Location: Warnecke Ranch, Sonoma County, California
Mission: Our residency provides not only an inspiring place to live & work, but also access to the Warnecke Ranch and it’s 250 acres of private hiking trails and Russian River access, located at the center of Sonoma County – a leading community in art, food and wine. Our program partners with non profits, galleries and museums providing opportunities to be involved in the local art scene. We are located 1.5 hours north of San Francisco.
Cost: $400/week – artists may apply for a sponsorship to cover fees.
Application Fee: $40
Number of Artists: Up to 2 artists at a time
Length of Stay: Between 2 to 10 weeks
Accommodations: One artist at a time will attend the program for 2 to 10 weeks at the Residency’s 1920’s farmhouse. Separate bedrooms available, shared bathroom, kitchen and living space.
Separate studio spaces are in re-purposed rustic barns near the artist house.
Artists are financially responsible for their food. Grocery stores are located in Windsor and Healdsburg, both a 15 minute drive from the Residency. A seasonal garden is located by the residency and artists can crop-share in exchange for help in the garden!
Residents must supply their own art materials.
Transportation to and from the Residency is the responsibility of the artist.
Wireless internet is in designated spaces at the Ranch headquarters, not in the Residency house or studio.
Sonoma County weather is beautiful year round but winter can be cool and rainy.
Demographic/Medium: The Program is interested in established artists, emerging artists and outsider artists. Artists of all media may apply. We encourage applications from individuals and collaborative groups. Chalk Hill Residency also supports artists living with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. Please inquire for special living needs, for example, attending the residency with a care-provider.
Benefits: Chalk Hill Residency collaborates with local non-profit organizations supporting artists living with disabilities and we host one Community Studio day with a local art group per resident artist.
Residents have the opportunity to exhibit their work at our seasonal Open House events. The Open House schedule is set once residencies are confirmed and residents will be notified if they will need to return/leave work for their designated Open House before the start of their residency.
Collaborative team applications are limited to 3-5 people and should submit one application package only (with an application form per artist, and one proposal, statement and resume for the group).
Deadline: July 15th for following year residencies.
Rate My Artist Residency 
An open landscape, on a bucolic vineyard setting sits a studio and personal cottage for ideal working conditions. My residence at Chalk Hill benefitted from this rural environment and I know this historic property will give a lot to its artists. My airy and generously large workspace was optimal for oil painting and large canvases. I was thankful for the program Directors warm and neighborly care as I worked on new projects and hike on their property. I would recommend it for anyone and look forward to applying again myself. -Ron Nadarski
An open landscape, on a bucolic vineyard setting sits a studio and personal cottage for ideal working conditions. My residence at Chalk Hill benefitted from this rural environment and I know this historic property will give a lot to its artists. My airy and generously large workspace was optimal for oil painting and large canvases. I was thankful for the program Directors warm and neighborly care as I worked on new projects and hike on their property. I would recommend it for anyone and look forward to applying again myself.
Never in my life have I had never had an opportunity to be completely focused on my creative expression! The Chalk Hill Artist residency gave me this. It is a treasure. The property is absolutely stunning, the studio light and spacious and the little ranch house charming! I am coming back for my second residency this week.
I am very much a house person. And when I came to Chalk Hill with the intention to finish a book, I knew on forehand that most of the time I had to spend inside, writing. So I did. Three sessions of one hour per day: thirty-four days, the same routine: breakfast-write-walk to the office-write-lunch-walk to the office-write.
The house is a dream. The more I got absorbed by my routine, the more it grew on me.
Writing is a very anti-social discipline. The world inside your head, the one where the imagination takes you is the most important one.
If people appear in your real life, they almost get mythical proportions. They appear at the edge of the imaginary world.
Alice and Margo lightened up that very edge with their smiles and incredible good mood.
I only had to work, in the best conditions one can think of.
If ‘ifs’ really exists I’d like to return one day, and work on an other book.
Chalk Hill Residency is a jewel. As a plein air landscape painter, the expansive property offered a myriad of places to paint – from vineyards to mountains to cliffs and the banks of the Russian river. The studio was a great place to keep supplies, and rest in the shade. The residence house is rustic and charming and art-filled. The directors Alice and Margo are warm and welcoming, artists and enthusiasts, and excellent stewards of their family property. I highly recommend the program and the location.
I thoroughly enjoyed my month at Chalk Hill. Applying artists should know that it is a relatively solitary experience (compared to other residencies), but that was perfect for me and really gave me the time to tune-in to my own process and work for long quiet days. I took breaks to take walks and dip in the river. It’s a beautiful location and the house has tons of character and history which I found inspiring.
Endless treasures to this residency. Old ranch houses, barns full of books, the lake with a small canoe, the river, lizards, rocks, chirping insect evenings to contemplate the work of the day, the friendliness of environment, pleasant solitude and closeness to the landscape.
It was my first residency and such a very special place. The month passed with great speed….and wonderful and focused progress.
My residency at Chalk Hill still plays over and over in my head still to this day. Being there was so incredibly impactful on my art, mind and soul. I immediately felt at home on grounds, in the cottage and studio after the first night there.
My residency was particularly special because my family was allowed to join me. With my husband’s support with looking after our little one, I was able to focus the bulk of my time towards my artwork, which made me feel very connected to my art and my family.
Chalk Hill Artist Residency was my heaven. I have never felt so confident in my creative mind and I whole heartly believe that every minute spent there was cleansing me from my life in the city. I felt on top of the world to be gifted the time and space to work out new and old ideas. I painted, as that is my go to creative process, but in addition I dabbled with a site specific project on the grounds. The vineyards, the river, and the surrounding hills compelled to try push my boundaries, to move outside of my comfort zone.
Alice and Margo were extremely generous by allowing me space while I worked. I never felt pressured to finish a project there, but their interest and excitement were very motivating and encouraging. In the end, my own motivation pushed me to finish a new series of paintings and an outdoor installation project.
I would give Chalk Hill Artist Residency the highest ranking for a creative experience. It was a place that will stay with me forever, and for that, I am eternally grateful.