Blog 1: what is an artist residency?

I’m just back from an artist residency at Brisons Veor, Cape Cornwall, West Cornwall from 6 -13 April 2024

Dedicated time away from the normal daily routines - what a privilege.

This was at short notice! Life had to be rearranged - but Deb and I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to have a week’s artist residency at Brison’s Veor, a house run by the Brison’s Veor Charitable Trust, at Cape Cornwall, close to St Just and Land’s End. We arrived last Saturday, 5 days ago having met up in Okehampton on Friday night. Well on the last small lap from St Just I took one wrong turn, thanks to satnav insisting I turned right! Ended up in a deeply muddy field and was relieved to get out without needing a tow! Found the road to Cape Cornwall and our home this week was at the end of it, before you fall into the Atlantic or get blown away.

It’s a 2 bedroomed house with downstairs bedrooms and studio, and a large living area and studio space upstairs, with a small kitchen attached. The windows all look out on the Atlantic, sea, rocks and tumultuous ocean. This week at least has been stormy and even when the sun shone, high winds mean that we still haven’t climbed to the top of the mound behind us. It is wonderful though we wondered what to do with ourselves. A trip to the beach and we met a lady who swims in the small seawater pool there every day of the year, found wonderful rocks and seaweeds and have sketched and taken dozens of photos. The sea is utterly mesmorizing – so powerful and beautiful. No sign of seals here, but today as the wind dropped, we have seen young seagulls and even a cormorant out fishing.

Because of the weather we both sketched looking though the windows on Sunday and then by lunchtime I wanted to paint – got 5 paintings started, which have all been revised since! It was too windy to stand up outside. What struck me was the power of the ocean, the patterns, rather like lace that emerge as the waters move in and around the rocks, and the difference the light makes. One moment it is black and threatening, and shortly after, turquoise green lace reappears and all calms down. Now as I write the mist has come in and even before it was dark, all is hidden around us.

In the past 4 days, I have painted 7 paintings of the ocean and surrounds and started another 2 – it did involve a quick trip to Penzance in heavy rain this morning for more materials! This will be a new series on show at Rochester Art Fair from 3 -5th May, in the Corn Exchange, so do please put the date in your diary.

So far, we have had 2 sessions sketching, visited the Kurt Jackson Foundation (famous living Cornish artist working in conservation) and been to the Geevor Tin Mine and Museum. The whole area is riddled with old mine shafts and ruins of the engine rooms etc. Fascinating and sad that the tin industry finally closed in 1986. It was a 3 hour visit – in and out of all the engine rooms, washing the rocks, well explained processes, up and down steps, and into The Dry, where the miners washed after shift and changed their clothes. Again we took dozens of photos, fascinated by the shapes and the history. At the end we had a 10 minute walk though a small section of the old mine, thankfully illuminated by electric light not candles. Made for small people back in the 1800s and the tea after very welcome!

We have been self-catering and got on really well together, always good. Deb works in watercolour and I in acrylic. Different styles but one aim - to improve our art and make best use of the time here. Tomorrow I am planning to paint as the morning is looking grey and damp, but if it dries up we will go out in the afternoon. I have some great seaweed and a few other treasures from the beach, so want to try using those with ink. Friday looks good, so we will go out again. More material gathered feeds into work at a later date, even though I can’t tell you how exactly. Sometimes folk wonder why our interests in art change, or style, but all our experiences feed into what we do as artists. The paintings from this week focus on the sea and surrounds, but I realised today how easy it is to produce a painting that is predictable – a seascape. Not what I want, rather to express the power and colour and majesty of the area around, and to paint freely and expressively– hence the revisions and redoing of three small pieces.

