Deep breaths

It has been exactly two weeks since I arrived at the Rensing Center for a seven-week long residency. I came from Chicago, where I had been working around the clock to finish work from my last studio residency in preparation for a show, and then moving the entire contents of my apartment into a storage unit so that I can be a nomadic residency-hopper for the next several months. It was an incredibly frazzled and exhausting last few weeks in Chicago, and arriving in South Carolina with its wide open skies and vast expanses of green was truly a breath of fresh air, in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

At a lookout in Table Rock State Park, one of my first stops in the area.

Ellen made me feel immediately at home in the newly remodeled Rensing Center apartment and studio. I am thrilled with the work space, having not had a personal studio since last August, and never having had one with a view anywhere close to this! I love working at the huge table with the garage door wide open, listening to the birds and crickets. I was happy to be able to make some improvements to the space as part of my work exchange, doing some house painting and creating a new countertop for the kitchen. I also became fast friends with Bob the cat, who spends most of his time napping on my bed.

The exquisite view from my studio.

The last couple of weeks have offered an array of experiences different to my usual city life. Watching oats being milled, moonshine being distilled and blacksmiths at work at the historic Hagood Mill, all to the soundtrack of bluegrass music, was both sweetly charming and strangely surreal in its closeness to stereotypes of the South that I had always thought must surely be exaggerated. Getting dirty in the Rensing garden, squashing bugs that were attacking the vegetables, and pulling out a row of garlic at Dick Baird's farm down the road in exchange for a huge haul of organic veggies and greens, have been welcome first-time experiences for this city-girl.

Bluegrass musicians at the Hagood Mill

My creative process has been different here too. I'm currently working on finishing a stop-motion animation made from relief and silkscreen prints created at my last residency, but my mind is also full of ideas for the next project I will be working on here, inspired specifically by the surrounding landscape, and the tradition of Appalachian murder ballads. The waterfall is my favorite place to contemplate, although at times I feel my mind goes into overdrive and I need to retreat back the the studio to process the swirl of thoughts. On my first day, Ellen spoke to me about "breathing in and breathing out", that as artists we tend to do a hell of a lot of breathing out but sometimes forget to breathe in. This has really resonated with me, and I've been consciously trying to absorb as much of the environment as possible, whether that be through visits to the Pickens flea market, discussions with other residents and Rensing family at the Sunday night dinners at Ellen's house, or simply savoring the taste of a blackberry plucked from the bush right outside my door. I've yet to fully figure out how these experiences will filter down into my work, or 'be exhaled' so to speak, but I can certainly say that my lungs are full!

Stimulating conversation and delicious dinner with the whole Rensing crew, in Ellen's wonderful home.

The waterfall

- Ali Aschman

www.aliaschman.com                                                                                           

Whether you're an artist, a carpenter, teacher or a farmer, the following applies

An art residency can be many things, but for me the most important part is the conversations had with like minded individuals landed together into a small community for a given time. Now that I'm home and had a few weeks to acclimate back into the daily grind, I wanted to share a few nuggets from those conversations that still ring in my ears.

Whether you're an artist, a carpenter, teacher or a farmer, the following applies:

• If your passion or dream is not your priority, its a hobby. If that is all you need, fine, but if not then show up and do the hard work. 
• You must stretch outside your comfort zone and flourish through the boundaries of your imagination while being present and accountable. Accept and work through all feelings associated with that growth; the good, the bad and the ugly. 
• There is plenty of "good enough" in this world. You are better than that. If you make or do something that isn't quite right, accept that you must erase it and start over. Never settle. 
• You must believe in your work. The rest of us can see the difference. 
• When you believe in your work people will want to see you succeed. Accept that there aren't enough hours in the day to learn and complete everything associated with building your business, ask for help in appropriate measures. We all enjoy contributing our talents to build something great. 
• Know what you are worth and balance that worth with reality. You are not a sell out just because you have to pay bills now. Death and taxes are imminent. Do what you need to do quickly and then get back to realizing your dream. 

Two artworks of Caesar's Head Park, SC; back on the studio wall in Kansas City

Thank you Rensing Center family and fellow residents, Jude and Ryan, for allowing me the time and resources to recenter myself artistically.

