I just wanted to get some of the latest pictures up on the blog as I have been promising for some time and have been unable to get time to sort and file. Well now I have and here they are . Just a brief re-cap . I was recently in the City (NYC) and the artist, Todd Betterly has started there at the Solar 1 Habitat studio at E 23rd St and East River. We , Todd S and I were in Philly at the studio at SCEE this past Wednesday and I was in New Paltz to meet with a new resident artist
Chris Brandon , a writer , who will be starting at HHS , August 30th , this past Tuesday . Ustya is going to be extending her time at the invitation of the folks at HHS (Huguenot Historical Street). I hear that Patti Nelson has found her "pipe" and has been reconstructing the habitat studio on campus. Ayesha is back on Main and painting up a storm , she also has HFA T-shirts !! (nudge !).
A MIX OF PIX .......... above is Molly Rausch at her Lost and Found Booth on Main St New Paltz
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Time in the Writing Shed
My initial vision for the “Writing Shed” as a peaceful place to write was quickly given a corrective lens. The experience turned out to be a blend of exposure and privacy, interaction and solitary response. The shed awarded to me stood on the property of Historic Huguenot Street and, although situated under an idyllic stand of pines, was in the midst a tourist attraction. Throughout the residency, I divided my time between writing and responding to visitors’ inquiries.
The outcome surprised me. The alchemy between the subject matter of my story and the interactions with visitors produced ideas right away. To further this confluence, I set up an installation to encourage people to jot down ideas for stories that they had always meant to write some day. For an example, I posted a short short story I’d written about a character who did an exposé on his own life. This and a quote by a fictional French philosopher, Alexis Fourier, (“The tales we haven’t told are the ones that haunt our dreams.”) confused some visitors, but inspired others to contribute ideas.
The public’s random contributions resulted in eerily perfect details for the development of the story. I was able to blend many of them into a tale about a fictional character who wanted to have his story told by a local writer. The result was “A Golden Opportunity.” I hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I did writing it.
I’d like to thank Simon Draper of Habitat for Artists, Shari Osborn of Historic Huguenot Street, and the New Paltz community for their support and inspiration.
Chris Brandon Whitaker
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