Starry Night

Colleen Blackard, Better Farm's latest resident artist, hails from Brooklyn by way of Austin, Texas. Now 23, Colleen studied studio art at Hampshire College and finished her time there with a show titled For the Universe. She works primarily in black ballpoint pen on paper, with a method she describes as "infinite circles."

Colleen heard about Better Farm's betterArts residency program from her alma mater, and from friends who thought the opportunity would suit her personality and creative spirit. Sure, she'd just moved to New York City; but Colleen figured a month in the country would be a good precursor to her new, urban life—and a chance to inspire a new body of work.

Rhythms of Light

Before she got into galaxies, Colleen's drawings leaned more towards landscapes. She started with a focus on tornadoes, then clear skies after a storm. Slowly she let go of the concrete; finding it more comforting to get lost in the unknown abstraction of the universe. Having always had an interest in science, Colleen mostly focuses on the light in her compositions, and thinks she may veer into the realm of trees next. She'll find plenty of those here!

Having been at the Farm a little over a week, Collen says she finds the quiet extremely inspiring and every day here gets more interesting. Having expected a more structured and scheduled environment, she feels the looseness and freedom available here helps with her creativity... And the stargazing doesn't hurt either!

See more of Colleen Blackard's work at www.colleenblackard.carbonmade.com, and follow her blog at http://colleenblackard.blogspot.com.