Paris

Artwork is a part of life here. A fifth gallery opened today in this small village of Auvillar. I've been soaking it all up like a sponge. My most intense sponging has been in Paris, 2 trips, one in September and one last week. On the first trip we found ourselves in the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay (my favourite of all) and l'Orangerie. Here I am in action in front of one of Monet's "Les Nymphéas".

One of the museums that we visited this past week was Musée Marmottan Monet Paris. As well as seeing many awe inspiring pieces by Monet, including some of his quite abstract paintings, we were treated to a special exhibit of French Fauvism and German Expressionists. Many of you know that I've been working towards a more emotional, expressive and colourful style of painting and this exhibit was the best school that I could have attended. I can't describe how exciting this exhibit was except to say that I left there feeling like I was on a chocolate high!

Here are a couple of my favourites: Blue-Black Fox by Franz Marc and Young Girl With Peonies by Alexej von Jawlensky.

Trees and Water

Just when I'm about to give up......voila!

It was early November and I'd been wandering around southwest France for months, completely entranced by its colourful landscape, ancient houses, ruins and quaint villages. I'd done several lovely sketches and plein air paintings but nothing had completely grabbed me as the perfect subject for a series of larger studio pieces. The paintings that I'd completed of local scenes were good but I couldn't believe that they were mine. I was frustrated, I had thought that I'd return home with almost enough pieces for an exhibit.

A few weeks ago, while wandering in our usual style, John and I came across a tree lined creek just east of here that curved and meandered through the countryside. The breeze rustled the leaves off of the trees and they were spiraling down into the water. I was mesmerized by the patterns, colours and movement and buzzing with excitement and inspiration. I've been back to this spot a few times, I've done several studies and they look like Cheryl paintings. Tomorrow am the series of larger pieces begins.

Surface Texture

Mary Anne requested a closer look at the vintage linens that I have been painting on so here are a few photos. To the left is a selection of fabrics found at various sales. They are waiting to be painted and are unprimed. You can see why they present a challenge as each piece is quite different in texture/weave. Some pieces are embroidered with simple initials or elaborate monograms, some are fringed, a few pieces have little tabs as though they had been attached to something.

In September when the tree was laden with figs I did some small studies. I love the natural colour of the fabric that I chose and I didn't want to hide it with white gesso. I decided to try mat medium as a ground, using 2 coats. It worked fairly well, didn't seal the surface completely. When I used diluted acrylic as you see in the shadow under the fig it created a lovely watercolour effect. Paint was applied in a thicker fashion on the fig but it still bled a bit giving the edges a diffused look.


Several of the pieces of fabrics purchased at the local brocante have the intials "C S" in a corner. Here is a close-up as well as a painting in progress where you can see the intials in the upper left corner. On the right hand side of this painting is another prepped fabric which shows you the tabs I'm talking about. I really like the texture of these particular pieces of fabric. They remind me of a Gauguin painting that I saw in Toronto and fell in love with because of the burlap-like coarseness of the canvas.

Painting On Vintage Linens

My lovely little studio is on the bottom floor, le rez-de-chaussée, of La Cloucado. It has a high, beamed ceiling, terra cotta tile floors, a door and window that let in lovely soft light when the gray-blue shutters are open. The door opens onto the back terrace and hillside behind le Moulin à Nef. It is perfect!

The photo was taken in early August when my studio was barely set up and I had done my first few paintings. The pile of cloth on the floor is a vintage sheet that I bought at a vide-grenier (empty attic sale). The paintings on the wall were done on pieces of fabric that I found in a dark, dusty corner at the village brocante (antique dealer). Rather than canvas I've been painting on a variety of old pieces of fabrics that I have found at local brocantes and vide-greniers. I had wanted to paint on French linen but when the linen I found in the closest art store carried a 30€ per metre price tag I quickly changed my mind. I could have shopped around but was somehow drawn to the second hand store and voila! I am loving the challenge of painting on the various textures and enjoy my curiosity regarding the history of the pieces of cloth.

