a Week at Centrum Artist Residency

my very own studio signage

I’ve been back for a week from my respite at Centrum Artist Residency, and the experience is already starting to feel like a far off dream. Before it fades away with my daily routine, I’d like to spend a moment reflecting on this week long residency. The Pacific Northwest has always had an enchanting draw for me, (and yes, I will admit I am a Twilight fan), but it does go deeper than that. There’s something both mysterious and adventure-inspiring about this location perched on the edge of the arctic circle. The trees are bigger, the ecology more abundant, and, when the weather cooperates, there's a crispness and sharpness freshness to the atmosphere and colors.

overlooking Fort Worden State Park and my 'cabin' where I stayed during my residency

Lighthouse at the point Wilson, on the tip of the pennisula at Fort Worden

There’s also something haunting about this area. Maybe it was the Victorian era architecture of Port Townsend and Fort Worden where I was staying, but I was creeped out enough to only shower during the daytime by my third day in! 

just look at that spooky attic in the Officer's Quarters at Fort Worden

In terms of my art practice, I decided not to put too much pressure on myself about my original proposal on my application because 1.) I only had 1 week, and 2.) There’s enough pressure during the school year anyway. So, I made some loose goals to: acquaint myself with the landscape, check. Discover and express symbiosis between nature and human influence, check. Decide when a painting is ‘finished’, which may not necessarily mean 100% ‘polished’, eh, this one can stay a work in progress. 

plein air on the bluff at Fort Worden State Park, casein on clayboard panel

My mornings were generally dedicated to plein air painting. I painted on the bluffs, at the forest edge, in my kitchen, at the beach, and just outside my cottage. Then came lunch and nap time. (I think nap addiction is a thing). After my siesta, I’d saunter down to the art studio which was a restored barn with excellent track lighting and hard wood floors. They built a gallery wall off the historic wooden walls for artists to mount work, which I really enjoyed tacking pieces onto to see my progress over the week. I got into flow states while listening to pop music many of these sessions. 

dinner on the back porch at Siren's on Water Street, (clam chowder was New Englander approved!)

In the evenings I either went out to eat in Port Townsend, or had a very simple meal in my cottage. I went to Green Crow Tacos, ‘Siren's’ one night on Water street downtown, Khu Larb Thai, and Finistère my last night for oysters (which were divine!). It was really great to wrap up my days of productive painting by taking myself on these dinner dates. It’s time to normalize dating yourself.

oysters at Finistère in Port Townsend

Overall, my experience at Centrum was incredibly inspiring and rejuvenating. I sort of wish I had more of a communal vibe with the other artists and writers on site, but at this point in my adult life, I also really cherished the alone time. The one question I did ask myself a lot was ‘what’s the point of painting?’. If I were on a deserted island, would I still paint? I think the answer is that I’ve got a lot of pent up creative energy inside that I need to release. If I ‘get it out’, I feel better. Then it builds up again. So painting is a cycle, and it’s one that I really appreciate sharing, getting praise for, and discovering connection with others through. So that feels like a good enough point.

my pieces created during my Artist in Residence at Centrum