Visiting the Artist Studio of Dorothy Fagan

"Talking about  journaling" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Last Saturday, members of the Chesapeake Bay Branch, National League of American Pen Women had the opportunity to visit the studio of artist Dorothy Fagan. What a special treat that was, not only for artists in the group but for the writers as well.

Over the years I have found that people who paint often also write, and Dorothy did not disappoint me. She talked about journaling as well as painting. She told about keeping a journal since the mid-1990s. To me, the journal is like my "gathering books" that I have all over our house, so I was especially delighted to hear about her experiences. Dorothy has "lucid dreams" and chronicles them in her journal.

Sitting in her studio, hidden in the trees, felt especially comfortable to me because my own writing studio overlooks white oak tree branches similar to hers, and the light that glistens on the trunks and leaves is the same. I found joy in the "feel" of the space and especially gloried in the splendor of sitting amidst creative women who experience the same delight I find in writing and in making art.

I can only wish now and dream of more time spent with those who love to turn words around and change the world with color. These are the people I long to know better.

"In the Fagan Studio" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Transforming an Art Center in Historic Petersburg, Virginia

"Old Towne Petersburg" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Last week, my husband and I visited the construction site of the Ward Center for Contemporary Art in Petersburg VA. We were there the same day the filming of "Ithaca" began nearby in Old Towne. False store fronts were installed to create the set of the movie that is based on the novel, The Human Comedy, published in 1943 by William Saroyan. Meg Ryan is directing the film, scheduled for release in 2015. It was Ryan's performance in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" that inspired me to write my novel Daddy's Christmas Angel.

Old Towne Petersburg is now a popular setting for movies. During the filming of "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg, the director, was often seen in the downtown just as Ryan is now.

Mary Montague Sikes' Basement Studio at PRAC

All the production activity in the historic district of the old city, reminds me of why I liked Petersburg so much when the Petersburg Regional Art Center first opened 11 years ago. I had a studio gallery in the basement of PRAC for all of the 10 years it was open. That space in the renovation is now the center of a new configuration of studios. The day we visited, dust was flying as dry walls were hammered in place. The same old pressed metal ceilings remained overhead, and I wondered if the new paint would flake from them as it did when my studio was there. I loved the space that we painted white with black walls in the back. I chose a glass door that gave a more open look to the display.

Over the years, I discovered that visitors seldom made their way down to the basement. Perhaps new signage and offices in the front of the big open main gallery will encourage traffic flow to the lower level in the Ward Center.

For many years, the Butterworth building, constructed in 1848, was home to a large furniture business. Furniture store remnants remained long after it opened as PRAC in 2003. The old wooden floor will be refinished as part of the renovation of the large gallery space. New lights will hang from the ceiling and more studio spaces will flank the back of the first floor. In all, there will be 57 artist studios. Above it all, the Butterworth Flats will provide one and two-bedroom modern living spaces.

Jessie Boyland is the director of  the Ward Center for Contemporary Art that is set to open in Fall 2014. She is now

Jessie Boyland ©Mary Montague Sikes

accepting reservations for the new artist studios and wall spaces. Her temporary office is located at 133 B North Sycamore St. across from the Butterworth building.

The opening of a new Art Center in Petersburg with improved studio and gallery facilities is an exciting time for artists. In 2003, PRAC offered promise and hope for a village of artists. Perhaps in 2014, those hopes and dreams will be fulfilled.