"I've always tried to go a step past wherever people expected me to end up." - Beverly Sills
A 'residency' is a period of time where an artist commits to developing their artwork in a very immersed atmosphere. Many artists apply/sign up for residencies around the country or world and often times the devotion to their art during that time has some wonderful findings, changes and effects. Recently I read about an artist who chose to do her 'artist residency' right in her own studio - she cleared her calendar of all appointments and took to two weeks of working on her art without interruptions! What a great idea!
Last week I spent the week in Door County studying art history with artist Margaret Lockwood and then painting studio style in the afternoons and evenings. Door County is very different in the winter - there isn't much open or much to do - it was kind of nice to be able to 'totally focus on my art'! Our group was a wonderful mix of creative spirits and Margaret's lectures were wonderful - we had the best time.
During my mini-residency I focused on a different color palette - brighter colors and really liked the new direction. Then when I got home, I was informed by Edgewood Orchard Galleries that they will be using one of my new 'winter birches' paintings in the 2012 calendar so . . . I am excited to be continuing that series for some time this winter.
Being back home in the studio feels good and hopefully it will continue to be a very productive winter.

"Some of us come on earth seeing - some of us come on earth seeing color." - Louise Nevelson
All artists are very talented, some are 'stronger' at certain aspects of art. I have always had a passion for color, putting colors together, experimenting with color, mixing color, throwing odd combinations together and making them work . . . and so on. Inspiration also easily comes to me, I am lucky. Seldom do I hit road blocks in my art, if I do it is because I need to step away for a bit and start to 'see' something different.
Yesterday I had a lady in the studio signing up for a workshop of mine and she was very interested in 'how I come up with inspiration and ideas' and 'how I never run out of ideas'. What a great blog post idea!
It took me a moment to think about this but then I realized that I am always 'seeing' - sometimes more 'seeing' than 'thinking'. For instance, when I go for a horse ride, I am looking - always looking - at the trees, the grasses, the terrain and it obviously works its way into my work. When I am hiking or biking, I am seeing - I am seeing beautiful patterns for future landscape paintings.
I guess to be 'a real artist' too, you must live and breathe art. It becomes your life. You are constantly reading, looking, playing and creating every moment of our day!