Towards the end of the summer there were vide-greniers and brocantes in many of the villages in our département of Tarn et Garonne including here in the port of Auvillar. I found some of my favourite pieces in a quaint little village near here called Montjoi. I also purchased a vintage slip to wear as a nightie and a lovely pillow case monogrammed in red and edged with beautiful lace, too pretty to paint on! I gesso each piece of fabric before use so that my paint will sit on the surface rather than be absorbed. The gesso was too heavy to carry from Vancouver so I ordered it as well as some paint from a French online art supply company, Géant des Beaux Arts. I brought one suitcase of art materials from home that carried my pochade box, some watercolour blocks, a couple of sketchbooks, a few drawing pencils, a selection of my favourite paintbrushes, a few painting boards, some tubes of watercolour paints, small tubes of my favourite Kroma acrylics and some palettes.

I can find everything that I need here, there are some very good online stores in France as well as art stores in various villages. All I need to do now is to lock myself in my studio!

Soaking Up The Colours

It is fall in Southwest France. The temperature has cooled but it is still bright and sunny. The light is amazing, casting a warm late afternoon pink glow onto everything. Yesterday as we drove the winding country roads of the Lomagne, the sight of the fields took my breath away. Acre upon acre of glowing ochre! Chunks and ridges and patterns of an ochre that is nothing like the colour that I squeeze from my tube of acrylic paint. My studio is a sampling of landscape studies of ochre, I'm trying to capture the essence of the fields of Lomagne.

This summer has been one of my brightest ever, day after day of sunshine, glowing carpets of sunflowers in July, the most amazing orange flesh of the August melons and the velvet purple grapes. The luscious red-pink of the figs picked off the backyard tree, quinacridone magenta or rose madder? Shutters, doors, storefronts and flowers, a feast for my artist eyes and soul.

The last group of VCCA fellows has left le Moulin à Nef, the season is coming to a close and it's quiet. John moves up and down the hillside on the tractor mower. I prune the plants, pick walnuts from under the tree, sweep the leaves that have gathered on the terrace all the while trying to come up with a recipe for the glowing ochre of our Saturday adventure.

Resurfacing

I packed away my Vancouver studio in June and left for southwest France mid-July loaded with art supplies and good intentions. I was heading to Moulin à Nef in Auvillar to act as Resident Director of an idyllic artist residence owned by the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. I was eager to put my various artistic and administrative skills to use and looked forward to painting in the French countryside. I imagined returning to Vancouver with "The French Collection - Paintings of Southwest France".

Approximately 15 years ago, while in Nanaimo as Arts & Crafts Coordinator of a French Children's Festival I visited a tea house and had my tea leaves read. Sitting here on the terrace I'm remembering part of what revealed itself in the leaves: you expect everything to happen quickly, you put a lot of pressure on yourself.

Here I am resurfacing 2 1/2 months after my arrival in Auvillar. I have only a few paintings on my studio walls, some sketches and a fair amount of confusion as to what I want to be creating. Change is most certainly around the corner!

Monday, September 15, 2008

I arrived here a week ago, three more weeks to go. Time seems to slip away when I am so absorbed in my work. It is awesome. I took some time off on Saturday and visited a local winery with some of John's cousins, Susan and Rupert from DC and Karen and Tony from Springfield VA. A couple of the wines were lovely and they were plentiful, 17 varieties and the sommelier poured us a taste of each one, (some abstained from tasting each one) a good size portion, no charge! Needless to say we did not visit any other wineries and I took the remainder of the day and evening off.

I showed the cousins around the Sweet Briar College grounds, the VCCA and my studio of course. We had dinner in the dining room and then one of the composers and one of the writers welcomed us into their studios. It was incredibly interesting and I think that everyone left with a sense of this place. I had a great day and I feel honoured that John’s cousins took the time to visit me.

I'm in the company of some amazing people from across the US, from Ireland and from Malta. I'm working long days, painting 12 to 14 hours a day and it is blissful! I am exhausted but it is a good exhaustion. I get out of the studio most afternoons for a swim in the lake with some of the other fellows. Other than that I have been walking the forest trails on the VCCA grounds and doing some yoga. Nevertheless I think that I’m gaining as Rhonda, the new chef is a top notch gourmet cook. We had Indian food last night and it was every bit as good as Vij's.

We have some evening events to look forward to this week, Joelle, one of the composers will play some of her music tomorrow evening, there is a studio dedication and poetry reading on Tuesday and a dinner for guests from the neighbouring golf club on Wednesday. Some of us will open our studios that evening for any of the guests who are interested. There is never a dull moment here.

