I ran away to the beach with two friends (Steph and Tory) the first week of January. We packed up food, art magazines, books, chocolate, DVDs, and lots and lots of art supplies. We stayed in a cabin nestled on the hillside at Cascade Head and across the street from the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. It's a smallish hike from the parking area to get to the cabin, so we distributed our provisions along the path thinking that psychologically it was an easier and less physical task.
Here's a glimpse of how we spent our time . . . .
We partially scheduled our week long retreat the first week of January so we would have the opportunity to see Pat Wheeler, a favorite artist both Steph and I have studied under the past several years at Oregon College of Art and Craft. Pat has been at Sitka for a three-month residency and she is returning home soon (she lives on an island in Maine). Pat graciously shared all of the pieces she has been working on over the past several months. We were giddy with excitement and more than a bit inspired.
Another Sitka resident, Susan, is working on thousands of little ink drawings inspired by nature. It was a stunning display and only a fraction of what will be included in her finished project.
It was such a lovely day and we had heard a rumor about a special, magical beach that offers up a particular kind of rock . . . off the group of us trekked.
While I was at the cabin, I worked on a variety of projects: Heart art for Guardino Gallery's Heart of the Matter show, guerrilla art for the Salem Art Group, my 2012 Vision Board, and my contribution for the upcoming 100 Artists Show (The Art of Communication) at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery. I'll be sharing more about each of these projects in upcoming blog posts.
3 comments:
You were productive! It was good energy to keep working, we all had things to finish, I may be going to the beach this Sat, you know I'll be looking for that bone!
thanks!
Your retreats sound rejuvenating and productive, and getting away for a full week allows you to delve deep into your work. Sigh. I'll live vicariously through you! So, what were the "magic rocks" on this mysterious beach? (I'm glad you had some sunshine!)
A week really is the perfect amount of time; you guys know what's good for an artist. Sometimes we have to get away from all the things that pull on us at home to focus on our work and each other. This is the best kind of renewal and your photographs are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
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