Onward to more adventures,
Michele Fritz
www.michelefritz.com

To the Waterfall

I took the trail to the waterfall today in the early morning to avoid the heat. The wooden archway that marked the trail-head hid mysteriously in the dense forest. As I crept along deeper into the dark opening of overhanging limbs, breaking intricate cobwebs in my path, I felt like I was in a fairy tale – Gretel, Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood. A crow squawked up above. My feet sunk softly into the mud. I soon heard the sound of the creek running beside me. Small white markers named the plants – witch hazel, sassafras, winter-berry - a feast for a witch’s brew. Before long, I reached the falls rushing down boulders, a small roar, the scent of moss and wet soil. Just beyond, a sweet little deck invited me to sit for a spell. Perhaps there was a fairy tale in this after all. I pulled out my notebook and began to write: Once upon a time…

-Johanna DeBiase

www.johannadebiase.com

Art, Food, Friends & Farming

My husband, Rich, and I came to Rensing Center to reflect on our studio work and make new connections with other artists.  What we received was this and so much more. We thought 15 days should be long enough for residency, but now, we both wish we had 3 months.  I was thrilled to find out that we were living/working in the Rensing Center building.  There are more private live/work spaces on the grounds but this building is the central hub and a perfect meeting place for all residents and extended crew of the organization.  I love hanging out in the Library with the double side doors open, Bob the cat snoozing on top of his chair, a comfortable flow of visitors getting a guided tour by Ellen and resident artist, Jude, stopping in to do laundry or check emails.  The Library hosts the perfect opportunity for impromptu conversations about the business of art, our individual goals and aspirations or just random thoughts on life.

Jude in studio with some new
works in progress

The work exchange at Rensing is a vital part of the program.  Certainly, it serves to develop the Center but it gives the residents opportunity to interact and bond.  The work is varied and Ellen focuses on finding jobs that utilize the skill sets of the residents.   I often get bored in my day job doing repetitive graphic design work so it was refreshing to be able to help the Rensing Center thrive in the future by applying my skills today to create new fundraising materials. 

Each day at the Center offers enriching experiences and unexpected happenings.  A few days ago, I was fortunate to have a great conversation on Evelyn’s porch while enjoying a glass of wine with her, Ellen and Jude.  Then, Chad and Jon brought by 4 chickens to add to the livestock on the Rensing Center grounds.  We had great fun watching the chickens get introduced to their new surroundings while the goats munched on lunch.  We have gone on several tours of local organic farms, shared many   pot luck dinners with new friends,  and tomorrow I look forward to attending a gallery opening at nearby Ashville.  

Dick gives us a tour of his organic farm.

Chad the animal whisperer

Ellen preparing another gourmet meal
for us in her kitchen

Overlook from Caesar's Head

After I finish this blog post, I will go to work on 3 new artworks in the studio and with the garage door wide open, I look forward to the next visitors that will likely stop by to donate items or engage in good conversation.

- Michele Fritz, www.artbytheyard.us

Art and Ecology: Understory

Two of the Rensing Center’s missions are Ecology and Creativity. In my residency this May, I pursued a project at an intersection of these two issues.

Ryan Finnerty, Blackjack Oak with Climbing Hydrangea, 12"x8", oil on paper

I began making small paintings of trees at the Rensing Center. Initially, my concerns were aesthetic: Explorations of green, a color I rarely work with. I was attracted by the variety that occurred as light interacted with the translucent leaves, creating dozens of blues, greens, yellows, and violets. I wanted to track the shifts in color across the structure of the trees, abstracted against an empty background. I was excited by the complex light environment created by the architecture of the different trees, and how that architecture defined patterns of color. I focused on small, understory trees which allowed me to comprehend the entire tree in a single image.

Ryan Finnerty, Hickory (leaning), 12"x8", oil on paper

As the paintings progressed, the trees required more intimacy and understanding. They were shaped by their species and by their context. Some understory trees may live only a few years in the herbal layer, and languish on the dim forest floor. Larger trees either occupy the understory permanently- living in the half-light, or as adolescents reaching for light on their way to the canopy. The trees record reaching up, reaching over, reaching down, for patches of sunlight. Some lean hard or change direction as the canopy changes.