Day 5 was really interesting: too wet and windy to go out so we both worked in different media to our usual indoors and that was fun; for me charcoal, metallic inks and white acrylic paint on the huge roll of paper I brought with me – but had stayed in the car until now! Working flat on the table and from memory and intuition, I just sketched and scratched and applied the inks with a chunky seaweed stem, torn from it roots in the storm last weekend. Deb had questions about acrylics on canvas and showed me some mono-printing techniques, a good exchange. Then we went out as the rain stopped for a short walk, saw young seagulls down on the water for the first time, before a thick mist blew in shrouding everything around. We ate up nearly everything in the fridge after: eggs, bacon, mushrooms, sauteed potatoes, tomatoes… and some red wine! Self catering has been good – do ask for the menu - but art takes a lot of energy!

Last full day here and it’s the best day weather wise. Deb has gone back to Botallack mines to sketch and paint, and I have been up to the monument above the house to see the views. I intended to sketch but couldn’t find a rock to sit on with the view I wanted, so just took loads of photos and made a quick live video up there. It’s on my face book page if you want to see it (www.facebook.com/ElaineAlmondArt). Reception is better than in house – where we leave our phones propped up in the window until something downloads! Did I say no TV for a week, we watched videos in the evening and went to bed early – I think its all the fresh air!

I made some moves on my last painting on return, but am also beginning to clear up and think about the week overall. What do you gain from designated art time like this? It isn’t free, but with less frills and an art studio attached is much easier to work, given the variable weather on this Atlantic shore.

What have I gained from this experience? I have discovered that I really don’t need or want to collage my sketches on the way to a painting, unless it is specifically about shapes: the rocks here with their mineral strata would be a good example of this. I sketch with charcoal, chalks or paint pens and woodies on paper or in a book, which ever I fancy on the day and depending on size. I don’t enjoy the small sketch books that many artists use, it feels very restrictive but in this wind a book is better than anything else. Generally I carry some slightly larger sketch pads, typically 12 x 16inches or similar, that will just fit into my large rucksack along with charcoal, pens and water/ food if needed. I also takes dozens of photos and just sit and observe and that helps to imprint the scene in my mind, so that some paintings, or even the ink and charcoal drawings seem to come from nowhere – in reality my brain!

 I have loved just having the time to paint, to experiment with paper in a more leisurely way than at home, and I will definitely be doing more mono-printing. Time and to think about things too. I haven’t been that well this week with another chest infection, and there are other issues to deal with at home, so it has offered a break and refreshment. Hubby has been quite happy there and we have spoken every evening. He’s off to a concert in London tonight. What I have l earned is that I can achieve more than I think in a short concentrated period of time with no distractions. For me that may be a way to work in the future.

I hope the freedom will show in my work, and that this will continue in future paintings. My peers on the Fine Art Professional development course in Sevenoaks will help to keep me on track! I am planning to write a blog once a month and I will be interested in your comments, especially as this is the first one – honest, but constructive please!

Art is part of my life journey just as many other things are. It’s both a privilege and exciting being here. Let me know how you find it keeping space in your life for all that matters? Any tips welcome! Planning? Negotiating with a significant other person? Time management? Time out?

Time to sign off. The sun is still out so I’m off for a last walk now.

Thank you for reading

Elaine

Written in situ & completed: 12.04 2024

Dates for your diary:

3 -5 May: Rochester Art Fair, at the Corn Exchange, near the Cathedral Rochester, Kent.

Let me know if you would like to attend the private view on Friday evening 3rd May, 5 -9pm

Open Sat & Sun 10 – 4pm

10 – 12 May Wrotham Arts Festival, in St George’s Church, Wrotham, Kent

1 -29 June: South East Open Studios. This year I will be exhibiting in Hadlow on 3 weekends. More details nearer the time (1/2, 15/16, 22/23rd)

6 – 15 June ‘Only Connect’ Exhibition of the Fine Art Professional Development Group, about 30 of us, Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Gallery in the public library, 1st Floor

For updates:

Facebook: @ElaineAlmondArt

Instagram: @elainealmondart

Email:  etalmond@gmail.com

WEBSITE:  www.elainealmondart.com

Blog Post Title Two

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Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.