We woke at 9am in Yellowstone and hit the road Oregon bound. No time for Old Faithful, or Grand Prisma. I heard that jumping off the waterfalls in Fairy Falls is a must. I guess I’ll have to return one day. On the way out we saw Pronghorn, more Bison with their babies and Bull Moose. We suited up in Canon Village Montana with some pretty serious cowboy hats and drove straight until 5:55pm when the geography told us to stop. In Idaho Falls, just outside of Areo, off the Oregon Trail (US 20) was an ocean of lava, known as Craters Of The Moon. It was an ominous pit stop that was beautiful in its silence of life. Like Mother Nature paved over a huge lush garden that was now forever sentenced under ground. My pictures don’t do Craters of The Moon any justice. It was stupid windy and tumble weeds were chasing us and sticking to my prized paintings, so I rushed this shoot. My inner Harley homing device directed us right at Idaho Falls Harley Dealership where I was offered a job and scored a sexy tight pink HD t-shirt. We settled down in Baker City Oregon late that night with sloppy chicken wings and a local rock band in a strip mall parking lot.

De Puta Madre is a short black comedy about a megalomaniac who kidnaps his carefree ex in order to show her why she doesn’t deserve him, written, directed and starring me!

Help make it happen for De Puta Madre by sharing, “liking”, tweeting or backing at IndieGoGo!

We woke with the world at 9am. I sat listless on a log drinking my coffee with a bird. That bird just starred at me while sitting mere inches away. I felt special, but I think that bird is just so used to people and was probably just hanging around longing for a crumb of my breakfast. There was bison everywhere. They kind of took my breath away. It is so strange to me to be completely engulfed in nature while simultaneously entangled in society. That is Yellowstone in a nutshell. We spent the day in Yellowstones Grand Canyon, known as Lower Falls. Magical and stunning, even with the herds of people everywhere. There was no escaping these families, they were hiding in every nook of those woods. After a 3 hour hike to the falls base we were awarded with a DOUBLE RAINBOW!!! The crowds of people, young and old, that braced the trek down were all ironically freaking out just like the actual Double Rainbow guy. It was a moment of pure and silly consciousness, where we were all apart of the whole. After a vigorous day on no sleep we had a great dinner in the Canon Camps dinning room. This fancy camping is not really for me, it just seems so wrong, and takes all the fun out of the experience, but I must admit, I was grateful for the warmth, comfort and the wine tonight. Crowds of people make me want an expensive dinner. Later that evening we had another manic gorgeous photo shoot with Benevolence 2 in the woods. I was reminded of The Cure song, A Forest. When I look at these photos I feel such eery darkness and isolation. I wanted that. I don’t even remember the screaming children, the classic rock or the hum of conflicting mass conversation in surround sound. In these photos, I feel only the forest.

Finally ate a real breakfast of hash browns, eggs and salsa! I was so deprived of nutrients this made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Guzzled our watery coffee, and hit the road by 10am! I even bought myself a trashy pink Harley t-shirt in Casper. The old Oregon Trail is long and beautiful, even at 70 mph, I just can’t imagine it by foot. My cozy road trip in our VW SUV felt as if we would never make it to Yellowstone, let alone California. Traveling for years on foot and wagon, in a state of perpetual expansion, must have just been the most strikingly helpless buildup of excitement. It some ways, I long for such an experience, to travel through the unknown to the other side. No one in this day of knowing will ever truly know what that is like.

Today was the day. We stopped for so many adventures. Boysen State park is where my next vacation must be. That reservoir was gorgeous. I wanted to just pull over and set up camp forever. Wyoming felt like home. The terrain, the sky, the people, the way the cattle are raised and the fact that there is no cell phone reception in the entire state. I fell madly in love with Wyoming. Before ever setting foot on American soil, as a child, my first love was of “Americana”. I dreamed of the smell of Wyoming, of cowboys, open range, endless sunsets, freedom and motorcycles, and here it was. Had a mad feet dip dash in “The Worlds Largest Mineral Hot Spring”. My feet were vibrating for the next 48 hours. Our second meal that day was in Thermopolis – Whiskey, Steak, rainbow trout and vegetables! First vegetables since Canada, best steak of my life AND I managed to have it all without a trace of cheese thrown on top. You know you are headed towards civilization when there is no cheese on top of everything, vegetables and good coffee. Stopped again in Cody, the birth place of Jackson Pollock; a cool bustling town, and bought camping gear. We rolled into Yellowstone just after 1am, saw 2 otter, and 3 deer before setting up our fancy complicated tent. Freezing, absolutely terrible sleep by 4am.

