Red Lodge Clay Center Residency

Winter 2016 - 2017

Week 1

I was awarded a three week residency to the Red Lodge Clay Center over the winter break of 2016-2017.  My residency was funded through a Faculty Research Scholarship Award through UT Tyler.  Thank you to everyone who made this opportunity possible!!!

We arrived in Red Lodge, Montana on Sunday, December 18, 2016.  What a beautiful town! We settled into our digs above the RLCC Gallery in downtown Red Lodge.  The folks at RLCC have made Cody, Wren, and I feel so welcomed! I am so excited to be here!  

Our view as we arrived at Red Lodge, MT. 

I made the trek out to Fox Studios on Monday and have settled into my studio space in the short term residency wing.  The studio is located just in front of Rock Creek, what a picturesque view from the studio!  

My fellow short-term residents are Brooke Armstrong, Holly Thompson, and Jared Peterson. The long-term residents are Allison Chochran, Matt Fiske, Raven Halfmoon, Joyce St. Clair Voltz, and Lars Voltz.  I am so excited for the opportunity to focus on working in the studio for the next three weeks!  

RLCC Short-Term Residency Wing

I plan to spend the next three weeks making new work.  Recent travels to the Far North have opened my eyes to a very different quality of light and color unique to the northern landscape.  My recent body of work, the Switchback series, stems from a previous residency at The Banff Centre.  The small, highly abstracted sculptural forms of the Switchback series, were inspired by the geologic and climatic phenomena unique to this location including the rock formations of the mountains as well as lakes and rivers, glaciers and ice fields, and coniferous forests that surround Banff.  New clay bodies, as well as a new palette, draw from the cool yet brilliant light and color unique to the north. 

view from the studio window

Rock Creek, which runs just behind the studio. 

Week 2

Woke up to a snowy Christmas!!!  Spent the day with my family then ventured out in the snow for an amazing pot luck dinner with all of the residents who are here at the Red House.  

Have been busy in the studio working on components to new sculptures and new cliff cups and mountain cups.  Below is a sneak peak of the work-in-progress.  

Week 3

The family has gone home and I am finishing up everything this week.  New Year's Day is snowy and quiet in the studio.  A herd of deer were moving through the woods behind the studio while I ate my lunch! 

Loading and unloading my final kilns.  I've ended up with over 20 sculptural cup forms and components for about 10-12 sculptures! Spent the last day packing seven boxes of work to ship home, whew!

Beautiful sky on my last day in Red Lodge!  Thank you to the amazing folks at Red Lodge Clay Center.  I am so grateful to have been able to spend time here and get to know everyone.  I can't wait to come back!!!