Friday, September 12, 2008

It’s been difficult to blog as I’ve been painting until I’m ready to drop into bed. I’m loving my studio and am developing some new ideas. I’m working with images of trees again in my current pieces. I’ve been wanting to do more tree paintings and I’m sure that the large and varied trees on the grounds here and at Sweet Briar have influenced me. I am completely wrapped up in it all and am learning a lot as my work progresses.

Tomorrow afternoon will be adventure time. Some of John’s cousins, 2 from Richmond VA and 2 from Washington DC are coming for a visit. I’ll show them around this amazing place and we will do a winery tour. Yes, there are several wineries in Virginia. I will try to post some photos of local scenery in the next few days.

I hear that the weather is lovely in Vancouver. It’s a good thing that it is warm here so I don’t have to be envious. It is 11:02 pm and I’m running the air conditioner! It’s a little muggy but I’m not complaining. Oh there is a cricket in my studio! Last night a black snake found it’s way into the hallway and caused some excitement. There are also some lovely small black lizards with bright turquoise tails hanging around the studio barn. It’s a good thing that they are small creatures. I have a fairly long walk back to the residence and it is very dark here. Cheers!

Wednesday September 10, 2008

Here are a few pictures from my first day - the lake is our swimming spot at Sweet Briar College. My studio is V8, a nice space with windows looking out behind the barn.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The returnee fellows whom I met in ’07 were absolutely right on. As I entered the gate to VCCA yesterday I felt like I was returning home.

My trip here was grueling and sleepless, leaving Vancouver airport at 7:04 pm on the 7^th, flying to San Fran, then to Charlotte, North Carolina and from there to Lynchburg, Virginia. I took the taxi to the residence in Amherst and arrived at 11:30 am on the 8^th just in time to walk to the studio barn for lunch.

Even though I’ve been feeling a little shell-shocked I managed to unpack, set up my studio and prep my surfaces. I’m in V8, a lovely space looking out into the yard behind the studio barn. I have soft natural light all day until late afternoon when the sun casts a golden glow through the windows. The weather is quite warm and humid with a few showers today which I really enjoyed as the raindrops were warm. I found a cure for jetlag today when I joined 6 other fellows for a swim in the lake at Sweet Briar College. I was in my element and returned feeling blissful and energized at the same time. After a great dinner I was able to return to my studio enjoying the sunset as I approached the barn. My return to the residence was slow paced as I breathed in the warm country air that was vibrating with the sound of crickets, cicadas and other night creatures. It is so easy to be inspired here!

Day 28 - April 29, 2007

I'm in Chicago waiting for my final flight home. I managed to make it through several goodbyes without becoming a total sap. We left at 9 am this morning for the Lynchburg Airport. Anthony and Janice drove Sara and I to the airport and after lots of hugs and some tears Sara and I got on the same plane to Charlotte. What a nice way to leave, a send-off and a friend to fly part way home with. Sara and I parted ways in Charlotte, she heading for NY on her way to Cape Cod and me to Chicago.

My fellowship at the Virginia Center For The Creative Arts was an awesome experience. I think that what I produced there in 4 weeks would have taken me 4 to 5 months in my studio. I have come away from there feeling very validated as a professional visual artist and with lots of new knowledge and information. The best part were the connections that I made with creative people from many areas of the world. Yesterday, with the help of my dear artist friends I managed to remove my canvases from the studio walls, roll and wrap them. Everything is well packaged and waiting in the studio for UPS to pick them up on Tuesday, May 1st. They will arrive in Vancouver on May 10th so if I'm looking stressed in the next 10 days you'll understand why. I feel like I've wrapped my babies in cardboard and put them on a bus! I've really appreciated all of the emails with good wishes that many of you have sent. Thanks for the support. A lot of you have said that you are anxious to see my new paintings. I just want to warn you that it may be awhile before this happens, they will be in transit and then they are too large to put on display in my current studio unless I do some major clearing. It will take me some time to figure out what to do with them and how to go about photographing them. My hope is to continue this coastal series and to secure an exhibit for them.

