The Spelunking Artist
(Self Portrait)
*Not For Sale*
8″ x 10″
Acrylic
c. Melissa Stinson

Yep, that’s me!  In 2008, for my 27th birthday, I decided that it was time to do something fun and adventurous… Something to take me away from the dreariness of the life I felt that I was living at that time. I decided to do my own little “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.  ;P  I invited a bunch of my friends to join me on this adventure but only 2 of them actually had the guts to crawl around in the dark, mucky, musty caves with me… So sad for them because we had THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!!!!  Talk about adventure!  This day is included on my list of the top 5 BEST experiences that I have ever had… Right up there with walking the Camino, traveling to Cambodia, and Caving on Vancouver Island with my BEST friend (Now hubby) which we did in 2009. This self-portrait, the first I have ever done, was taken from a picture that I took of myself in the Rat’s Nest Caves just outside of Canmore, Alberta, Canada, as I was waiting to repel many stories down into the Earth.  I was SO massively excited!! I have always loved this picture, and now I share it with you, or at least my own interpretation of it.  😉  I hope you like!  ❤