Hit the road at 11:11 am and scored breakfast in Rockwell City. Everyone was so nice here compared to Fort Dodge. We drove like banshees on the two lane road and didn’t see a single car. This was the longest part of the drive because the geography, essentially, wouldn’t change and there was nothing to stop for and run around and enjoy. We ate hummus in the car and just drove. Peaceful magic hour photo op/yoga break in Cherry County Johnston Nebraska with hay stacks, giant sunflowers and billions of dragon flies. Two cowgirls came down to see what all the fuss was about. They were sweet as pie as we photographed Red Dance on their land. Finally settled in Chardron NE, late that night in the most striking 1800′s throw back saloon. Played board games and drank whiskey in the Old Main St. Inn where General Nelson Miles stayed right after his men massacred the Sioux Indians. I couldn’t sleep knowing there was blood on the floor, or maybe it was just the authentic lumpy beds that were surely from the 1800′s.

What I did not know that morning I took off from Fergus to LA, was that my inner world would never be the same again. Everything that had been in the shadows would come into the light and there could be no more hiding. I don’t know if it was because I pushed myself to drive 12 to 14 hours a day. I don’t know if was the desolate roads to seemingly nowhere and the sheer vastness of the geography that expanded my mind. Or was it the cold hard reality that I would never go home again. Maybe it was simply the stars. Whatever it was, this was the beginning of a new life.

Lost a day in Chicago. One Province and 5 states later I brush my teeth at 70 miles per hour to save time. Finally abandoning the Inner State for the Old Oregon Trail- US 20 West! Just like the original settlers of the West. So beautiful. I am so happy, so free, in love and excited. With my fresh Canadian Maple Syrup my aunt Nancy gave me at my side. Magic Hour opp somewhere between Stockton township and Woodbine township IL. I want to walk through this wood gate and follow the path to the setting sun.
We stopped driving around 2 am in the only hotel open in Fort Dodge Iowa, 6 states later. Slept soundly in the dirty honeymoon suite, in a King size bed, conveniently situated right beside a jacuzzi.

Mad Magic Hour photo opp, I was so sure I was going to miss. As my bare feet were sinking in the mud, this pic looks exactly how it felt – Free -

Researching for the role has got to be my favorite task of acting. Of course I love to perform, but I really couldn’t have one without the other. However much time I am given, I will take it, and I will do nothing but indulge from the moment I am set loose. This is where it get’s into my blood, into my bones and becomes intimate. There is a waking up in the middle of the night obsessive kind of thing, where characters become apart of me. For the role of Ann, I had about 2 months to prepare. I read everything I could on The Donner Party, and that time period in America. I even traced Ann’s genealogy back to England. I was obsessed. When I’m done with a role it is impossible to say how long she will linger with me. Sometime, I couldn’t get away fast enough, and sometimes, she never leaves. Part of my letting go of Ann involved having my own Westward Expansion.

My journey began at my 6th generation family farm in Fergus Ontario Canada. After a hot humid night on the front porch, we woke at 6am to fresh farm eggs, fruit and coffee made by my aunt Nancy, took a tour of the old barn before it gets torn down and the giant silo’s full of spelt, snapped a few photo’s and headed for the boarder!

At the boarder I got the same immigration officer that gave me a hard time 5 years ago. With 2 suitcases and a cat for my 1st pilot season, he cut my trip in half, and said “I’ll be watching you” as I walked away. It was nice to see him again green card in hand! We then drove 4 states and I called my 3 year old niece Emma. She cracked my heart wide open screaming “WHERE ARE YOU?!!” “WHERE ARE YOU!!??!!” I LOOOOOVE YOU!!!!”

Here is Benevolence 3 and Red Dance at the beginning of their tour from Canada to LA, across the old Oregon trail and down the coast to California.

After researching the role of Ann Fosdick in The Donner Party I became fascinated with the first settlers who traveled West. Having left my own Country and home in Canada to chase sunshine and dreams, I decided to fully explore the route they took back in 1846. I drove 4 of my favorite paintings from my family farm in Fergus Ontario Canada, across the old Oregon Trail and down the coast. At every turn that caught my fancy, and every day at magic hour, I lugged my oils paintings, painted on 4′x 6′ slabs of ply wood, out of the van. Here is Red Dance in the Redwoods after sleeping in the car because I thought I could drive all night.

Los Angeles! My script, DE PUTA MADRE, has made it to the finals in We Make Movies extra film competition! I need you to come out Wednesday night at the the Downtown Independent theatre and help decide who wins 2Gs!!!!!

Downtown Independent @ 7:30pm
251 S. Main Street Los Angeles,
CA 90012

You can now watch The Donner Party starring Catherine Black, Crispin Glover, Mark Boone Jr., and an amazing ensemble cast on Showtime!

Catherine’s script De Puta Madre, a dark comedy about love, freedom and the worst case scenario, has made it to the finals in We Make Movies script competition! De Puta Madre is now in full production!

Catherine Black has two hilarious scenes in The Polish Brothers film Stay Cool with Hilary Duff, Winona Ryder, Jon Cryer and Chevy Chase. In theaters across America this week!

Catherine’s script, De Puta Madre, was selected to compete in We Make Movies extra film competition!

Catherine Black, David Huband and David Alpay star in Ten For Grandpa now on the front page of Vimeo!