Time and place. I think about their powerful voices stirring deep within me. As I continue to play with vintage materials in my artwork, I find myself continually reflecting on the where and when of an artifact.
What I now wonder, though, is maybe I long for a deeper conversation.
As an artist, I mostly work alone. Sure, there is community and camaraderie to be found - working side by side at various markets, coordinating community events, attending and speaking at guild meetings, and offering and taking classes. The serious art-making - that magical void I inhabit while swirled in thought with a paintbrush in hand or while sewing papers together or carefully manipulating fiber and plater and various other materials - for me, this is a solitary space. It's a whole other world I step into as I leave behind everything else around me. And it is a world that has been swallowing me up and keeping me from seeing the bigger picture.
There are places forever burnished in my heart that are reserved for my most profound solace and joy. While these are physical spaces, they are also magical - imbued with nostalgia and providing a simple yet elemental synergy with the universe.
I often share stories of Fragaria, where I have many happy memories of my grandparents’ tiny beach cabin over a remote Puget Sound inlet, and the Oregon Coast, where my parents took us kids camping every summer, and I happily continue to visit regularly. There are others, too: Heidelberg, where I stood when I was 20 beside a river at sunrise, quietly singing folk songs when I was lonely for home; floating in the clear aqua waters of the Bahamas, letting the sky melt my worries away; writing out my sorrow in the Olympic National Forest on the shores of Lake Quinault after the passing of my father; standing on an unremarkable bike path in Corvallis with family, friends, and neighbors as we watched the sky go dark during a total eclipse.
Each place at a particular moment in time has wrapped itself around the core of who I am - then, now, and into the future. They also bring me closer to a deeper time - one connected to a planet and universe that was here long before me. Whether it’s feeling the beat of water lapping on a shore, hearing leaves rustle in the memory of trees above, or watching the stars glimmer in a clear night sky - I feel connected to something larger than myself.
And so, after experiencing a residency workshop at Playa Summer Lake (Pigment + Place: Deep Time and Place taught by artist, poet, and pigment maker Daniela Naomi Molnar), I found myself forever changed in ways I never anticipated - and with a new place and time imbued into my heart’s memory.
I entered this short 10-day span of time full of misconceptions and a sprinkling of fears reserved for the unknown. Would I feel out of place? Out of my league? Uncomfortable amidst a group of strangers for such a long time? I expected to be there to learn some skills and new processes, with the bonus of bird watching on the side. I assured myself I would survive the insecurities I felt.
What I discovered instead was a hunger for more - more time, more interactions, more dedicated readings, explorations, history, and so much more of the quiet focus that this stunningly beautiful space provided in a landscape that could change its color and mood every hour.
During my stay, I was fortunate to be with people who were equally enamored (and two who eloquently shared their experiences thusly).
Regardless of the background and experiences each of us brought to this place, our instructor (Molnar) found a way to highlight the best of each of us - helping us find relationships between our individual work and the expansiveness of the space in which we connected. While she had a wealth of knowledge to share about pigment making, she also presented a remarkable array of related material and encouraged discussions about a range of concepts, such as reciprocal foraging, chromophobia, and deep time. She also offered thoughtful prompts while guiding us to create through experimentation and curiosity as we worked.
The days at Playa could be spent walking the shore listening to the Avocet’s call, watching the Orioles feed their babies in the Locust trees, collecting material hiking trails nearby, jumping into the local swimming hole, or watching the clouds drift across the landscape. However, much of our chosen time was spent in a shared studio, where we ground stone, mulled pigment, extracted dyes and inks, and refined our budding skills. In the evenings, we would often discuss the readings Molnar provided, eventually falling easily into conversation touching on all our lives.
We also had the opportunity for one-on-one sessions with Molnar, during which we could discuss any topic. When it came time for my “studio” visit (a.k.a. the kitchen table of my cabin), I knew what I wanted to discuss - how to bring focus to my overall body of work and whether pursuing an MFA would be the right path forward for me. As for my work, she helped me see the themes that wrap around my art practice, regardless of media. I was finally able to step back and look at the larger view. I also realized that the curiosity I feel for learning different methods of making art coexists with a desire to understand my motivations. I’ve been craving the philosophy, history, and knowledge that underpins my chosen subject matter and materials. Seeing this new vantage point has unburdened me from a prescriptive way of making and provided fuel for my fire.
