Indigenous Artists and Artisans

A Sense of place

Maine is my chapel, my touchstone. Specifically, Phippsburg and Carrying Place Head, a small island in Casco Bay that my family has been lucky to own since the early 1900s. I refer to our ownership as stewardship; we care for the island with a priority on conservation and preservation.

John Marin painted here in 1914 when he first came to Maine, spending six weeks in a cabin on the southwest point of Carrying Place Head that summer and fall. I've always believed my interest in art stems from Marin's legacy, however brief, on Carrying Place Head. The island has informed my reverence and respect for other places like it, in Maine and elsewhere.

The other important place in my life is South Dakota. I lived there 14 years, and felt connected to the land in a spiritual way. I spent a lot of time in western South Dakota, in the Badlands and Black Hills. I appreciated the freedom of the West and the mystery, darkness and danger of the plains.