Greetings from Saint Mary's Art Center

I arrived a week ago to Virginia City and the beautiful old Saint Mary's Art Center. This is the view from my bedroom- I'm staying in the cutest attic room- which has provided lots of inspiration for stories and art itself. This was taken right before a snowstorm arrived. VCam

 

And here is a photo from when the storm began- it didn't take long for the hills and mountains to disappear. It was fun being up here during a storm- the wind was blowing but I was cozy in my studio and looking out the window every so often.VCpm

On the other side of the building the view extends for ages- it's known as the 100 mile view and it is just amazing.

100mileview

This building has so much character and charm and it did not take me long to get settled and start making art. I'm currently working on another solo show that will be in June at the Holland Project so most of what I'm making is for that at the moment. I'm really excited to show this group of work since I've been working on it for over a year now. Here is a photo another artist took of me as I was working. This space is just amazing to paint in- I love it and am enjoying every moment while I can. When I was 17 and just starting art school I would dream about my future where I was painting away in a studio like this- it's hard to believe this is really happening for me!

studio

Last weekend a lovely group of artists held their retreat up here and they were generous to include me in their activities and dinner. It was fun to see some people using the printmaking facilities and also see others diving into their process and taking advantage of the unique space up here. Dinner was homemade by a good friend who was part of the group. Sitting around the kitchen table for dinner with a friendly bunch of artists and enjoying their company was something I haven't had in a long time and I so enjoyed every minute.

The wind is blowing again- though it is sunny with blue skies today. Time to get some coffee and get back to the studio- keep following along on my SMAC adventures! xo!

 

artist residency at St. Mary's Art + Retreat Center

smac_building  

Next month...just a few more days away...I'll be one of the resident artists working out of St. Mary's art + retreat center. This will be my first residency and I am so excited. I've been working away to prepare and pack and next week I should be setting up and making more new work- hopefully hitting the ground running.

If you don't know about this historical and magical place, it used to be a hospital opened in 1876, that has been since converted into an art and retreat space. It's located in Virginia City, NV which is an interesting and quirky place to visit and explore. To read more- check out their history page.

I'll also be part of the SMAC exhibitions opening reception on April 25th 1-4pm. I'll be showing new work and I'm thrilled to share I've got a good chunk of my children's picture book put together. I'll be showing some finished paintings from that as well as preliminary sketches, character sketches, storyboard work, and early concepts. You'll get to see the inside guts of what a picture book is really made of and the work involved- I hope you'll join us for a fun day. The events at St. Mary's are always a treat and the other artist's showing are exceptional- I'm so lucky to be showing with them.

I will be blogging my experiences throughout the residency; I don't know yet how often, but check here regularly starting next week to see photos, works in progress, and updates.