Four Blissful Weeks Making Art in Eastport, Maine

When it comes to artist residencies, the usual factors people zoom into are location, special equipment, and length of time. I’ve found that the culture of a residency program can make the experience truly worthwhile. That’s exactly why I loved mytime at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art. Of course the beautiful location and studio space delivered in a big way. (For more information on what an artist residency is, check out this post.)

I felt so free to explore creative whims and covered a lot of ground in four weeks. Kristin and Hugh run the program and their creative nurturing meshed really well with my personality.

I tinkered with painting, cardboard sculpture, letterpress, relief printmaking, and crystalline pencil sculpture.

Because of the remote location of the residency, I bought art supplies in Portland on my way over to Eastport, the furthest eastern city in the USA. I did my best to anticipate what I’d like to work on.

Right out of the gate I painted a portrait of my sister and her brand new baby. It was my first time painting figures in a looooong time. I enjoyed the challenge of working so representationally. Plus, I knew I wanted to incorporate butterfly imagery and patterns to represent our mother and father who missed meeting their first grandchild due to a tragic accident.

We dote on the baby the way they doted on us and we sing the same songs to her. Their loving presence is very much felt despite the painful absence. Spending time helping my sister with her new baby was the impetus for my four month odyssey. We FaceTimed multiple times a day during the residency. Whenever I felt a lag in energy, seeing the adorable baby gave me a power up.

While painting the mother and child portrait, I started noodling on what phrase(s) I’d want to print with the letterpress equipment. The first one that popped into my head was, “Eat, Sleep, Art.” Within a few days that mantra already described my existence in Eastport! After chatting with a friend, she encouraged me to trust the process and print that phrase. Sometimes I get in my own way because I’ll have an idea and it feels too obvious so I think surely someone else has done this. But more often than not it is original enough to follow through and see where it leads!

Fresh-Pressed Letterpress

I had not touched anything related to letterpress in 7 years since I interned at Hatch Show Print in Nashville, TN. Due to my rustiness, I decided to keep things simple and just use the proof press in the studio. The small size worked well with the wood type I compiled to express the slightly manic EAT SLEEP ART energy. I used colorful paper and played with various ink colors made from modified acrylic paint.

I put the first round up in the studio window, but 20 prints did not satiate me. I ended up printing almost 100 with 1-4 layers. Playing with layers, overlapping ink color transparency, I fell into a rhythm and enjoyed going with the creative flow.

My plans for the prints include turning them into notebook covers. Working on bringing that idea to life!

A glimpse at the insanity I so very much enjoy creating

The first weekend I was in Eastport, we were hit with a tropical storm and lost power. Aside from that hiccup, the weather was absolutely gorgeous .

Strolling Around Town

My evening ritual included a walk along water street in order to get some fresh air, stretch my legs, and transition into dinnertime. It was super convenient to stay in a house one block away from the studio. I enjoyed exploring Eastport by foot and seeing the curious array of architecture, eclectic shops, and of course the lovely Bay of Fundy.

The name of the Tides Institute and Museum of Art is connected to the famous bay with massive tidal changes. I saw 15-20ft tides, which was thrilling. In Hawaii the tide changes merely 2-3 feet!

Late Nights, Early Mornings

I cherish the joy of endless creative inspiration. And being in Eastport allowed me to roam freely through the forest of inspiration and creation. Pretty soon, I went back to the studio after dinner to work into the night. I also sometimes went in super early and caught the sunrise.

Brazil Bandana

A few weeks before arriving in Maine, I was in Brazil with my younger sister Brooke. We went on an absolutely epic 2 week trip to the Pantanal with the Piedmont Environmental Center (based out of North Carolina where our family used to live.)

We saw an incredible array of wildlife and it was a phenomenally inspiring trip. I noticed some of the people wore neckerchiefs to keep the binocular strap off of their necks. So, I thought it would be practical and fun to design a bandana with the animals we saw on our trip. Since we went to the Pantanal region and the Amazon Basin, I decided to keep the bandana design focused on the Pantanal animals. I’m scheming an umbrella design for the Amazon animals…

I started sketching out the design while in Brazil, and then refined the design during the residency in Eastport.

My first attempt at rendering the bandana design was in gouache, which looked lovely, but it lacked the OOMPH I craved.

I decided that carving linoleum to create a block printed version would bring the idea to life in the way that I really wanted.

The only problem was I didn’t have enough linoleum in Eastport! So I ordered from the Portland art supply store and crossed my fingers that it would arrive in time. This was about the halfway point of the four week residency.

While waiting for the linoleum to arrive, I turned my attention to cardboard sculpture…naturally.

Cardboard Aquatics

Inspired by my screen-printed diorama mailer, I created an underwater cardboard scene in the front window of the studio. In addition to my beloved characters, I added some more inspired by the local ecosystem.

I loved playing with the material and letting my imagination run wild. It was such a fun opportunity! And it took a few days to make, which was the perfect amount of time until my linoleum supplies arrived. :)

Back to Bandana

I took tracing paper and layered it on top of the gouache painting in order to draw out the design in only one color. It was a challenge to translate the very colorful animals into black and white, but that created a very punchy and graphic look, which is the appeal of printmaking!

Next, I used transfer paper to transfer the design onto the linoleum. I basically drew over all of my lines on the tracing paper and the graphite of the transfer paper created fine pencil lines on the linoleum. Then, I used permanent marker to beef up the pencil lines and clarify where I would cut with my carving tools.

I started carefully carving the space around the animals. As I carved each animal, I did my best to render the texture of that animal. So the furry capybara stands out from the feathered green Ibis.

There are four corner pieces along with a central piece, so five 12”x12” pieces of linoleum total.

The jaguar completely steals the show just like it did in Brazil’s Cuiaba River. I was able to create this proof print before the residency ended. My next steps include doing some carving touch ups and then printing the blocks onto fabric.

I am so thrilled with what I accomplished in four weeks at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art. Thank you Kristin and Hugh for all your support and encouragement!

StudioWorks Artist Residency