the sharpe foundation

2013-2014

I was awarded a one-year fellowship at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation that provided me with a studio in Brooklyn from September 2013 to September 2014. The first boost to my work came simply with the recognition (the invitation). Arriving in NYC for a year with a firm and respected place to work from was also very helpful. Rather than coming into the city as a wannabe I came with a respected place to stand. This allowed me to jump into the art conversation quite freely and fearlessly, and, as a result I had a wide variety of visits with artists and have participated in public questioning of artists and panelists at a number of events. I was also, early on, given the chance to do some writing for the Brooklyn Rail, due to the presence of a Rail editor in our group. The group conversation was sustaining and I loved having an open door with random stop-ins during the day. My work, itself, was abundant and experimental, I was playing with a wide range of painting ideas. I was in the studio seven days a week. And I was in NYC for the year with no other of the usual duties of life (teaching, family, home, etc). I was unusually immersed.