Reclaiming a Garden

Spring exploded here at Slough Studios with unseasonably warm temperatures, a quick snowmelt run- off, and plants bursting at the seams as they emerged from earth, water, stems and branches. The work reclaiming the garden, which had begun last fall, continued on into the early spring. The struggle to bring a garden back from two years of neglect, was enormous and the hours spent leant themselves to a wandering mind trying to understand the meaning of what this garden was trying to tell me.

The garden has taught me a lot this year and it truly is a metaphor for the Slough Studios itself. The seeds for Slough Studios have been planted after a lot of preparation. The preparation included the design and construction of the studio which occurred with the help of my son and friends. Further enhancement of the cabin and surrounding accommodations spaces is ongoing which has required considerable time, effort and resources. Support from my family and friends have kept the dream alive, adding richness to the foundational soil upon which Slough Studios will grow. Growth takes time and patience as well as ongoing maintenance to ensure the project doesn’t fail through a lack of care. Some plans work out and others don’t. Importantly, it’s a necessity to keep tending the garden while those seeds of life are germinating.

This year I will be hosting a small group of women who wish to retreat to Slough Studios to both celebrate important life events but who are also curious about the process of personal growth. There will also be a fine young artist arriving with her family to settle and work here at Slough Studios for an entire month. These will be the first seedlings to arise from this garden and with ongoing care and attention, there will be many more to come.