I'm sure that it will take me a few days to rest up and digest this experience. I'll see some of you after that. Thanks for the support.
Cheers,
Cheryl

Day 26 - April 27, 2007

I'm feeling sad today, doing a lot of things for the final time. I'm in my studio but finding it difficult to work and of course I have the laptop so have been online for quite awhile.

I'm so excited about coming home but really sad to be leaving. It will be tough to take my paintings off of the walls tomorrow. Here are some more photos from my open studio yesterday.

Day 25 - April 26, 2007

It was much cooler when I woke this morning and a good thing it was as Anthony and I went for a run. I'm a poor runner when it is hot and humid.

Today I am working on my paintings on paper and clearing the studio a bit for my open studio this afternoon. I've made space so that people can get back from the work, two of my paintings are quite large, the diptych covering an entire wall. Cora and Dorothy stopped by at lunch as they leave early. Cora looks after the studios and makes sure that we have all necessary equipment and Dorothy makes our rooms clean and comfortable. They are lovely and I'm going to miss them as well as everyone else who work here. The VCCA employees make life easy for us so that we are able to fully immerse ourselves in our creative endeavours. I haven't cooked a meal for 5 weeks!

This evening Richard Wollman will read some of his poetry and Ann LeClair will read from her book Silence. My day in a nutshell; paint until early afternoon, host an open studio with wine and snacks, followed by dinner with great company and readings afterward.

Day 24 - April 25, 2007

I was up early and went for a swim with Bobbie. By 8:15am when we left Sweet Briar it was a lovely temperature but it was rising quickly. It was the beginning of a hot and humid day with a forecast for thundershowers. My canvas was on the wall prepped and staring at me when I entered the studio. I had no vision of what should be on its surface. I turned on the air onditioning and lay on the bed enjoying my completed paintings and reading Gary's poems. (Each studio has a bed and there are 3 kitchens in the studio barn as well as a few showers so you can work around the clock or be anti-social if that is what you prefer.) I decided that I needed to do something washy and loose and by the end of the day had completed 2 paintings on watercolour paper, was part way through 2 more and had done some sketches of the trees on the VCCA property. Not bad for an off day! In my Vancouver studio I alternate between acrylic on canvas and watercolour on paper and I think that I've been missing the feel of the paper. It was perfect thing to do.

I am starting to mentally prepare myself for my return to the real world. That might explain why I am reluctant to start a major piece. I've always found it difficult to get back to a painting after leaving it for a period of time and it will take some time for my paintings to find their way to Vancouver.

I've talked to several of the people here about their experiences saying goodbye, leaving and returning to their regular lives. Most of them feel that it takes awhile for them to decompress, to be around people again and to talk about their experience.

Day 23 - April 24, 2007

Today was another perfect day that started with a run at Sweet Briar College after which I completed my moody painting, stretched a new canvas and which ended with a very social evening.

After dinner we gathered in the living room for champagne and chocolates while listening to Christina Askounis read from the novel that she is currently writing. It was very intriguing and I'll anxiously await its completion eager to find out what will happen next.

Poet Gary Short read several of his beautiful poems, 2 of them new and some from his published books "10 Moons and 13 Horses" and "Flying Over Sonny Liston". I am very moved by his work.

Day 22 - April 23, 2007

At breakfast this morning some of the writers were discussing using a laptop to write and the possibility of losing work if it wasn't adequately backed up or copied. I understand how devastating this possibility can be as I lost 400+ amazing photos of the mural project that Lynn and I did in an Alzheimer's ward a few years ago.

I headed down the lovely path to the studio barn anxious to work on my current painting. As I was dabbing away I became very agitated and upset. I realized how attached I am to what I have done here and started thinking about the risk that I am taking shipping my paintings home. They are much too large to put in a suitcase!

This evening I prepped my invites to the open studio that I will have on Thursday. They are tiny coastal paintings that I will place in each of the fellow's mailboxes. I love how they turned out. I've titled my opening Ebb and Flood.

Day 20 & 21 - April 21 to 22, 2007

I have gotten behind on writing as I am into my final week here and don't want to waste a minute. I've accomplished a lot but have much more to do before I leave. There are final week details to cover such as thank you notes, an open studio, collecting contact information so that I can stay in touch with the other fellows, shipping arrangements and I still haven't watched Rodney's film.

