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@levelretreat

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A burgeoning oasis for multidisciplinary artists to temporarily live, create, and be inspired to produce enduring works. levelretreat.com

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Applications open for Encaustic Camp at LEVEL Retreat! Jamiemcphail.com for more information. This camp is made possible by grants from Orange County Arts Commission and #iea_encaustic . by @levelretreat

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2 months ago

Join artist and instructor Jamie McPhail for a magical weekend of encaustic exploration at LEVEL. Lodging, meals, instruction, studio time & high-quality art materials included.

Learn more: levelretreat.com/encaustics + jamiemcphail.com taken in LEVEL retreat by @levelretreat

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2 months ago

Earlier this week, I completed the final pieces in my series of autobiographical collages based on my metastatic breast cancer journey. A project that’s been on my mind and in my heart for years and came to life during my residency @levelretreat in May.

•Images #1-5: collage 9 - Meds and Side Effects 2020 - present day (previously skipped)

•Images #6-10: collage 11 - Living with MBC

•Image #11: - “collage” 12 - a symbolically blank canvas (wood panel covered in plain handmade paper)

Much gratitude again to my hosts, Marie and BJ @levelretreat and @ocncarts . And, to my family, friends, @dukecancerinstitute , and community for their support of this work and their continued support of me. xo

#metastaticbreastcancer #portraitsofself taken in Durham, North Carolina by @levelretreat

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3 months ago

Sneak peek 👀
50 x 50 is tomorrow!
Come join this party celebrating moving back into my studio post Chantal and my time @levelretreat
I’ll be showing the 50 pieces I made during my residency and selling them for $50 each!
Snacks, bubble water, and good vibes 😎 from 2-5 at the Eno Arts Mill by @levelretreat

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4 months ago

I’m so back 💅
It’s been nearly a year since Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the eno arts mill but I’m now finally back in my studio space.
That and recently doing a residency with @levelretreat are things surely worth celebrating! 🎉
During the residency I completed 50 works on paper and they are all for sale for $50 each. So come hang in the studio, check out the recent work, and head home with some original art! 🖼️
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#studio #eno #mixedmedia #artcollection #workonpaper by @levelretreat

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5 months ago

Getting back into the rhythm of everyday life and reflecting on my time @levelretreat , where I worked on a series of autobiographical collages based on my metastatic breast cancer journey.

It was an exceptional time for reliving what was and what is… it was a time of healing and growth, solitude and connection, pursuing and making.

Much gratitude to my hosts, Marie and BJ @levelretreat and @ocncarts .

Images:
1. Collages created (images starting bottom left and go left to right in order of timeline and creation - I’ll be adding at least 2 more to the series) *All four sides on each panel are collaged as well.
2. Diagnosis (Sept/Oct 2019)
3. Chemo 1 / “Red Devil” (Nov/Dec 2019)
4. Hospitalization (Dec 31st, 2019/Jan 2020)
5. Ultrasound & Port Install (Jan 2020)
6. Chemo 2 / “Taxol” (Jan-Mar 2020)
7. Surgeries (Apr 21, 2020)
8. Mastectomy (Apr 21, 2020)
9. Radiation (Jun/Jul 2020)
10.Scans begin post active treatment (Jun 2020-onward)

#metastaticbreastcancer #portraitsofself #collage #vintage #levelretreat taken in LEVEL retreat by @levelretreat

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5 months ago

Meet our 2025–26 artists-in-residence! Following our Winter (@leroylita_d), Early Spring (@fartworks), and Late Spring (@melindarittenhouse) local artist residencies, we’re welcoming folks to LEVEL for a casual meet-and-greet on Saturday, June 6, from 2-5 PM (rain date: Sunday, June 7). This event is free and open to all, but space/parking is limited. Head over to https://levelretreat.com/openhouse2026 or check the link in our bio to reserve your spot! 💖

Made possible by funding and support from @ocncarts. Thank you, always and forever! by @levelretreat

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5 months ago

I’m beginning the 4th day of my Residency @levelretreat . What an amazing experience in art -making, an amazing experience in life. I immediately felt at home and at peace in my surroundings, beautiful and serene, and cool and quirky and so very vintage at the wonderful Scout House. Much gratitude to my hosts Marie & BJ, and of course a most lovable tribe of goats.

A brief photo essay of what I’ve been up to…

1. organizing ephemera for Collage 1
2. the calm before a storm of organized chaos - vintage paper and ephemera is now everywhere
3. close up of Collage 2 (in progress)
4. organizing materials & layouts for collages
5. reliving moments passed and sourcing inspiration from my journals
6. sweet Nellie & Vera resting on my lap
7. my new goat friends grazing near Scout House

#artistresidency #collage #vintage #nature #newfriends taken in LEVEL retreat by @levelretreat

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5 months ago

Parts & Labor + goats in labor! Just one week after announcing the new P&L album on April 10, @levelretreat (the small dairy farm and artist retreat I co-run with my partner Marie Rossettie) welcomed five baby goats into the world. Fran had triplets (first slide, left to right: Hazel, Nellie, and Vera) followed a couple days later by Pearl’s twin boys (second slide, back to front: Herb and Cecil). It’s been a whirlwind since, with lots of reflecting on cycles returning and spring renewal and birth and rebirth. Go make things. by @levelretreat

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5 months ago

🐐👶 Baby goat season at LEVEL! Two weeks ago, Fran gave birth to baby girl triplets (Hazel, Vera, and Nellie) followed by Pearl giving birth to twin boys (Herb and Cecil) two days later. We have been swimming in cuteness since. by @levelretreat

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5 months ago

Scenes from my time at @levelretreat 😍😍😍
What a dreamy time to retreat from the everyday and focus on making. I made 50, count em, 50 works on paper, made a huge dent in Jack Whitten’s Notes from the Woodshed, developed some deeper thoughts about my practice, and befriended some goats and a special tree 🌳
Now adjusting back to reality and trying to integrate the peace, possibility, and freedom I experienced over those 10 days 🌀🌀 by @levelretreat

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6 months ago

🎉 We are pleased to announce the recipient of our 2026 Late Spring Local Artist Residency: Melinda Rittenhouse @melindarittenhouse! Melinda is predominantly a paper artist working in collage, handmade books, and tactile sculptures. Her work concerns itself with vintage ephemera, particularly bygone representations of femininity. Her recent “Untitled (self-portrait)” (see second slide), recently a part of the excellent PULP/fiction group show @my.muses.card.shop, merges those concerns with her autobiographical experience as a metastatic breast cancer survivor.

🙏 This will be our last residency for a bit, as we work to expand LEVEL and our capabilities in serving our incredible artistic community. Suffice it to say that we are humbled and honored at all the amazing submissions to our recent open calls. It takes time and effort to apply to these grant opportunities, and we do *not* take that lightly. Thank you, thank you, *thank you* to everyone who applied, as well as to our gracious and thoughtful panelists who helped us make some very tough decisions.

📆 Mark your calendar for our Local Artist Residency Open House, featuring our three recent/upcoming residents — Leroi DeRubertis @leroylita_d, Freddie Bell @fartworks, and Melinda — on Saturday, June 6. Details coming soon here, or via our email list (sign up at levelretreat.com).

✨ And thanks again, as always, forever, to @ocncarts whose grant funding makes all of this possible! by @levelretreat

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7 months ago