Every morning when I was at Friday Harbor Labs last Fall, I would rise with the birds before sunrise and walk from my
Whiteley Center cottage through the chilly indigo dawn to turn on the fireplace in the
Macfarlane Art Studio, a remodeled former carriage house. While I waited for the studio to warm up I would have my tea and breakfast in the dining hall while studying a bit of anatomy for an hour or so, and chat with some friendly oceanography students. Returning to the studio, I would turn on an audiobook to keep me company while I sat under full-spectrum desk lighting and worked on the focus of my residency: drawings of cute sea otters and watercolors of kelp forest seascapes. After lunch I would return again to the studio until supper, doing much the same. In the evenings, at first I was returning to my cottage to work on finishing up a client’s commission, because paid work didn’t quite stop in time for my residency! But on most November evenings I was back in the studio until late, squeezing as much productivity as I could out of my time in that magical space. Even in inclement weather it was cozy and warm in the bright studio, with the sound of rain on the windows. When the sun came out I would throw open the studio's French doors to enjoy the breeze and watch the light dance on the water. In all weather the deer wandered past in search of the freshest shoots of grass; at night I was occasionally honored with a visit from a red fox. When I needed inspiration I did not need to look far to find it. I had told myself I would take weekends off and spend more time wandering the grounds, but honestly I just wanted to work. The environment at FHL was relaxing enough that I felt I was simultaneously on vacation and also able to work harder at my own personal artistic pursuits, and with more focus, than I had ever worked in my life.