Red Barn Residency
A two-week residency at the Red Barn Studio — a return to practice, rooted in place, and carried forward into the next chapter.
In 2012, I spent two weeks at the Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg, Kansas. The residency offered dedicated time to return to my practice within the realities of my life.
At the time, I was working full time. My wife, Trenda, was a full-time stay-at-home mom, and we already had three children. Time was limited, and creative work had to exist alongside responsibility. The Red Barn Residency wasn’t an escape — it was a way to re-enter my practice with intention and structure.
My focus was continuity rather than completion. I worked daily and began a series of twelve paintings over the two-week period, emphasizing rhythm and sustained attention over finished outcomes.
The Red Barn had been part of my artistic path long before 2012. I attended Bethany College in Lindsborg and grew up in nearby McPherson. As a student, I received Red Barn funding on multiple occasions, supporting travel to major exhibitions, including work by Richard Diebenkorn and Max Beckmann, and helping place exhibition catalogs into the Bethany College library.
Because of that history, the residency felt less like a departure and more like a return — to a place, a rhythm, and a community that shaped how I understand art as something lived and shared.
Shortly after the residency, I was accepted as a NOTO Core Artist. The work begun at Red Barn carried forward, deepening my commitment to place-based practice and community engagement.