Building the road.

After purchasing the property in January 2021, our first project was building a road. There was a natural clearing on the highest point of the land—right in the middle of the property—that we chose as our first campsite and home base. Old logging skid roads ran down the hill to the stream, giving us access to water and a peaceful spot to explore.

Nick, with his background in construction and excavation, was confident taking on the work himself. That February, he set up a canvas tent with a wood stove and began camping out, felling trees to make way for the road.

By spring, he was ready to rent a machine and begin building. It took about 35 loads of gravel to lay down roughly 700 feet of driveway—but by the time summer arrived, we could drive in and start setting up camp. We spent as many weekends as possible out here that first summer, learning the land, making it livable, and watching it slowly take shape.

That season became a turning point for both of us. The long days outside and quiet nights by the fire brought a kind of clarity I hadn’t felt in years—and with it, the pull to begin painting again. The forest, the gravel path, even the canvas tent glowing at dusk—all became part of the visual language I’d later bring to canvas.