I've folded up my 30+ year old bark cloth. The handwoven coverlet I purchased at the Bridge Street Thrift shop is tucked away. Its looking naked in here! Packing up your studio at the end of a residency is never as fun as settling in. Brush Creek Ranch, Studio C, prepared meals by chef Carrie, and the quiet solitude of this place has allowed me to accomplish my goals. Two Hot Yellowstone pieces completed and a start on my Turritella Agate piece.

Thank you to Brush Creek and my husband Dave, who is always so supportive of my artistic wanderings! I'll see you tomorrow.

We are all feeling the pull towards home and our everyday lives but also savoring our final days at Brush Creek. Today I finished Hot Yellowstone #13. That makes two major pieces completed. I also started research and sketches for a piece I want to do about Turitella agate. Created from the fossil remains of a now extinct, fresh-water mollusk, the rock has a complex and beautiful patterning that I love. What's hard to fathom is that much of Wyoming was underwater, creating these types of fossils for us to find and marvel at. Wild!

Part of savoring the last days is making sure I get out for a walk everyday this week to drink in Brush Creek's vistas! The image above was taken just up the hill from my studio as dusk approached.  Quiet beauty wrapped in a blanket of snow.

8:30 in the morning and I was already at work in the studio when the need for some hot, peppermint tea bubbled up inside me. The kitchen is just one door down so cup in hand, I headed out the door. I stopped dead in my tracks. .A brilliant blue sky and trees encrusted with ice and snow twinkled all around me. Tea would wait! I immediately turned around and headed back into the studio for my camera. I knew I had to capture the moment NOW.. The heat of the sun was already warming the world around me and the trees' icy crystal coats would soon slip off their limbs.
I spent about 30minutes taking pictures, changing lens and downloading the images. By then the intense Wyoming sun had indeed melted the ice and the effect was gone. What's left is the memory of wonder and the images I can share with you. Enjoy!

Its Friday the 13th and everything is just fine here at the Ranch! Its day number 10 and so far I have completed one major piece, Hot Yellowstone #12, one painting for the LEAP366 project, (yes, I know its 2017 but I'm still catching up), one painting exploring Devil's rope and 3 batches of cookies!

OK, about the baking. We have a chef here, ( aren't we lucky!) named Carrie. She puts on delicious, healthy meals but when it comes to desserts, its a desert! Even though a few of us are supposed to be using this time to diet, I still like to do a bit of baking for a change of pace. The other residents are so appreciative too. So far its been Thumbprint cookies, brownies, (I lowered my standards and used a mix I found in the cupboard ) and just last night, oatmeal raisin.  My recipe box is coming up with my husband Dave today. That means next week, I'll be using the Ranch's industrial mixer to whip up chocolate chip and Mexican chocolate cookies!

PS, I promise I'm getting a lot of work done too!

30,000 acres of beautiful land and part of that land is devoted to the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts ..."time and space for artistic exploration through immersion in the extraordinary beauty of the West". Brush Creek is a first class dude ranch owned by Bruce and Beth White.....scenic splendor at the base of the Medicine Bow National Forest outside of Saratoga, Wyoming, the camp is situated right next to Brush Creek, in between the Sierra Madre and Snowy Mountain ranges".
The generosity of the White's allows about 100 artists a year to experience this beautiful landscape during 2 to 4 week residencies that are totally free! I'm one of those lucky artists along with 7 others who will be spending the month of January in this beautiful setting.

  My first experience at Brush Creek was in 2012. I was working on Hot Yellowstone #3. The series has grown since then.  2017's goal is to get #12 and #13 finished!  Residencies are an important time to get lots of work done but also for hatching new ideas and projects. In addition to the Hot Yellowstone series, I am researching new work for a group show with Connie Norman, Do Palma and Jennifer Rife. Our theme will center around, "The Devil's Rope".  Ever heard of that phrase? Do you think you know what it refers to?   Its always exciting to work with other talented artists on a common theme. All of the work will be united but very different. My final goal is to research and think about Turitella and Wyoming when it was underwater! Can you imagine it!
I best get to work.