Jerry Michalski has been coming to Windgrove off and on for a month doing sketches, preparatory small paintings and now, today, a larger, final oil painting of Roaring Beach. Generally, his routine is to awake at 6AM, observe the light on the beach, take notes and then meet me for morning coffee and toast around 8. He then ventures back to his easel until later in the day when we meet up for dinner, a glass of wine and wandering discussions on art and life with a bit of good gossip thrown in to keep us centered in the mundane realities of everyday living.
It would be an understatement to think that I don’t get immense satisfaction from his presence here at Windgrove. Not only does it give me pleasure to have his company and artistic energy on this land, I also welcome again the opportunity to have Jerry painting here as an artist-in-residence.
The last official resident artist at Windgrove was when Sally Horne arrived in December of 2005 to begin a three month stay. This, as many past readers would know, blossomed into a loving partnership that necessitated the stopping of the “much too public” residency program. With Sally now living elsewhere, the closing of one door allows the opening of another and I am using Jerry to kick start the next phase of Windgrove’s artist-in-residency.
Like before, Windgrove will welcome those artists — painters, sculptors, writers — whose work deals with healing the human relationship to the more than human world. Here, art and ecology and spirit come together with a seriousness to the task at hand and more than a pinch of fun thrown in to leaven things up a bit.
But this time there will be more boundaries in place so that my private life is not so impacted when other artists are staying here. In the past, the biggest impediment in having a private life was that the main house was the center of eating and socializing. This was okay and doable when I was single, but not so okay when in relationship.
I might be an old dog, but I’m still capable of learning.
Therefore, what I want to build next is a self contained two or three bedroom artist-in-residency house complete with kitchen and sitting area where the artists themselves will provide for and look after their daily needs. This way, I (or, I and my partner) can visit or not visit depending on what’s happening in my/our lives. Having three artists living together instead of a solo resident should make for a more vibrant while less intrusive program.
Fingers crossed.
I’m open to any suggestions as to how to make the Windgrove artist-in-resident program a user friendly operation for all concerned.
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I believe it a wonderful idea to create several spaces for living artist. As an artist myself I believe there is a silent and solitary moment of creation that should not be disturb. A moment of interaction with the divine creator.
A few years back I took a yoga retreat in Hawaii, they created several houses for this matter, the houses were eco-friendly, meaning, no windows, wooden kitchen, it really was a different experience, for me it help me go back to recognized how simple living can be.
I am not aware of the type of climate in Windgrove, but I know a conscious designer and architect can create an harmonious, functional and sustainable space for your artists residences.
I learn about Windgrove through the Schumacher Collage. At the moment I live and work in Los Angeles, Ca.