While the genetics of each tree species determine its form and patterns of growth, many trees in the understory bear the patterns of damage and recovery. As the canopy changes and neighboring trees fall, many of the understory trees are limbed, bowed, and split by the falling timber- recovering into strange forms.

Ryan Finnerty, White Oak, 12"x8", oil on paper

While these paintings are far from scientific, they are based in a process that underpins both art and science: direct observation of nature. Careful, focused observation is a primary principle of art and of ecology. After a few hours of earnest attention, patterns reveal themselves, new information surfaces, questions arise. These paintings are a documentation of those hours, and several weeks earnestly listening to the understory.

Ryan Finnerty, Re-Maple, 12"x8", oil on paper

-Ryan Finnerty

Show and Tell: Create What You Care About

When I decided to take a leave of absence from my teaching position to attend two separate artist residencies, I was met with confusion by many who had never heard of such a thing, associating "residencies" with the medical profession , some mandated professional development or a grown up "art camp" of sorts. Thousands of these programs exist throughout the world offering artists from every discipline, including writers, performers, painters, sculptors and so forth, dedicated space, time and solace to focus on their own work, develop new skills or simply retreat and reflect from the familiar. The reasons for attending residential programs, which range from a single weekend to an entire year, are as varied as the artists themselves. The residency programs are extremely diverse as well, having their own missions and expectations for the artists. Some are simply to offer them respite to work and think without distraction.

I am currently 2 weeks shy of completing my residency at the Rensing Center. The spacious studios, private living arrangements and breathtaking landscape are features that make this program an obvious draw. Above all else, it is the quality of the artistic community and the generosity and accessibility of the director, Ellen Kochansky, that make the Rensing Center exceptional. Ellen is a renowned textile artist, educator, art advocate and workshop facilitator offering more than 30 years of professional expertise to her residents to whom she has literally welcomes into her home. She resides on the property and one quickly becomes aware of the deep seated connection and regard that she has for the environment and community, including and beyond the center itself. It is not unusual to be invited to Ellen's private residence for an impromptu dinner and conversation. This is truly a family affair and residents are quickly embraced as extended members.

The Rensing Center most recently welcomed artist couple, Michelle and Richard Fritz of Kansas City, MO . I think the opportunity  to connect with creative individuals, like minded in their devotion to their craft, is perhaps one of the most enriching aspects of the residential experience. Working in isolation is natural and important to every artist but connection and collaboration with other creatives from diverse geographic and cultural backgrounds is an invaluable learning opportunity. On Tuesday evening, prior to the departure of resident painter, Ryan Finnerty of Seattle, WA, Michelle and Richard hosted a gathering complete with pot luck dinner and a visual show and tell by all of the artists. This dynamic duo , in addition to their artistic accomplishments, brought to the center their evident flair for inviting connection and throwing a bash combining work and play.

This collaborative effort was an opportunity to relax, celebrate and share ideas. Ellen Kochansky wowed us with a succinct 7 image slide show that packed a punch aesthetically, conceptually and "spiritually," demonstrating 30 years of professional and personal evolution. Her concluding message invokes every artist to seriously consider what she herself contemplates in her work and life, "What do you most care about?" That is what will inevitably direct your work and life decisions. With other valued guests from the community and the exquisite Ms. Evelyn, artist and mother to Ellen, in attendance, we shared our work and personal stories. Thanks to all for a memorable gathering and to the Fritz's for organizing the event which is certain to become a Rensing ritual.

Hostess for the evening/resident artist Michelle Fritz preparing dinner.

The elegant and eloquent Ms. Evelyn, Pratt Graduate, NYC, mother of director Ellen Kochansky.
She is sharp and lovely at a youthful 94 years of age!

Resident artist and friends....dinner and show and tell.

Shared studio of Michelle and Richard Fritz! They transformed this into
an incredible working space.

The beautiful works of Michelle Fritz!

Richard Fritz , artist, builder, innovator extraordinaire in his reorganized studio space.

Jude Harzer~ resident artist