Winter at Millay Arts: An Artist’s Appreciation
“Never want to leave Steepletop. Perfect day.”
The American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote these words about her home in Austerlitz, NY in her diary on Saturday, May 7th, 1927.
I myself had the good fortune of spending time at Steepletop, or more accurately- Millay Arts, at the Steepletop property- a small unique residency program in Upstate New York which offers its creative spaces and solace and to artists and writers over the winter, on the off-season from the normal Spring-Fall sessions.
The cold crisp quiet afternoon walks on the dirt road, the long silent evenings spent working in the studio, and the bright clear mornings spent thinking about art over a small pot of Italian Roast coffee, are all vivid memories I carried back with me.
Sometimes it’s necessary to appreciate the quiet, so that you can hear your own thoughts, the things that occur to you when you allow for silence. To do so means to repudiate, somewhat, the trappings of our times- putting the devices and voices of the world that come through them incessantly, in another room. I did this not as a plan, but as a reaction, or response rather- to being in a world of quiet beauty. A world in which all that came through the internet was irrelevant for a time. To be in the world is to embrace it fully. There is no better thing than to spend some part of your time being in the world fully; to look, listen, and feel what it brings to you.
I loved working in the studio space. It had everything an artist needs- lots of space, some work tables, a few big chairs, and a sink with warm water for washing brushes. Oh- and radiant floors! If I ever build out a studio for myself, that’s a must. Those warm floors sure did keep the space warm and cozy (of course I was also wearing a lot of layers, too).
I was able to spend most all of of my of time painting and thinking about my work- surely an indulgence, yet I realize that I can carry that focus back to my city studio by conscientiously minimizing distractions and disturbances. Again, leaving some space for quiet in your life allows you to hear your own ideas and intuitions.
I was so honored to have the opportunity to work at Millay Art- so many thanks to them and I’m very happy that the place exists to offer a beautiful refuge to working artists- a legacy I’m sure Edna St. Vincent Millay would have been very proud of.
