The opportunity to spend time in one of my favorite locations in New England was an unexpected gift. To be up at dawn many mornings (without an alarm) to witness the early morning beauty of a sunrise over the bay was simply amazing. With no time constraints, nowhere to be but wherever I wanted to be, doing only whatever I wanted to do.
I looked at my artistic process and embraced all areas that gave me joy – such as color, brushwork, and thick, gooey paint. How large did I like to work? What subjects lit me up? What time of day was I most alive? I also looked at processes that drained my energy such as doing preparatory thumbnail sketches. I began to focus on the elements I enjoyed and downplayed or eliminated those I didn’t.
My residency fellowship was a gift to me creatively. What stood out was the time to think, paint, reflect and meet other creatives in the community. I attended life model sketching at the Provincetown museum 1-2 times a week. As a result, I met wonderful artists that I continue to communicate with. Having a month with a studio and housing gave me the luxury to work late into the night if I chose, and have a quiet place to think. There is nothing like the wonderment of unknown territory to awaken creativity. My Copley/FAWC residency fellowship was spectacular.
I chose to work only in plein air which I knew would push me out of my comfort zone. It helped me gain confidence in my painting skills and put to use the knowledge that I have built over a twenty plus year career as a painter. It gave me greater focus where I found a renewed appreciation for my visual instincts. Nature has so much to offer if you are open to seeing what’s there. This very empowering experience also enabled me to shut off the critical-verbal side of my brain and tap into the non-verbal visual side on a more consistent basis.
I was honored to have been awarded The Cape Ann Residency in Gloucester, MA through the generous support of the Charles Family Foundation and the Copley Society. Artists' residencies provide dedicated time and space for creative work, solitude and introspection. They offer not only a diverse place to live and work, but a community for visiting artists to be supported in the creation of artistic endeavors. I was so swept away by the beauty of Cape Ann that I abandoned my original plan to paint portraits of the locals in my Rocky Neck studio.
Receiving the FAWC Residency in 2013 from the Copley was the most wonderful gift imaginable. It was such a luxury to have the time to just paint! To be able to relax with no laundry list, no deadlines…just paint. The apartment and Studio provided were 30 yards apart, so after dark… pajamas in the Studio was the dress code. FREEDOM! I worked and worked becoming more and more uncomfortable with the ‘same old’. The last week there I finally broke out of my cocoon and tried some very new work…Abstract painting.
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