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Control is the fifth drawing in the Ill Series.
The sketch for the final large drawing in the Ill series is almost done. 
Preparing class supplies for the printmaking classes I will start teaching next week. First class is relief printing, and I am excited to be a part of a classroom setting again.
This is my home, its a little one bedroom bungalow in the center of New York Mills. Everything is within walking distance here, but I also have a bike at my disposal (I'll post a photo of that soon).
This is the Cultural Center, where I have 24 hour access to my studio space. Its a beautiful building just a block from my house.
This is my studio space. Located on the second floor of the Cultural Center, it is definitely the biggest studio space I have ever had and will be the center of most of my activity.
And finally, this was my welcome wagon! The local paper has published an article about my residency and the classes I will be teaching while here. So nice!
Motivated by my resolution to fight winter hibernation, I took advantage of the relatively warm weather and went to experience the Art Shanties on Medicine Lake. I say 'relatively warm' because the last week the temperature did not get above zero! Today was 20 and snowy, which seemed like lovely weather to see the Shanties.
For me, the Art Shanty Project is utterly Minnesotan. About as Minnesotan as it was for me to spend the first paragraph of this post taking about the weather. It takes a certain test of character to spend months building a structure made to withstand this harsh climate and then spending a month on a frozen lake occupying said structure. Its mostly just on weekends, but it is still a tremendous amount of time and energy. Impressive.
Like a lot of large group projects, the Art Shanties can be hit or miss. Many shanties seem well thought out in their construction, but are difficult to approach or interact with. Technical problems with heat and electricity also caused several shanties to be closed, which was a real shame. It is fascinating to watch the project evolve every year, and slowly more popular.
This year saw the return of some of the best of years past, including the Snap Shot Shanty and the Art Post Shanty. But there were many new shanties as well! One of my favorites was the Ice Boat.
It's 30+ foot blue sail was amazing! While it did not do much soaring across the ice when I was there, we certainly had fun trying to get it up to speed. 
The Sweat & Drink Inc Shanty was another wonderful addition to be found this year. The best projects address the surrounding environment in a way that is interesting and inviting.
That is why I must say the S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L shanty of last year remains one of my all time favorites. While its not to be found on Medicine Lake this year, you can find it's remains online.
Above is a view from the roof of the apartment where we stayed in the East Village. (Click on it for a better look- its a 180 degree view that starts from the south).
This trip also allowed me to say good-bye to my dear friend and filmmaker Michael Forstein, who has just relocated to NYC for good. I will miss never running into him on the street anymore.
And finally, I sometime in Brooklyn, which I really enjoyed and wish I had more time to see. Click on the images for a much larger view!
