I’m finding that the isolated production time provided by residencies accelerates progress in my work…so I was happy to have the opportunity to spend time at UCross in Wyoming. There were about 10 of us, a mixture of writers, composers and visual artists. We mostly kept to ourselves, meeting only for a communal dinner on weeknights. Although my studio wasn’t designed as a live-in as it was at MacDowell, I moved in anyway. Living in the studio allowed me to wake up to a breathtaking view as well as focus and push through a lot of work for the Vinland / Quilt project. I also finally got over the hump of how to deal with panels that were too complex to paint, even at scale. I completed seven paintings and several underdrawings while at UCross – three of the works will be included in my exhibition at Telles.

Much appreciation to everyone at UCross – especially Mike, Allan and Marty (who worked together to build a custom worktable for me!), Ruthie, Tracey, Carley, Shelly, and Cindy, who made amazing lunches and dinners for us!