Local folks ask me if I live here year ‘round.’ Yes, I answer, why not? People from away ask the same question with a twist. Isn’t it too cold, too much snow, they ask?
In winter one retreats. Retreat: “an act of moving back or withdrawing.” (Oxford) Perfect.
I’ve thought about this a lot. I’m very lucky. I don’t need to get to a daily job anymore, and I no longer have young children to care for. My ability to retreat in the winter might not be quite the same as yours, or the artists who take up residency here, but it holds the same promise. I stay here in winter to find some solitary time and space to work, but also because the winter beauty is exquisite – bare and vast.
I retreat into my house and studio, light a fire, and go into the studio, or to my writing desk, or my piano. Nothing else to distract me from what I love best. I love a good retreat! Don’t you?
Resident artists who have been here in winter months feel the same – those who take photographs while hiking in the fall, continue in snow doing more of the same. For them weather is just another opportunity. Others paint up a storm (pun intended), relieved to be away from chores back home, and ready to explore a new direction. Others tackle a looming deadline for their writing; or finish editing a new manuscript. This is place where there are few rules, deep quiet, and a comfortable, warm studio and bed, a kitchen table and a plowed driveway.
26 Split Rock Cove in winter is a place of solemn beauty. Sea smoke blooms over the coast, a phenomenon I’d never seen before moving here. Storms can come in over the water with a fury and white out the buildings. But at night in clear, cold air you can go outside and see Orion, the planets Venus and Jupiter, and break your heart over the millions of stars in the Milky Way.
Winter is magical. As a friend of mine says, There is no bad weather, only bad preparation. So I encourage anyone to come to Maine, to 26 Split Rock Cove, to write or make art, and with a spirit of winter creativity among a group of people who know how to make winter glow. Maybe you could go have a drink at the local ice bar!!!http://www.samosetresort.com I’m serious.
