In September 2021, I was invited to Jentel Artist Residency in Banner, Wyoming. I spent a month creating artwork alongside artists Karen Marston, Amy Robson, Frank Sheehan, and writer David Naimon. Inspired by our time together, we proposed a group show for Sage Gallery in nearby Sheridan, WY. They offered us a show and we were generously invited back to Jentel for a residency at the same time. I returned to Jentel 3 years later with my dear friends in October 2024 for the opening of our show, Conversation in the 1000 Acres at Sage Gallery. Once again based in the wild foothills of the Bighorns, I spent my time hiking and responding to the landscape from my new perspective as a recent Studio Art MFA graduate.
I loved the space to think, absorb, and become inspired. I loved the landscape and how the light always changed over the hills and mountains. I loved listening to the sound of the water as I read by the creek and spending time with my friends talking about our art and writing over delicious homemade meals.
For the past two years, I have analyzed my work from every angle and evolved my process continuously. At Jentel, I had the time and space to pause and reflect on my MFA experience and make work purely for the joy of it. It gave me time to take stock of where I am at in my work and examine many of the avenues of expression I utilize: monotype, painting, oil pastel, and charcoal drawing. Seeing everything on the walls together, I realized I am at a point of expansion. I am excited to continue new processes this experimentation has opened up, such as creating a monotype with gold ink and then layering acrylic paint and oil pastel on top to create an image of fields of sage. My time there helped me set my own pace and to re-orient myself as I return to the world beyond grad school.
