And we're off!

When I received the good news in December, I didn't think April would ever come, but here she is and today officially marks the beginning of my Hambidge Center Adventure. I'm glad you're along for the ride!

Last night was spent packing. Lots of packing. Clothing wasn't an issue, it was the pastels. Hundreds and hundreds of pastels. Spread all about my studio.  Everywhere. And I wanted to bring them all. About two hours was spent sorting through pastels and packaging them up into tidy little color coordinated packages. 

See all those pastels? Yea. So many pastels.  

After that task, gathering all of my papers, paints, brushes, tapes, lighting and folding tables was a breeze. It also was pretty breezy outside....and POURING. For those of you who live in the Northeast you know what Mama Nat has been up to lately...and it ain't pretty. Packing a car in this weather? Not fun.  On a positive note, everything fit into my trusty Subaru, with a little bit of room to spare! After a wonderful (wonderful, wonderful) "bon voyage" party thrown by my co-workers (thanks guys...seriously) I was on my way! 

The first leg of the trip has brought me to Rhode Island, the land of my parents. It was a short trip but a happy one, finally knowing I was on my way to my version of heaven.  I listened to music and began listening to my "Instant Immersion" French lessons. I took a lot of French in grade and high school, and would like to get a bit better at it. So, here I am folks, sitting on my parents couch blogging away and at the beginning of what is sure to be a great adventure. 

Up next: Bea goes to New York City! (ETA 1:00)

Thanks for listening. 

North Shore Art*Throb Article!

Dear Friends,

North Shore Art*Throb has published an article about my curatorial project This Collective Pull on their website. North Shore Art*Throb is a wonderful online publication that focuses on the arts and artists of the North Shore, a similar mission to This Collective Pull ! North Shore Art*Throb first learned of This Collective Pull, which I collaborate on with Julie O'Boyle, last June when they interviewed me in my studio. They are a great asset to the North Shore Arts community and I hope you will take a moment to visit their site. You can read the article about our project here.

I've got Georgia on my mind!

The state, not the country.

Today, March 7th, means that I will officially be an artist in residence at the Hambidge Center in EXACTLY ONE MONTH! I applied to the Hambidge Center at the end of last year in hopes that the residency decision making gods would shine in my favor. Since finding out that my application was accepted I have been excited...but now that it is so darn close I am not excited anymore...I am SO excited. Got that? SO excited. I will be taking a leave of absence from my job and hugging my friends goodbye on March 31st. The residency doesn't begin until April 6th but I have a few stops planned along the way and want to give myself a good amount of time to get down there.

First stop, New York City my friends! I love my brother, but I love him most when he moves somewhere cool and I get to go visit. He is currently living in the village and I will be making the trip down to stay with him in his wonderful, cozy (small) studio apartment and eating lots and lots of Vietnamese sandwiches. I'd like to see the Whitney Biennial, but if the weather is really nice a stroll through Chinatown is in my future. I won't be in the NYC for too long because I will be scooping Michael into the Subaru and driving down to my birth city of Washington, DC.** I can't wait to visit with my sister Katharine (currently a med student) and my dear friend who left Massachusetts behind for a wonderful internshipturnedfulltimejob opportunity. As always, a walk past my childhood home and a visit to Eastern Market are the two mandatory stops on this leg of the trip.

After a few days in DC I will say "so long" to my siblings and begin my journey to Charlotte, North Carolina. I made a wonderful friend while at the Vermont Studio Center, and when I knew I was going to Georgia, I pretty much knew I would be visiting her in Charlotte too! After Charlotte I will swing through Asheville, NC to visit another friend and check out the galleries. From there I will make the one and a half hour ride to my cabin/studio in the woods! I will be posting regularly while in Georgia, despite the lack of Internet connection in any of the studios (available in the main building.) So please follow and stay updated!

Thanks for listening, and be sure to click that first link, it's a gem.

** A few people have asked me if they could join me on this adventure, and I have told all of them (even Dad...sorry!) that this is a solo expedition. When I am in the car for long periods of time, I pretty much go all "Jung" on myself and access my life situation. I figure travelling alone will be a really good way to reflect on how I will be spending my time in Georgia. HOWEVER, when Michael asked if he could hop on board for the trip to DC I said yes, it is rare that all three of us (Michael, Katherine and I ) are together and I really love the bizarre conversations that happen when we are.

Ten drawings + sheet of paper = One wild ride.

Hi Friends,

It was pretty counter intuitive, but for the past month or so, I remembered to take a photograph every time I was at a stopping point with a drawing. It is really interesting to see the progression of a drawing because it allows me to reflect on the process a bit more, and after the fact. Sometimes I think I should stop working on something but I am having such a good time, it's hard to. Anyway, I'd love to hear feedback. A teacher once told me I needed to figure out when to stop...I believe she may be right. It's always a wild time wrangling these drawings into something I can live with, and that my friends is what it's all about.

Enjoy!

I'd love to hear what your favorite "phase" of the drawing is. Did I just do ten drawings on one surface? Or could the final product not exist without all of the other drawings underneath to support it? Magical mystery.