I'm spending long hours in the studio and it has been blissful. I painted some lovely clouds and then was inspired to cover them with drippy washes of paint. It was exciting and I like the effect. The weather has gotten quite warm here so one lovely afternoon I parked myself on the grass and did a painting of one of the grand old trees. I've also done some small washy pieces out of doors. When I return to the VCCA I'll plan to spend some time painting plein air as the wonderful trees, colourful rolling hills and Constable skies are perfect subjects.

Day 19 - April 20, 2007

Today Tom Batt, Curator of Exhibitions at The Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg toured the visual arts studios. He and Will Holub, the resident artist here who arranged the visit had positive reactions to what I have created here so far. I don't know if anything will come of the visit but I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with them about my work.

I've completed my diptych and today stretched and gessoed a new piece of canvas to the wall (not so big this time). While it was drying I parked myself on the lawn and did a loose graphite and acrylic sketch of one of the amazing trees here. It was a beautiful day today and is still in the mid-fifties tonight. It is supposed to get up to 78F by Sunday!

Canyon is leaving tomorrow so she, Jan and myself went to a highly recommended restaurant in Lynchburg called Dish. It was delicious, I think that I enjoyed it as much as our local Ocean 617. They had Maytag Blue cheese on the menu. I brought one home as I thought that it would be fun to give it to Ken.

Day 17 - April 18, 2007

Ten beautiful red roses arrived for me today, one for every wonderful year. Today is the tenth anniversary of my first date with John. Up until this art residency we had not been apart for more then a few days. Even though we are thousands of miles apart he is as encouraging and supportive as always. When I call home frustrated with the way my work is going and I tell him of my creative woes and aching muscles he makes me laugh and gives me strength to keep going. As my time here ticks away and I feel like I won't accomplish as much as I had hoped to he reminds me of how great I am doing. John loves that I am an artist and every time that I want to quit and get an ordinary job he gives me a very effective pep talk. Thank you John!

Day 15 & 16 - April 16 & 17, 2007

My time here is past the halfway point and I'm feeling like I don't want to waste a minute so I am tired. I walk to the studio shortly after breakfast and return there again after dinner until it is late. I know that I'll slow down a bit when I complete my current painting. Part of the push is that I'm anxious to start the next image that is floating around in my brain.

There are always creative people coming and going. Quite a few of the artists that I've gotten to know well have left in the past few days. It is difficult to say so many goodbyes. I know that I will be sad to leave when it is my turn to go.

Day 11 to 14 - April 12 to 15, 2007

I've been painting on my large canvas, my coastal diptych. The colours are exciting me and even though it is difficult and tiring work I am having a blast. I mostly keep things quiet in the studio so that I can hear the birds outside my window but when my energy wanes I put on my headphones and turn on the tunes. This beautiful studio space with large white walls, wonderful light that comes from a good size window, a skylight and spots is a welcoming place to be. I am able to translate the energy of the landscape into my brushstroke here. Yesterday was exciting as I experienced what the impressionist painters must have experienced in their work. I was painting a long passage with tiny brushstrokes of pale colours layered over a vibrant yellow and orange background and the canvas started to shimmer. It was mesmerizing. By the time I was done I felt very Zen-like as though I had been meditating or perhaps under hypnosis. The other thing that I have found is that I am coming up with a flood of ideas for new work in this series and ways that I can expand on it. Having blocks of time to work is invaluable and I'm determined to try to eliminate some of my distractions once I get home so that my days are not so broken.

My shoulders and back are quite knotted and sore from painting long hours. Before we left Missouri Geoff gave me a hot water bottle which I am thankful for. I'm looking forward to my massage tomorrow. Someone had amazing insight when they arranged for a massage therapist to come here a few times a week! I have been taking breaks from my work and have headed outdoors to run and I did a hike to Crabtree Falls with some of the other visual artists and writers that I've gotten to know. I've also been to the pool again at Sweet Briar College. Today Jan and I drove Canyon to Charlottesville so she could visit some of her friends that moved here from Tibet. When we arrived they invited us into their home for tea which was delightful.

The weather has been sunny and bright up until the past few days. It poured today and I find that the rain reminds me of Vancouver and I'm feeling homesick!

