Reflections on a residency

We forget sometimes, in the haze and flurry of our repetitive, crushingly busy lives, how intoxicating it can be to be immersed in something we are doing solely for ourselves. Taking time and space for our own enrichment. (honestly, I think that people on the outside of the artists world imagine that that’s what we have all the time, but our realities are more often than not much more pedestrian and mundane in their busy normalcy).

The cloak of support from peers, the relief and potency of being listened to, and heard. Bouncing ideas, impressions and frustrations off of each other, the succour that comes from commiserating, being understood in our passion for expression. 

There is such luxury in the creative environment that develops within the structure of a residency like this. Unstructured swaths of painting time, bookended by satisfying and generous meals, augmented by inspirational field trips. Learning about our fellow residents through art presentations and discussion, studio visits and idea sharing. Awkward beginnings moving towards the click of the fit into a transitional, makeshift tribe. 

At a time of transition in my life where its structure has been redefined by the empty nest and the shift in familial responsibilities, this residency was a gift, a reintroduction to the idea of me. Granted, a hard half of the residency was taken up with business dealings and focusing on my role as materials sponsor, but once the bulk of my work was done, and the clients gone, I had enough time left over to enjoy the more selfish part of my Chinese experience. The threads of which, I feel, will resonate in my artwork and in my spirit for a long time to come. 

November 2018