte looking over us. I’m happy to learn it will be there again next year. I’m looking forward to it.

Amado Territory Ranch – home of Overland Expo 2010

Roseann Hanson, OVX mastermind

I must congratulate Roseann Hanson of ConserVentures for a job well done. I’m impressed!

I covered the event for the Overland Expo and F-Stop Gear with three full days of shooting, so if you are looking for media images please contact me.

Getting ready for the Raven show

Last Updated on Monday, 7 June 2010 06:32 Written by Chris Marzonie Tuesday, 13 April 2010 12:43

Yesterday was a big day; I picked up the last of my printed pieces from Rich Charpentier and the Ian Russell gallery and delivered a big pile of prints and canvases to the Raven Cafe after closing on Sunday so they could begin hanging it. This is a big deal for me, because the Raven has been one of my favorite local haunts since they opened almost four years ago, and I’ve always hoped that my photos might get to hang on its walls some day. When I walked in the door, the walls were bare. David Bright and Greg Hull were busy prepping them, patching holes and painting. I’m always used to seeing the walls covered in art and so the Raven felt, well . . . naked.

As I hauled the last piece in and did a quick inventory I noticed that one had gone missing. Ah, yes, the photo titled Driving into a Dream. It was a scene from California Gulch in Colorado where a few Toyota FJ Cruisers were creeping along a dirt road in a snowy valley during early summer thaw, and they look like ants before the massive scene of mountains around them. I had donated it to an earlier fundraiser at the Raven, “Ales for Trails.” The winner was informed they would have to wait until the art show was over before they could take it home. I was pretty sure my friend Christophe had said he’d left it with Max Kamen, the “Beer Program Specialist” (I prefer to call him the beer lord). An inquiry to Max was met with a puzzled look. The poor guy searched up and down and all around, but couldn’t find the canvas. Oh well, the show must go on; he put a call in to Christophe.

So have you ever wondered what exactly goes into an art show at the Raven? A ton of work, so I’ve learned. Aside from all the preparation of the art and planning for the show, there is the hanging of the art. This is an art all its own. I was a fly on the wall and watched David and Greg do their thing; jamming to a mix from the iPod playing out on the sound system while they worked intently, and almost independently of one another. Now that I think back on it, it’s almost like I dreamt it and wasn’t really there. It seemed to me like they were improvising; you know—”improv,” like a performer on a stage might do. They just sort of floated around, held various tools and things up in the air, and then the art would just appear. Kind of like clouds building up in the sky. You don’t really see them forming, but next thing you know, there they are in perfect harmony.

David Bright

Greg Hull

The Raven has got soul. Just look at the history written on the walls of the old building, feel the passion of all who worked on it to make it beautiful, see the people who work there and make things happen, connect with an old friend or meet a new one, and you’ll know what I mean.

When you see art at the Raven, these are the guys who put it up. Greg Hull (L) and David Bright (R)

The artists’ reception is this Wednesday, April 14, so please stop by and say hello. I’m happy to say that Bernie Lopez is the other artist featured at the show and he has some fantastic work on display. You have to check it out.

Special thanks to Sharon Marzonie for all her help with this!

Some links if you want to explore:

www.ravencafe.com
www.bernielopez.com
www.ianrussellart.com
www.richcharpentier.com

P.S. Oh yea, about that piece of missing art, Driving into a Dream: It turns out that Christophe had it all along. He decided a man in charge of all the beer at the Raven couldn’t possibly be saddled with babysitting a piece of canvas. He probably didn’t know I had them all “beer-proofed.” (If you’re curious what beer-proofing is, just drop Rich Charpentier a note and he’ll tell you.)