Note from John

Cheryl asked me to thank you all for the emails you've sent, and to apologize for her for not answering - she's trying to stay really focused on the residency for the time she has there, and the internet connection is cranky at best. She'll catch up with everyone when she gets home at the end of the month.

There's still one cabin available for the first Plein Air workshop on Saturna Island, June 20-24, 2007. The second session is full, but we are keeping a waiting list. See www.cherylfortier.com/classes.htm for more details.

Day 10 - April 11, 2007

Today I awoke eager to get into the studio. By the end of the day my coastal landscape looked very different with a completely new palette and some corrections in perspective. I am really excited about the direction that I am taking.

Five of us drove to Lynchburg for dinner to celebrate Canyon's birthday. I can't imagine a better way to spend a birthday than at an artist residency, and dinner was amazing!

Day 9 - April 10, 2007

I felt tired today and after spending a little time fussing with my painting I realized that I hadn't taken a day off. After lunch I relaxed with some art books and magazines and went for a run at Sweet Briar. After dinner I walked down the drive with a few of the fellows. Canyon and I continued along the woods trail and spent quite a long time in the mustard field watching the sky
work its way through a variety of deep blues. Just as it turned indigo Venus appeared followed by a multitude of stars.

When we were done stargazing, Canyon gave me a tour of her writing studio. It is lovely and cozy. It was fun to see some photos of her Tibetan friends and women who she is writing about.

The most wonderful thing about being here is that no matter what it is that I am doing I can stay focused on my work, I don't have to switch gears to move into a different part of my life. Even when things aren't going well I can let the ugly images spin around in my head until I come up with a solution. There is a lot of stimulus, inspiring scenery, intelligent and creative people,
libraries full of books, magazines, papers and film. In the studio late tonight I was able make some creative decisions about my work. I went to bed with a plan and looking forward to my next work day.

Day 8 - April 9, 2007

I spent the morning painting to the tune of an upset heifer. She was penned in the area of the barn that my studio faces in punishment for having run away and she was not at all happy. I really didn't mind though, it was refreshing in comparison to the din of the traffic that I hear in the city.

Painting went well this morning but I lost it shortly after lunch. Frustrating! I returned to the studio at about 8:30pm, did some repainting but am still pulling my hair out.

After dinner Bruce, an actor and playwright from New York read from an essay that he is working on. It was about a life-altering event and was very moving. Sara (pen name Pennypacker), a children's author read from one of her Clementine books. I've gotten to know Sara a bit over the last week and was delighted to discover that she is the author of this lovely series.

Day 7 - Easter 2007

How fitting it is to be starting a new painting today, a new beginning. I spent time this morning reflecting on life, on painting, the direction that I want to take with my work. Pursuing visual art is becoming more rewarding for me as time passes but does still challenge me in many ways. I've come here with a goal to push myself out of my comfort zone and I'm certainly doing that. I have to remind myself often of my goal, as it is easy to fall back into familiar patterns. Something as simple as the question: "What do you plan to do with an 8' X 3' painting?" can cause me to doubt what I'm doing.

By late afternoon my canvas was looking very colourful and my arms had had another tough day so I decided to give them a break and let my legs do some work. Anthony who is a still life painter has been to the VCCA before and is familiar with the many trails at Sweet Briar College. We went for a run on the campus along a lovely country road, which started at the old train station, overlooked beautiful and lush green rolling hills, took us past the college equestrian center and the visual arts buildings. Around every corner there was a scene waiting to be painted and a hill to pant up. I returned to the residency feeling invigorated.

This evening we loaded into cars and went back to the college by caravan for Easter dinner. Upon returning a few of us gathered in the living room with some bottles of wine and had a lovely evening. I called my parents' home where everyone was gathered and I was able to chat with my family. It was odd to be away from them on Easter but nice to be here in this vibrant community.

Day 6 - April 7, 2007

Today was a workout! I wrestled with an 18 foot long piece of canvas and managed to cut it and staple it to the wall by myself. I vigorously painted 2 coats of gesso on it and then swam lengths at the Sweet Briar College recreation facility while they were drying. I wonder if I'll be able to raise my arms to paint tomorrow.

