My Studio
My family has a ranch near Glen Rose. For two decades I have dreamed of having a studio there – up on the far hill, behind the woods, in a meadow which only the deer know of. Years ago I would take an old pick up and sit under the sky and imagine of a place where I could paint - a place full of light and energy. About four years ago, I girded my loins and jumped into the process of designing and building that longed for place.
From the beginning, I referred to it as the Sanctuary. That name has stuck and it truly has become my place of refuge. Architect Josh Nimmo walked the craggy, overgrown meadow with me back then and, inspired by the local rock, the expansive sky and a found object (a bleached bovine backbone), he worked with me to interpret what became a compound of my living quarters, large center studio, and guest casita. Built from local rock and based on farm and ranch style buildings – pitch-roofed barns with corrugated tin sheathing – the buildings entice a blend of indoor/outdoor living. A breezeway with large steel doors open onto the meadow. Cedar coyote fencing enclose the bedroom garden and outdoor shower. A large rock fire pit rests between the studio and casita.
Of course the studio is where I spend most of my time working on large canvases. I take my inspiration from the earth, the sky, and the animals who come to water at my pond. When I pull through the gate I drop all the troubles of the world and enter my creative epicenter. It truly is my Sanctuary.