An Urban Retreat

A retreat in the wilderness can be a good thing for many artists. I wouldn't know first hand, I have always retreated to an urban studio. I was born in NYC and lived in the suburbs until I escaped on my own to Chinatown in NYC and then to RI. My grandparents loved urban too, they lived on Brighton Beach, in a little apartment right beside the boardwalk. I love New England cows and trees and apple orchards but I am an urbanite! I love the sound of trains, buses, bicycles and people. But most of all I like my solitude within the city. I find comfort in being near people. I travel on foot most of the time, when I walk my dog over to pick up library books or go to the post office, but my exchanges with people are usually simple. So far, 21 years in this town, nobody has tried to run my life. Hurray! I have not encountered snobbery or presumptuousness and I am grateful. This is a poor little mill city of 45 thousand people, 17 miles from the state capitol, Providence. Many folks here have never been to Providence. The town is full of characters, many of whom are early birds. When I wake up in the dark to go to my studio I always look to see which lights are on in the neighborhood, and it comforts me.