Day 5 - April 6, 2007

It's 3 pm and I've finished my first large piece, an 8' x 3' coastal scene with lots of drama and movement. I'm very excited by it because it conveys the mood that I was feeling when I experienced it on our trip up the coast in 2005. I challenged myself to work differently, a lot more spontaneously than I do in my studio and I plan to push myself even more so in the next piece. Being here allows me to 'put myself into character' as the writers say and stay there for days on end as there is nothing else to do here but be absorbed in the work.

I'm going to celebrate my fait accompli by going for a run on the trails in the woods. I feel my next image brewing inside of me so after some scenic inspiration, fresh air and exercise I'll head to my drawing table in the studio. It is situated in front of a large window that faces a small rustic barn and some old silos. Amazing! I certainly don't miss the large trucks that rumble by my Vancouver studio!

Day 4 - April 5, 2007

I'll be brief as it is late and I just returned from my studio. I started my day by walking a 1 ½ mile trail through the woods landing in a vibrant yellow mustard field next to the studio barn. It was much cooler out today but sunny and the sky tonight is a clear black speckled with stars.

The first part of my day went very well, I was thinking that my first painting should be complete early tomorrow. Wrong!!!! Re-entering the real world for a trip into town on the shuttle to pick up some supplies broke the spell. I struggled the remainder of the day and knew that if I didn't resolve my foreground woes before bed I'd have a restless sleep. So it was back to the barn after dinner to do some problem solving. I can sleep now!

Day 3 - April 4, 2007

I woke up tired but anxious to get to the studio. After a quiet breakfast I headed to work and spent a few minutes with my back to my canvas and then did a quick twirl and voila! It is vibrant and very Van Goghish and I like it!

I spent the day working over the under painting, creating a twirling, windy sky and serious distant landforms, the center ones glowing green. After a very social and interesting lunch with another painter and several writers I headed to my room to recharge my ipod. I lay down to stretch my back and woke up an hour later. Who but another painter would believe how exhausting it is to play with paint all day?

There was some good wine and lots of lively chitchat at my dinner table tonight. Most of the creative people come from various areas of the US with the exception of myself, Reiza from Paris and Augustine from Nigeria.

After dinner Canyon Sam from San Francisco showed a video of a one-woman play that she wrote and acted in. I am awestruck by her talent. She is a bright, gentle and kind woman who gave me some Airborne that knocked my cold out of me.

Day 2 - April 3, 2007

It is 9:45pm and I'm walking from my studio to the residence when I turn back to look towards the barn. There is soft light filtering through the white drapes of a writers' studio and I can see the charcoal silhouette of the old building. The full moon is glowing peach and is illuminating the sky with a pale cerulean-gray hue. There are dark cumulous clouds floating past the scene. I hear frogs and the soft munching and snorting of the resident cows, invisible in the dark field. I think that I am in a dream, a very good dream. I am thinking of Pam and wishing that I could send this dream or the feeling of this dream to her.

I started my workday by applying a second coat of gesso to my canvas with a 4" brush and vigorous strokes. While letting it dry I did a study on watercolour paper and was so focused that it was complete in little time! The air is humid here and it took quite awhile to dry. My large canvas is on it's way to becoming? A painting? It is so unlike my usual carefully planned scenes. At this moment the sky is undercoated in great swirls of teals and greens reminiscent of the wind on the day that I experienced this scene. I am attempting to recreate the eerie green that lit the distant landforms and am hoping to make the water look stern.

After a wonderful dinner this evening, Mary Page Evans did a slide presentation of her plein air paintings. Most of them are 5' across or more. She stretches the canvas on a board, which she props against a tree, or lays in the field grass and upon which she creates beautiful loose landscapes in oils. She has been to the VCCA 15 times.

I crave to be in the studio all of the time, it is like a constant adrenaline rush but common sense tells me that I should get some sleep.

Day 1 - April 2, 2007

I'm here and it is absolutely gorgeous! I feel a bit in shock after an exciting and scenic whirlwind road trip with John through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, DC and Virginia. My heart dropped when I watched John drive down the road to head for his flight home from Richmond. We haven't been apart for more than a long weekend since we've met.

I pulled myself together and managed to unpack my supplies, set up my studio and start to work. No sense wasting time, I'm sure that the month will pass by quickly.