Sheree Wood Sienkiewicz: Artist in Residence at Afterglow Farm
September 22, 2025 | Topics: Articles
The Natural Realm presents Sheree Wood Sienkiewicz, who is among 10 artists participating in a year-long residency program called ARTservancy, now in its sixth year. ARTservancy is a collaboration between Gallery 224 in Port Washington and the Restoring Lands Land Trust, (formerly Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and River Revitalization Foundation). Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, Tall Pines Conservancy, and Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. The mission of ARTservancy is to promote the visionary work of both the artists and conservationists. Each artist has selected a preserve to spend time in and to engage with.
Reflections from the Artist
My ARTservancy Residency has revolved around the concept of “falling in love with the park next door,” which is precisely what has happened to me at Afterglow Farm. Afterglow, located in the Town of Port Washington, is the site of my residency. Through frequent visits I have fallen in love.
My first visit to Afterglow Farm (AGF) made a strong impression. The meandering walk through lush forests, prairies, ravines, gardens in bloom, and along an expanse of Lake Michigan beach was exhilarating. I was smitten, but to truly fall in love you must spend time together and get to know each other. Now, halfway through my residency year, I have seen the changing seasons, migrating birds, the first spring emergence of life, blowing snow and sand. I’ve been sprayed by errant waves and bitten by mosquitoes. It is glorious.
Afterglow Farm has a fascinating history that began with Joseph and Ilma Uihlein in the 1930s and is a place of eclectic and eccentric collections. A love of landscape and ornamental objects is embedded in the land and continues under the stewardship of the family today. Over time the management of AGF has evolved; today it is primarily ecologically focused. I admire the long-term conservation and preservation efforts that I have witnessed during my visits. It is a place of hard work and passion, where history, beauty and the web of life are living things.
The first phase of my time on the land has been dedicated to creating a series of small works on paper. Small works are like writing a haiku or poem. (Or love note? I can’t resist!) Each one stands alone. It’s about capturing the essence or mood of a moment, place, or memory. The works are extensions of the self, becoming layered, nuanced, and unique. They can be seen as semi-abstract, or as extensions of reality.
Many of the small works are begun on the beach along Lake Michigan using the simplest of tools: Sumi ink, a bamboo dip pen, and watercolor paper. Calligraphic lines mix with clear lake water, experiments in chance and surprise. I clip the pieces to a bush and allow them to dry, then take them back to my home studio for continued work in watercolor and acrylic paint.
People sometimes wonder at how the paintings are so seemingly different stylistically. As I see it, the world is in a constant state of flux, and each day we approach life differently, so how could the work possibly be homogeneous? I find this exhilarating.
The initial series of small works will soon launch the next phase of my residency. I will continue to explore the essence of moments and place. However, as my love of place has grown, so will the scale of the paintings.
The culmination of my 2025/26 ARTservancy Residency will feature an exhibition of original works created during my time spent on Afterglow Farm. This will take place at Gallery 224 in Port Washington, Wisconsin, July-August 2026.
Gallery
Bio
Born in 1966 in Ames, Iowa, Sheree Wood Sienkiewicz lives and works in both Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Tucson, Arizona. Growing up in Madison, WI, her childhood summers were filled with camping trips across the U.S. and Canada in the family’s red VW bus. These adventures, led by her educator parents, instilled in her a deep appreciation of nature, which continues to influence her work today.
Wood has lived in Venezuela, Spain, and Portugal, and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese. She holds a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she focused on romance languages, Spanish literature, and art. Her studies extended to La Complutense in Madrid and La Universidad de Lisboa in Portugal, where she further explored art history.
With a primary studio near the shores of Lake Michigan and a second in the Sonoran Desert, Wood draws inspiration from the natural landscapes around her. Her work reflects a sense of freedom that mirrors her experiences outdoors.
Website: shereewoodart.com
This residency is sponsored by Afterglow Farm, which is a privately-owned property, not open to the general public. Additional ARTservancy artists in residence at other sites can be found here.
This is the latest in our series of featured artists, which is intended to showcase the work of photographers, artists, writers and other creative individuals in our community whose subjects or themes relate in some broad sense to nature, urban nature, people in nature, etc. To see a list of previously featured artists, click here. The work of the 2022-2023 ARTservancy artists in residence is currently being exhibited monthly at Gallery 224. To meet the other ARTservancy artists in residence, click here and then use the drop-down menu.
All images courtesy of the artist, except as noted. The featured photo at the top of Sheree Wood Sienkiewicz at Afterglow Farm is by Eddee Daniel.
About Preserve Our Parks
Preserve Our Parks, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of parks and green spaces. Our mission: To advocate for and promote Milwaukee area parks and open spaces and to strive to protect the tenets of Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine.
For more than 25 years, we have been a leader in advocating for the protection of Milwaukee County park lands, halting many proposals to develop, privatize, or sell local parkland and lakefront spaces. More information about POP, including past accomplishments, is available at www.preserveourparks.org.