A fire that’s hot enough to even make bone black pigment!
Yes, we did that.
As for exploring an MFA, I’m taking some time to consider my options. I have thought about it off and on since receiving my BFA over 30 years ago, but certainly not lately. Something about the intensity of the experience at Playa, however, is making me consider this long-lost goal once again. I’ll keep you posted.
In the meantime, here is some of the art this magical place inspired me to create during my short 10 days there, as I learned to use the medium I had avoided all these years - watercolor!
These pieces use a combination of watercolor and ink (some natural, some not) as well as artist crayons and other materials.
The first image shows my experimentation with materials; the second is a continuation of my 100 days of botanical drawing series; a short-eared owl spotted on a hike inspires the third image; and the final image is a collage paying tribute to what I have chosen to accept as ghostly footprints found in my living space during my stay. Did I catch the original cabin owner wandering through her domain? Did I weirdly wipe down the counter in some footprint-like way? I may never know.
Overall, the experience of making art in community with other artists at Playa was far more than I could have ever expected. I am deeply grateful to have had the means and opportunity to participate, and I hope to pursue more such experiences in the future.
While I am still finding my way back into a comparatively noisy life, I contemplate where I am and what the future may hold. I think about time and place, the preciousness of each moment, the gifts I have been given, and the conversations yet to be had.
I think about the small white rock I found on the first day at Playa and the provided conversation prompt (i.e., “Pigment Interview”) I followed to open myself to a new perspective and the life forces all around me. When he, my rock, asked, “What do you think about art making?”
I responded with the unexpected truth made possible by this curious moment, “It is the purest form of communication I know.”
Creatively yours,
Jennifer
About Playa at Summer Lake, Oregon
(From their website)
PLAYA, A Center for the Intersection of Art and Science
For 14 years, PLAYA has supported new works and collaborative efforts in the arts and sciences. PLAYA’s programs promote innovation and creative solutions through a spectrum of interactions between the arts and sciences.
MISSION
PLAYA nurtures innovative thinking in the arts and sciences through its residency and workshop programs on the edge of the Great Basin, to promote dialogue and positive change in the environment and the world.
VISION
We will transform the world through creative inquiry by providing programming that encourages investigation, immersion, and exploration in the arts and sciences.
Want to keep special places like Playa alive and financially sound? Please consider donating to their 2025 Resililency Donor Drive.
(From their website)
Help Raise $48,000 by June 30 – and Secure PLAYA’s Future!
Your crucial gift today powers PLAYA’s operations and programming through 2025.
Whether you are a past resident, a Workshop participant, a scientist conducting research, or one of our many valued community members and partners, you know first-hand the magic and impact of PLAYA. Since 2011, over 800 awarded residents have come to PLAYA’s unique landscape for creative inquiry, solitude, dialogue and community, and hundreds more have participated in events, Workshops, community meetings and Self-Directed Residencies.
This is a pivotal moment for PLAYA. We rely on individual donations, grants and foundation support — and like all non-profits, PLAYA is experiencing restrictions and scarcity of resources at the federal, state and local levels. These challenging times are powerful opportunities to deepen our connection with PLAYA’s community — and that starts with You.
Your donation right now is vital. By giving today, you help support PLAYA’s resiliency through 2025 and ensure its programs, residencies, and impact continue to grow. Your gift will directly protect and sustain:
Fully awarded residencies for 77 artists and scientists in 2025
Themed Residencies, such as, 2025-26 Wildfire + Water: Artists and Scientists Adapting to Change Program
BIPOC Residency cohorts and stipends
Free arts, science & cultural events for Lake County schools and the broader community
Dark Sky Sanctuary and MOTUS bird monitoring systems
Community partner convenings
Essential operations, including residency meals, housekeeping, and site stewardship
PLAYA needs you now more than ever. Giving is easy!
Make a one-time or recurring gift. Every dollar matters. Every donor counts.
PLAYA’s community must come together to protect this special place where creativity meets nature, where solitude fosters breakthroughs, and where community grows, and lives are changed. Stand with us. Invest in inspiration, discovery, and resilience — for today and for the future.
We are all in this together, under a wide, high desert, dark sky.
Thank you!
This is so beautifully written and such a perfect reflection of our time there. Thank you for sharing this!
So glad you got to experience Playa at what seems to be a fertile time for you.
Look forward to what comes next.