A Day in the Life of a Ragdale Artist

By Michael Wille, visual artist

6:00 a.m. – Run 4 miles as part of Team Ragdale. Regin led a troop of three residents each morning to the lake and back.

7:15 a.m. – After having showered, I would head to the kitchen and have breakfast. At this time, others began congregating for similar purposes and we would strike up conversations about the day ahead or the night before. It was in these times that I would learn the personal stories of the other artists including why they chose to come to Ragdale.

8:00 a.m. – I would head back to the studio for the morning’s work. In my specific case that means painting. My painting practice demands a lot of process-based painting. Basically, I work on things that need time to dry. Consequently, I try to work on numerous paintings at the same time to make most efficient use of my time. As a painting professor during the academic year, I am always looking for “seams” in my life where I can fit my practice into it. Ragdale has offered me opportunities to consider a two-week residency as the equivalent of 2-3 months “on the outside.” Back to the story – I would really have 4+ hours in the morning of quiet, peaceful time in which I could fully concentrate. It has been my experience that the other artists are very cordial and friendly, but they also are very respectful of your time and space.

12:15 p.m. - Head out to the kitchen for lunch. I am specifically using the phrase “heading out” as if I am locked up in a cave and then head out to “face the public.” I grab a quick sandwich, continue with conversations with my Ragdale friends that were started at breakfast and quickly head back to the studio for more work.

12:45 p.m. – This would be another lengthy slot for uninterrupted work. I don’t hesitate to emphasize why one would go to a residency – it is to get work done. Although we work in different disciplines, we all share that common purpose of needing to be productive. For the most part, residents choose to leave their careers, families and home life for a few weeks at Ragdale. We all cherish the time spent at Ragdale, particularly when discovery takes place in the studio.

3:30 p.m. – Not everyday, but from time to time I have headed over to Lake Michigan for a quick swim. It’s a great way to break from the routine of the studio. After being rejuvenated by the Great Lakes waters, I’ll head back to the painting studio, where I quickly get back to work.

6:30 p.m. – Dinner is served. We all leave our privacy and enter the quasi-public arena of the dinner table. After having been in a silent environment all day where we’ve been involved in private conversations (within our own minds), we all get a chance to come out of our shells for an hour or so to eat some great food. The chefs do a magnificent job of preparing magical meals for us and we get to have a nice feast (hence the 6 am running!).

7:30 p.m. – After dessert, I head back to the studio for one more effort before the end of the day. If I am in a rut in the studio and need some fresh air, I would head back to the Ragdale “quad” and play some (baseball) catch with other residents for a short while. We might share a drink over great conversation. I would head back to the studio and continue to work my way through my painting process for another few hours until I needed to crash around 11:30, setting the alarm for 5:50 a.m. to get ready to run again.

***Things that aren’t really on a schedule like this are the numerous studio visits that take place upon invitation, requests, etc. Connections are made with kindred spirits and we develop close-knit relationships. Typical studio visits take place where we critique each other’s work. A fresh set of eyes is always helpful. I have had great experiences with fellow residents, where we discuss our work over the course of two weeks. In some cases, it was kind of like going to grad school again, where studio mates/colleagues are there to look at each other’s work.

***In addition to the studio visits, we spend a lot of time socializing as well. Not just at meals, but in the corridors, gardens, Ragdale grounds, etc.

I really get a new perspective on time while there – Over the course of a day, you realize how much time there is when you don’t have to devote any to paying bills, vacuuming the carpet, mowing the lawn, working at a job, etc. When life is (temporarily) emptied of all of those obligations and studio work is placed as the primary priority, everything changes. I consider Ragdale as the place where I re-discovered how long a 24-hour day can actually feel. So as I write this for the website right now, I am cramming it between classes, when I have hundreds of other commitments needing attention. In the midst of my daily life, I realize with a great deal of fondness how much I am able to shift gears when at Ragdale.