Homelight

This project features Sarasota-based artist Laine Nixon and writer Glenn Schudel. In their statements about the collaborative process each focused on the effect that the connection between them had on their work.

Laine’s statement: Glenn and I hit it off right away. He spent time with me in my studio, which was lovely and special. I am typically a solo worker, but allowing Glenn into my space was easy. 

Our conversations started broadly. We talked about things from all parts of our lives. We shared about our work and our process and found many similarities but also some distinct differences. We talked about personal experiences and ways of being, and how these might influence why and how we create.

For me, the impact on the work was gentle but provided a profound shift in my approach. I am grateful for this and feel that it is a result of being patient with the process and having trust that it would lead somewhere new.

Glenn’s statement: Laine has already spoken about how quickly and how well we connected, and I cosign everything she has to say on that account. This aspect of the collaboration was by far the most valuable part for me.

“Revision” means something very different to a painter than it does to a writer, and watching Laine take a piece that was already beautiful and change it forever, covering old ideas with new paint, felt really brave to me. I think it was this boldness, along with the discipline and care I saw in how she manages her studio, that led me to the final governing image of my poem—art as an adventure, in which we look for remarkable things in unremarkable places.