I just think that there's so much beauty here, even in the winter—especially in the winter, maybe. The trees are bare, and they have such beautiful shapes, and they're all so different. And then the snow can be lovely and creates shadows when it's sunny. And when it's gray, you get a beautiful effect of the blacks and blues and browns, and designs.

I have lived in the state of Iowa my entire life. I live twenty miles from where I was born. And most people don't do that. And I don't really know why I did. I didn't have any intention of staying put. But I've always liked it here. I like the people. I find the landscape very appealing. I think it's very beautiful here. I like the seasons. I actually even like the fact that it's really obnoxious in the winter. And I do travel a lot, so I kind of get all this outside stuff, but then I can come back here. It makes a great base for me.

Because I do travel a lot, I'm forever getting that, you know, "How can you live there," question. It's one of those things if they've never been there, they're never going to understand what you mean. And some people who have been here, but just don't find it to their liking, are never going to understand. But I just find that it suits me perfectly.

On the good side, I think that closeness to the land is just irreplaceable. Here we have such a relationship with the sky and the land. I think that's different here than anywhere. I mean, they just simply touch every place we see. It's pretty unimpeded. Even the mountains change that. But here, that horizon and that sky really do meet. And I think that that's a really important element.

The other side of it, being an artist in an environment that doesn't necessarily support that, it's very difficult. And it's very difficult for women to be taken seriously, to take yourself seriously is a big part of it. We know in a way that the model is, of course, New York and that can be a little trite. Because there are certainly difficulties there: the cost of the rent, the cost of being able to actually have a space to create there. But, when everybody is in the arts, values the arts, supports the arts—it is a very, very stimulating environment. It doesn't take very many trips there to understand that.