#windowstotheparks

why

When I was in high school, I developed a dream of visiting all of the National Parks in the United States with my dad. He was and still is an avid hiker and mountaineer, and spent much of his youth summiting peaks across the US. At a young age, he introduced me to Ansel Adams, and I became infatuated with the idea of capturing the beauty of the protected lands in our country. It felt like a far off dream due to my health, so we let ourselves do a little planning but life took off. I went into remission and threw myself head-first into studies. And then I was sick again, and travel became difficult. Between juggling my health, work, and now a family it has seemed less and less like a possibility.

the windows

In 2016, I started papinting what I called “my windows”. They were small watercolor landscape paintings completed in the windowless super beige room of my infusion center. I packed my paints up every 14 days to have a break between computer work and naps to pass the 8 hour days. Sometimes they were custom orders. But often, they were scenes from past travels or from friends who thought I would appreciate the scenery of their own travels. These little scenes took me on adventures that my body could not.

how to help

My health, while stabilized, has meant it is difficult for me to travel. And while I still have a dream to visit every National Park in the United States in the flesh, I know I can also travel through my “paint windows”. This is a community art project. I need your mobility and ability to travel to bring me to these places. I am seeking at least one reference photo for each National Park in the United States.

park reference photo
wish list

I will keep this list updated based on photos that are sent in for reference photos. You can email your photos to hello@kaitmasters.com. Please, only share images that are yours to share (I respect copyright and will not work from photos that I do not have permission to work from). If you don’t see a park listed, I’ve received a reference photo for that one, but please feel free to send additional photos. Thank you for helping me make this dream a reality!

Alaska
• Denali National Park and Preserve*
• Gates of the Arctic National Park
• Glacier Bay National Park*
• Katmai National Park and Preserve
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Kobuk Valley National Park
• Lake Clark National Park
• Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve*
Arizona
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Saguaro National Park
Arkansas
• Hot Springs National Park
California
• Death Valley National Park
• Kings Canyon National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Pinnacles National Park
• Redwood National Park*
Colorado
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
• Mesa Verde National Park*
Florida
• Biscayne National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
Hawaii
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park*
Indiana
• Indiana Dunes National Park
Kentucky
• Mammoth Cave National Park*
Michigan
• Isle Royale National Park
Minnesota
• Voyageurs National Park
Missouri
• Gateway Arch National Park
Nevada
• Great Basin National Park
New Mexico
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park*
• White Sands National Park
North Carolina
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park* (Also in Tennessee)
North Dakota
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Ohio
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Oregon
• Crater Lake National Park
South Dakota
• Wind Cave National Park
Texas
• Big Bend National Park
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Utah
• Arches National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Canyonlands National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
Washington
• Mount Rainier National Park
• North Cascades National Park
• Olympic National Park*
National Parks Outside of the 50 States
American Samoa
• National Park of American Samoa
United States Virgin Islands
• Virgin Islands National Park
Park names with an asterisk* are also Unesco World Heritage Sites in the United States