Rainbarrow Studio 20th Anniversary Open House

Celebrating 20 Years of Rainbarrow Studio When we bought our old farmhouse and moved to Aroostook County in January 2006, I had a dream: to renovate the potato barn on our property and turn it into a working art studio and gallery, allowing me to focus my attention on developing my craft and working as a full-time artist and art instructor. At the time, the barn was a ghost of its former self. It had an barely functional overhead door in front, no heat or electricity, windows in the back that didn't open, and an interior consisting of little more than exposed rafters. There were no interior walls, ceiling, or insulation. During those first cold months in northern Maine, I went outside to draw during the day whenever I could and painted at night in the upstairs back bedroom. In May, I began renovating the barn. With the exception of the electrical work and installation of a propane heater, I did everything myself, learning as I went. I removed the overhead door and built a new front wall with a regular door, replaced the back windows, insulated the building, constructed interior walls, a ceiling, and built-in shelving for art supplies, books and paper, and I installed track lighting in what would become the gallery. Working mostly at night, accompanied by a few spiders and the sounds of Tool's "10,000 Days" CD blasting from the boombox, I finished the renovations by the end of the summer and was finally able to move my art materials out of the house. The studio soon became more than a place for me to learn and to make art. It became an art school and meeting place, where I offered classes, workshops, and private lessons in drawing and painting, and hosted many long, spirited conversations about art and life with students, fellow artists and friends. Over the next twenty years, I was fortunate to have many wonderful, committed, and talented students, many of whom became dear friends and who continue to make art today. I have spent countless hours in that studio over the past 20 years. I have produced several hundred paintings and thousands of drawings there. Although I have also spent a great deal of time drawing and painting outdoors in the fields and woods surrounding my home, Rainbarrow Studio has been the center of my artistic life. It has been home to some of my greatest artistic triumphs, as well as some abysmal failures that nearly forced me to give up painting. When I opened the studio in October 2006, I held an open house and invited the community to come see my work (what little there was at the time!) and talk about art. Twenty years later, I would like to do it again. Please join me on Saturday, October 24, from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. for a 20th Anniversary Open House at Rainbarrow Studio. Stop by, say hello, see some artwork, take a look around the studio, share a memory, or simply talk about art. Refreshments will be served. I hope you'll join me in celebrating 20 years of making art in Aroostook County!