My Residency Experience ~ Part 2
Building, Learning, Creating
When the first phase of the residency settled into rhythm, the real work began.
The first week was about orientation ~ learning the light in the studio, organizing materials, and understanding the pace of a 20-hour studio commitment. Once that foundation was laid, I moved from arrival into immersion.
This was the building phase.
I intentionally began with studies.
Over the first four to six weeks, I created more than a dozen works. These were not exhibition pieces. They were exploratory, responsive, and intuitive. They allowed me to loosen my hand, test materials, and observe what was surfacing naturally. This was soul fuel for me; that is, the subjects, media, and methods were relaxed and inspiring.
Rather than rushing toward finished works, I allowed myself to learn in public ~ reporting on social media, sharing process images, and documenting progress. This discipline kept me accountable and made the growth visible, not only to others but to myself
These studies became the quiet teachers of the residency.
They clarified palettes.
They revealed gesture.
They exposed habits.
They pointed direction.
Pursuing Light
The direction for the residency became obvious to me through the study phase ~it was simple: pursue light and share it. This aligned with my self-declared guide: If it came out, it was in. I wanted only authenticity, in the work ~ in the finished paintings and in the learning.
Light became subject.
In many works, I incorporated pearl and copper paint ~ materials that respond to light. In low light, they glow softly. In bright light, they shimmer unexpectedly.
This reflective quality felt aligned with my personal philosophies ~ receiving light, tending light, and reflecting light.
The shimmer was not decoration. It was metaphor.
Challenges became guides and goals
To challenge myself for the formal residency works, I limited scale and substrate. I chose 3 sizes of canvas panel up to 24×20 inches.
The Art Center also challenged me by directing me toward non-representational abstractions for the residency exhibition.
I began intentionally pairing bouquets with my non-representational abstractions. The bouquets energized the abstractions. The abstractions informed the bouquets.
One was presentation. The other interpretation.
One is the prism. The other is the light moving through it.
Together I expressed my message fully.
Community as Classroom
I sought learning wherever I could find it.
I attended an artist peer group and developed an administrative plan to facilitate this for a year. I also created a formal proposal for a monthly promotional event to benefit The Art Center and fellow artists. I presented both of these to The Art Center as gifts, volunteering my leadership.
I met individually with artists ~ oil painters, acrylic painters, and several printmakers ~ asking questions about process, pricing, exhibitions, and sustainability. These conversations were informal but formative.
I viewed exhibitions and attended receptions and tours at The Art Center, Kittery Art Association, Newburyport Art Association, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Blue Door Gallery, Portland Museum of Art, and the Currier Museum of Art. I shared these experiences with others through my Instagram.
At the Portland Museum of Art, I was deeply moved by the work of Thomas Moran and purchased a 400-page hardcover monograph published by the National Gallery of Art in 1977, on Ebay. I also purchased and began reading Stefan Baumann’s Ultimate Field Guide to Plein Air Painting. Though I have no aspiration to paint in the field, these books reinforced my library for reference and inspiration.
I participated in Artists’ Sunday, the national art event held the day after Thanksgiving, which Dover NH proudly supports. Through a collaboration with a local business, my work was introduced to a broader audience while simultaneously supporting both the Dover community and the national art community.
In December, I participated in a two-day Open Studios event at The Art Center. For this, I curated a collection of prior works for exhibition and welcomed many guests into my studio space. I networked with fellow artists. These conversations allowed me to discuss the residency program and share my progress in real time. Speaking about the work while it was still developing sharpened my clarity and confidence.
This season was not only productive ~ It was nourishing.
The Art Center, Dec 2025
Growth You Can See
When I brought my shamrock plant into the studio at the beginning of the residency, it was small and contained. By the end, it had stretched outward, fuller and more alive.
That growth mirrors what happened in my work.
Twenty-seven finished pieces emerged during this period ~ twenty-five on panel and two larger canvases that would later become the Capstone Works of the residency series that I titled, Attending To Light.
each 30×40″ canvas, framed
Coming Next
In Part 3, I will share the culmination ~ what this residency changed in me and how I prepared the finished works for their March 9 release, including how the titles of the full body and each piece fortify the overall message of the series.
Residency Group Exhibition
with artists who completed the Artist In Residency program in 2025
In tandem with the Members’ Annual Rock The House Exhibition
The Art Center
March 9 – April 30, 2026
Artists’ Reception April 4, 6–9pm
My non-representational abstracts created during the residency will be on view in both exhibitions.
I am deeply grateful to The Art Center for providing this structure and opportunity, to Market Square Jewelers for sponsoring the residency studio space, and to the viewers, friends, and fellow artists who have witnessed and encouraged this journey.
Growth rarely happens in isolation. This season was built in community.
