Brown Pink: Creating Your Own Artist Residency
A residency offers artists at all stages of their development the space to focus exclusively on producing work. It can be a powerful experience to carve time away from one’s life and dedicate it to making. Emerging and mid career artists are often the ones who could benefit from this type of experience the most, but competition for existing residencies can be tough. At Brown Pink, artists can design their own residency taking advantage of the fully stocked studio; curated art collection; and spacious, thoughtfully arranged living quarters to book a week-long stay.
Last year artist Lynne Miller created her own residency at R&F’s Brown Pink Studio. We reached out to Lynne to learn about her experience and find out if she’d recommend it to others.
What prompted you to create your own artist residency?
I created my own residency at R&F in November of 2022. I was feeling the weight of sheltered galleries/venues, children doing school from home, fear, and the rest of the challenges our world was facing. I could feel it impacting my work. I paint pretty much every day in my home studio and sell my work in galleries. I knew I wanted to create an artist residency for myself to keep my momentum going forward and bring a spark back into my paintings.
I applied for a creative renewal grant from my local Arts and Science Council to further explore the art of encaustic painting. I planned to surround myself with the trees, mountains, and flora that influence my work. I wanted to learn and push my artwork to the next level; to take a class, to sequester, and to throw myself into my work without the necessary distractions that life requires.
Once I received my grant, I began looking for the perfect place to do my residency. I wasn’t sure where I would go. When I saw that Brown Pink offered a beautifully stocked encaustic studio walking distance to R&F, I could not wait to sign up for a stay. It was the perfect space for what I hoped to accomplish.
How long did you stay at Brown Pink?
I stayed for two full weeks. I rented Brown Pink from November 8th - November 21st and signed up for Kate Collyer’s Malleable Encaustic Printing class for two days during my stay.
While I was there, I poured myself into my practice. I got up early, sketched, hiked, and painted until late in the evening. I tried to spend a minimum of twelve hours a day on my work. I wanted to make the very most of this gift of time. I was taking a break from a lot of family responsibilities, so it was important to me that it be productive. I am fortunate I have a husband who is incredibly supportive, so I was able to leave him, as well as our children and our dogs, behind in North Carolina for a few weeks to focus on myself.
Did you go with a specific project in mind? If so, did that project or goal shift during your time there?
I did not have a specific project, but rather a personal goal. I wanted to create a new body of work; to find inspiration and to return home with a renewed sense of excitement. I wanted to push myself and not gravitate to the same colors that I regularly use. I planned to draw inspiration from my hikes and the books I was reading at the time and start with a blank slate.
I arrived with a car full of panels and twenty lbs of my own R&F encaustic medium. The nice thing about Brown Pink is that you don’t need to bring much. The studio is fully stocked. While I was there, I fell in love with Blue Ochre, Stil de Grain, Brown Pink, Manganese Violet, Cerulean Grey, Turkey Umber Green, and Malachite. None of these were carried at my local art supply back home.
I pulled inspiration from birch bark, images I had gathered on my hikes, and the quiet around me. I played with the oil sticks, but those would require another stay. I did not want to give up time working with encaustic on that visit.
At the end of my stay, I left with a car full of new paintings and a sense of the work I wanted to create. (And a bunch of new colors I couldn’t leave without buying.)
What was different about working at Brown Pink than being in your own studio at home?
I think the difference is the deep dive without distractions. I am fortunate to have my own studio, but it was stimulating to be in a new city, in a new studio space, with new colors, and meeting new people. It puts you in the mindset of exploration.
When I look back at my work before my time at R&F and after, there is a shift. It may not be noticeable to others, but it is to me.
What stands out to you the most about your time at Brown Pink?
My first day in Kingston, while I was waiting to check in, I drove up to North South Lake. I wanted to get out in nature and start my stay off right.
It was so quiet. We were just coming out of a year when everything was about togetherness because everything else was closed. I realized how much I needed that time. I had gotten so used to the rush of life that being alone had become foreign without me even realizing it. That was the perfect moment of reflection I needed to begin my two-week hiatus with.
Did you take advantage of the larger arts community in the Hudson River Valley?
Not as much as I could have or would do on a return trip. I visited a few galleries and used bookstores. I enjoyed a bit of time exploring Kingston; the Dutch Church; North South Lake; Poets’ Walk; Woodstock; Opa for some avgolemono (a Greek lemon chicken soup) on one snowy day. I did a quick browse of Zaborski Emporium to see Stan the Junkman’s collections (that is something to see if you haven’t been), but mostly I wanted to take advantage of every available moment in the studio.
I am glad I took a class with Kate Collyer. It offered a little break from the solitude. She is an incredible teacher and it was nice to be around other artists. Her class opened my eyes to the many uses of encaustic and oil sticks. I haven’t bought a toner copier yet… but it is on my list of must haves. Kate joined me on a hike at Elenore Roosevelt National Park on my last day in Kingston. It was the perfect way to cap off my time at Brown Pink.
What was important to you about the solitude you experienced at Brown Pink?
Life is busy. Work is busy. We all experience that. I love my family and busy life, but it is hard to drop that at the studio door sometimes. It was so nice to push past the rush and just create in quiet for a few days. To walk into a wonderland of color, steps away without the restraint of purchasing each cake of paint to play with was so freeing. There was no need to go anywhere if you didn’t want to.
Is this an experience you'd recommend to others? Do it again?
In a heartbeat. I think the gift of time is the most important thing anyone can give themselves or to others. It restores you. It reminds you to breathe and create from a different place. Brown Pink is the perfect place to do that. I accomplished months worth of paintings in two weeks and returned home full of inspiration.
My little home away from home at Brown Pink was just what I needed. It was the best gift I could have given myself. I was able to return to Kingston again this winter to take the Advanced Teacher Training course and I look forward to my next visit.