Studio Timeline

Land Journal

A Studio in the Woods

In 2020, I began the journey of becoming a steward for several acres of wooded land adjacent to a Wild and Scenic River. My dream of building a creative workspace in nature is slowly becoming real as it evolves, devolves, is reimagined, and shifts. In the process, getting to know this woodland has generously served to inform the next phase of art-making and project collaboration.

What’s Next

Winter, 2023: Replenishing and reconnecting
Spring, 2024: Compost toilet install

The Land

First of all, this land is the traditional land of the Anishinabewaki / Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Oglala Sioux) peoples. A surveyor told me that at some point in the past, this land may have been given away for free [to homesteaders] with a newspaper subscription. I have not yet discovered if that is true, but will continue to learn and write about obscured stories that relate to this place.

Aside from a few cabins on this short road, county forest surrounds the land to the north, south, and west. To the east, is situated next to National Park land, 300 feet from a Wild & Scenic River—the Namekagon.

In the late 1800s, the forest along this river was heavily logged. In 1980, this land was ablaze in the Oak Lake Fire, burning 11,418 acres of forest. The fire is memorialized with a gravestone at the nearest crossroad. In 2010, a derecho felled many big trees on the lot.

This land has weathered so much over the last 130 years, so it is a young forest. A few trees persevered through the times—one white pine and a few red. It is full of white and red oak, maple, birch, and aspen, with lovely pockets of ironwood and cherry, here and there. Tall jack pine are plentiful, but their slender boles are quite unstable in the sandy soil. Many have fallen or are on the verge. Jack pine’s serotinous cones are resin-coated and the seeds inside may be viable for up to 20 years. They bloom in the fire, which explains their abundance here. I suppose the jack pine here are 44 years old.

The Wild & Scenic River

Protecting the health of free-flowing rivers was envisaged by Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson. Legislation for the Wild and Scenic River Act was introduced by Minnesota Sen. Walter Mondale (MN) in 1968. The St. Croix River and its tributary, the Namekagon River, are two of the original eight rivers listed under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Less than one quarter of 1% of American rivers are wild. The Namekagon River is beloved by many and was Gaylord’s inspiration for protecting wild rivers. Below is a photo from the first time I saw the river.

How It’s Going

Thoughtful Pauses & Big Steps Forward

The Shed & Interim Workspace

Every choice feels so significant (and so permanent). After visiting friends on the South Shore of Lake Superior, I was inspired to make some decisions. An 8’ x 16’ shed was installed September, 2023 and will serve as an interim studio/work space. Finally, a place to store a few things instead of tarping tables and hauling everything around in my car.

This step will greatly improve my experience at the land as I prepare to gently shift into working on creative projects in nature while continuing to work with the land.

The larger studio will take a bit longer and (like everything else in this process) a lot more planning. Until then, say hello to the shed!

The Compost Privy

The smaller shed is 8’ x 6’ and this will be the compost privy. The compost system is environmentally-friendly and easy to maintain. The permit is approved, so once the compost privy is purchased and installed, the finishing touches will be adding ventilation and a counter.

The Driveway

After two years of careful assessment, the driveway was installed. It flows into the forest like a river where the studio will be nestled in the woods in the company of oak, maple, and birch.

The driveway and clearing for the studio were discovered through the process of manual trail-making using a lopper and a pair of gloves, with occasional use of a small electric chainsaw.

Working with a tree expert who was a former forester, we worked together on a plan for preserving and removing trees. Bringing in larger equipment was not an easy choice, but special attention was given to a little grove of oaks that can die from too much weight on their roots. The trees along the cleared studio area and driveway grew larger in just the first few months.

The Ecoysystem

Every choice that alters nature effects the ecosystem. My intention for establishing this art studio is to generate as little harm as possible while considering wildlife habitat and tree and plant communities. My presence is disruptive, so my work includes patience and discovery while developing a relationship and deep connection with this place before making big decisions.

This regenerating forest supports important habitat— ruffed grouse, black bear, wolves, flying squirrels, owls, and ovenbirds. Both the ovenbird and ruffed grouse require unfragmented forest to thrive. Preserving expanses of woodland is an essential practice, especially as it borders NPS land that is also wild. This clubmoss patch is a place I protect from clearing because of its role in supporting habitat for ovenbirds and ruffed grouse. It’s also a fern ally. Yet, well-informed research cannot always anticipate what nature will do. So it’s not in the Clubmoss patch where I finally discovered the ruffed grouse nest, it was under a log 5 feet from the edge of the driveway.

Read my article The Ovenbird and the Wisdom of Wild Spaces, published in the Friends of the Wildflower Garden newsletter, The Fringed Gentian.

The Bench & Table

This was the first infrastructure at the land. Each trip I make to the land is full and meaningful. It is a 2-hour drive to get here and I drive back home at the end of the day, another 2 hours. During each visit, I contemplate what is offered here while walking the trails I’ve made. As I am working, I consider how to be a partner with the land in mutually-supportive ways. I work for 3 to 5 hours and find time to walk to the river or visit a nearby canoe landing.

For now, I don’t use the bench often, but I appreciate it! Before the bench and table, my backpack hung on broken tree limbs or rested in the grass where it would soon be covered in ticks. I parked in a ditch and ate lunch in the car. These two items, the bench and the table are modest and invaluable. I have a place to rest, eat a meal, and organize tools. Every once in a while, I make time to press flowers and leaves with a flower press gifted to me by a friend.

Milestones

September, 2023 — Shed (interim workspace) and compost privy shed install (privy install to come).

August, 2023 — Compost privy notarized and approved.

October, 2022 — First structure permit approved by the county for the shed.

October, 2022 — Studio plan approved by the National Park System lands program manager.

August, 2022 — Discovered Ghost Pipe near a grove of oaks where we will build a meditation deck.

June, 2022 — Completed Minnesota Master Naturalist training for Big Woods, Big Rivers.

June, 2022 — Studio site cleared, driveway installed!

2020-2021 — A year of deep contemplation. This first year, I got to know the plants, birds, wildflowers, and trees, and documented who made appearances in a nature journal.

October, 2020 — Purchased a wooded lot in Trego, Wisconsin. My woodland steward learning journey begins.

Scenes from the Woodland & River

Visual Diary

A stand of red pines at the top of a cliff along the Namekagon River

The campfire area (cleared by hand with loppers over 3 years)

The bench, table, and chemical-free bug net (surprisingly hard to find), near a hand-cut trail

Gray tree frog, showing its amazing pattern - 8/29/21