As you may or may not know, I participated in the Openings Art Residency in Lake George back in 2017 (see my previous blog post here).
I was lucky enough to be accepted into the residency for a second time this summer. It was great to return to the gorgeous grounds of St. Mary's on the Lake - to the cool mountain air and sweet waters of the massive lake. The central purpose of participating was for us to be able to contemplate, discuss and create art. There were double the amount of artists participating in the residency (18 total) since my last time, which made for really inspiring discussions and a few artistic collaborations, too.
Most of us fell into a similar routine: eat three (hearty!) meals together, work on our art, take a dip in the lake and/or walk in the woods; often ending the day around a bonfire. Sounds idyllic? It was! I felt very fortunate. Just like the first time, most days I was inspired to go into the woods and paint the nature before me in plein-air. I also once again contemplated the eternal spirits and how their presence manifest in nature and our daily lives.
In the end, all of us did a Show & Tell presentation of the art we worked on during the residency (no pressure!). Some people had continued working with familiar styles/mediums and others experimented with totally new ones. I was really impressed with the array of work created by my fellow artists. (See a small sampling of pics below.)
Big thanks to Father Frank Sabatte, the Openings Collective and all of the artists in my cohort: Michael Berube London, Anthony Santella, Oksana Propenko, Eric Jiaju Lee, Brittany Maldonado, Suzanne Stroebe, Mary Younkin, Danielle Goldsmith, Amy Hill, Stephanie Quispilaya, Debra Jenks, Maia Nero, Leah Huang, Maria Negulescu, Elim Mak, Loretta Lomanto, Norma Markley and Laura Fayer.
For over 12 years, Openings has consistently created opportunities to build community among artists and establish creative dialogue through our meet-up events and exhibitions that are inclusive to artists of all backgrounds (International artists, artists of various religions, artists of color, LGBTQ). Our exhibitions also promote artists who, although are not well known in NYC, create compelling bodies of work that deserve recognition. In addition, we organize an annual artist residency at Lake George, NY, that continues to grow in participation by artists from all over who are seeking community.
Morning on the lake.
The residences.
My room.
Oksana spotting me...
Me spotting Oksana.
Nighttime bonfire.
The boathouse.
Eric and Elim on the porch/studio.
Michael and Leah working on the porch/studio.
Michael's amazing Adam & Steve dyptich (WIP)
On the lawn.
A drawing/study I made about the Egyptian goddess Nut (sky) and Gen (earth).
My little spot in the woods.
My painting of the lake.
A blurry swimming pic, with noodles.
A hazy day.
The lake and greenery.
Path down to the lake.
Looking out from the doc.
Show & Tell
Show & Tell
Show & Tell
Show & Tell
Show & Tell
Show & Tell
Fireworks over Lake George
One of the many meals we shared together (photo by Laura).
