I returned to The Mendocino Art Center for my second artist in residency term in October of 2017. For the first six weeks I focused on my writing projects. After Thanksgiving I turned my attention back to painting. I occupied the Lucette Barth-Fiber Arts Studio from October until March when I moved into the Rogan Studio. This term we had an exceptional group of artists in-residence and the creative fires were burning brightly as we co-mingled and shared our ideas and work with each other. There were other fires burning that were not as auspicious. Most of California was on fire during the Fall of 2017. A collective grief sat in all communities even if they were not directly affected; truth is, it affected us all. We watched as the sky held its orange glow for days on end and the sun shown like a crimson ball through a hazy ash filled sky. Friends and family members were concerned about my welfare, but given the situation, I felt being on the coast was about the safest place to be. Air quality was better, and I figured if the fires burned themselves all the way west…I’d simply just jump in the ocean. Friends and family didn’t find my that escape plan at all funny, but seriously I don’t think there could have been a more optimal place to be.
The winter months set in and we artists cocooned in our respective studios, wearing warm coats and sipping hot tea. It was during these cold winter months that I produced the bulk of my body of work for the term. Often in the studio before dawn, sporting a mid day power nap and back in the studio till after dark. I continued with my series on light and experimented with a few new techniques. I continued showing my work at at North Coast Artists and the Mendocino Art Centers Gallery & Gift shop.
