We had been zoom calling every week for two and a half years. It started during COVID. Artist friend Rachael VanDyke reached out from her new tiny house community in Boone, North Carolina to invite me to join her along with a third artist, Jodi Ferrier in Washington DC. Rachael wanted to break out of isolation and share our journeys as artists via zoom. Our first discussions centered around a Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel which chronicled the lives of five important women artists who dared to enter the male-dominated world of the 20th century abstract art movement. It was relatable and inspiring— fuling enough momentum in our weekly meetings to create a habit that we carry out to this day, now almost three years. It was only natural that Rachael who has now participated in over 10 artist residencies around the world suggested that we apply to an artist residency together. We chose Fundación Valparaiso in Mojacar (Almeria), Spain for a 2-week residency this past April. We chose to travel for a week ahead of time through Madrid, Grandada, and Toledo prior to the residency adding even more visual and sensory input for our work. In short, we were super productive, professional, dedicated artists throughout this trip who created a massive amount of work, interspersed with bouts of silly fun, peaceful contemplation and shared international exchanges with artists from Finland and the Ukraine. And, we couldn’t have asked for a better host than Marie Laure Gonzalez and Fundacion Valparaiso co-founder Beatrice Beckette.

MADRID, TOLEDO, GRANADA

FUNDACION VALPARAISO, MOJACAR, ALMERIA