I always wanted to be offered a summer art residency.
You know the dream. It involves perfect food at a lovely dining room table or magically appearing at your door. You have a cozy little cabin or an urban warehouse studio in an exciting part of a large city. Ocean, desert, mountains, lakes, or forests surround you. You have no real responsibilities except to your art. A convivial group of fascinating, talented artists would provide incisive feedback and hilarious, refreshing evening play. And of course I would blissfully, effortlessly, and ceaselessly create my new theme. And the Art Gods would say, “It is good.”
I wanted the feeling of leaving home, but underneath that, what I sought was a support structure outside the ordinary for creating art intensively for two weeks. 
Heck, I’m an artist, with a good studio and great arts community. My job is to create, so why not create my own summer residency? My colleague Karina Nishi Marcus and I devised the Caerus Artist Residency.
Caerus runs from July 8 through July 21, 2012. It’s a work-in-your-studio residency, shared virtually. I was inspired by a Philadelphia artist who created his own summer residency in his own studio, and Nanowrimo, National Novel writing month, when writers all over the country commit to writing 50,000 words in a month period, receiving support and sharing online in a specified pocket of time.
Caerus (Ky-russ) is a lesser-known godlet. He’s the slippery opportunity in time, as opposed to the linear clock. 
We might call him inspiration or flow. Artists seek him. Sometimes it seems that time for creating art is being devoured in our consumer culture. We need to invite Caerus, or Kairos, sacred time, into our studios. Who knows which windows of inspiration might open for us?
We’ll focus on creating time for art for two weeks, minimizing other commitments as we can. At the end of two weeks, we’ll celebrate. You choose how much time you can devote to your art and fill in the free application form to join us. Caerus will be a forum for posting comments and photos on your process.
I’ve chosen to commit four hours a day in-studio. I’ll be working on the large pieces of the Dionysian project, and a new project I’ll reveal during the residency. As in a residency, I’ll have special arrangements for food and recreation, and minimize my other life duties.
Come on, it’ll be fun. Whether your studio is a computer or a dining room table or a beautiful atelier, whether you have 15 minutes a day or 8 hours a day, you can participate in the Caerus Artist Residency.
All we have is time to give our art. Join us. Apply for the Caerus Artist Residency here.
Saltworkstudio | Suzanne Edminster 
What a great idea, Suzanne and Karina! I want to sign up. Where do I find the form?
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We would love it if you’d join us. You can click Join Us, the last two words of the blog, and it will lead you to the Caerus blog. If you look around within it, you’ll find what you might need to know.
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The application process is quite simple, but I found when I filled it out for myself that it really focused my intentions for those two weeks. I’m looking forward to your application.
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Suzanne – I love this idea! You are so creative before even putting brush to canvas! I have a question – will there be a way to post photos if one doesn’t have a website? Not sure how that would work.
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Hi Judy! Yes, each participant will get a section of the Caerus site for themselves alone. I’ll be happy to show you how to use WordPress to post on it. I think it might be so exciting to have process photos from all our studios to see within this two-week span. Check the Caerus Artist Residency site tomorrow and you’ll see you name listed. Sandra Maresca, that goes for you too.
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If you want to participate, please subscribe to the Caerus blog to receive updates.
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Beautiful! What a fantastic way to take matters into your own hands, and honor your work!
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It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? Thank you for your comment!
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ooh, ooh, I want to play, and my calendar is miraculously free those two weeks! TWO WEEKS! That sounds like a LOT of commitment!
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Caren Catterall, master printmaker! I have goosebumps! Fill in the application form and let’s get going. Pass it on to others. I can tell there might be some mighty fine parties along the way…
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Okay, I’m in.
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Cool beans, my lovely. Can’t wait to see your project. Also, with your participation, party possibilities have exponentially increased. I guess I’m in the mood for a really good Midsummer party.
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I want to say that I want to do this but if i need more explanation or how it will be possible for me to actually do this . would it be possible that you can tell me more and help
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Of course. All you really need to do is to fill in the Application Form in the link on the last line of the blog, tell us what your project is, and what kind of hours you wish to devote to it in this two-week period.
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Hey Suzanne and Karina, love this idea. Can a scan artist participate? (That’s a scan, not a scam artist! LOL). I have a few days in which I will be traveling…but who knows I might switch mediums…??? An adventure perhaps?
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Of course! We already have another digital artist. The frontiers of art are changing. The important thing is to designate intensive time for your art in the next two weeks. Fill out the application on the caerusartresidency.wordpress.com site and begin with us on Sunday!
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Thanks for this great project Suzanne and Nishi. I’m in, and will work on finishing pieces for my mixed-media series.
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Jeremy, so glad to have you! Hope you might consent to do a guest post on the blog.
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Alright. I’ll have to go check this out! Sixteen days in France, a couple of days off and now an artist residency online. Maybe I’ll sketch everyday like I did in France.
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That would be wonderful. Drawing every day really intensifies life for me. Since the Residency is supposed to be a bit like travel, you would barely have time to unpack your bags, real and metaphorical!
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Oops. Missed the deadline because I just read the blog post about it — you wouldn’t let me in anyway, would you?
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You’re in!
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I’ve marked my calendar…… and in solidarity/support of this project will spend extra time in the studio during this time period. my goal being: one “large” canvas (my first) and a first time “raised multi-surface” piece.
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Looking forward to seeing you around the studio! I’ll be there mostly in the mornings, but some evenings too. Let’s have a studio dinner some night. Hey, follow the Caerus WordPress blog to keep track of Nishi and me, your studio mates!
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