Artist in Residence

These past 9 days at Mount St. Helens have been a living reminder of why I do the work I do at Susan Elizabeth – The Treehouse Art Studio.

Here, in the heart of this volcanic monument, I’ve been immersed in the wild beauty of shifting skies, recovering forests, and landscapes shaped by fire and renewal. My artist-in-residence time with the Mount St. Helen’s Institute has been a practice in slowing down, listening deeply, and letting the mountain’s rhythms guide my own creative flow.

The landscape was forever changed during the eruption of 1980.

This week, I also had the joy of supporting the GEOGIRLS program through the Mount St. Helens Institute—witnessing young women explore science, geology, art, and their own voices with curiosity and courage. I’ve met other educators and scientists (who are now new friends) from all walks of life, each with their own story, each reminding me that nature connection is both our birthright and our greatest resource.

This GeoGirls group used a large scientific helium balloon to map the volcanic landscape around the Science and Learning Center.

Nature is more than the mountains and rivers outside—it’s also the terrain within us. When we tend to both, we uncover layers of creativity, resilience, and belonging we may have forgotten. I believe we’re meant to engage with the wild—inside and out—not just to witness it, but to let it transform us.

I invite you to follow along, reach out, and—most importantly—step into your own wild spaces, within and around you. The world is waiting for your voice, your vision, your presence.

Creativity.
Connection.
Nature.
Belonging.

It’s the Treehouse way.
Join us!

Mount St. Helens Institute is located at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. Check out their amazing programs at https://www.mshinstitute.org