results of my residency

i have been back in the land of mobile phones and the internet for a little over a week now. my time as an artist in residence at bundanon was excellent. i recommend it to anyone who can get there. it was great to be disconnected from my real life and have the time to think, read, swim, walk, make, create, and write as i pleased.

here are some highlights of some of the stuff i made while i was there.



i started with some paper and a needle. piercing the paper again and again i created images that you could really see when the light passed through them.



i wasn't so worried about content, just in the act of doing and making. i was not trying to make a "work of art" but to let myself be create, make mistakes and have fun.



this was my favorite from that bit of work, a wombat.

wombats were numerous at bundanon. they came out at dusk and if you went for a walk you could easily see 5 or 6. i was very excited, as i had never seen a wombat in the wild before and they are my favorite animal. there was one wombat that likes to eat around the buildings where i was staying. i named her casandra, and she inspired a whole collection of drawings.



each night i would sit and watch casandra.



i would wonder how she lived and what she did. (especially without the internet to find the answers to these questions)



i decided to do a collection of drawings/painting in various styles and techniques all of wombats. this was a great way to not have to think about what to draw but to let go and just draw. i had a lot of fun making these images. most i will probably never show to anyone again but creatively it was very valuable to have the time to draw.



this is me in front of the final installation on my last day of my residency.

the other project that i worked on was making some paper sculptures. the idea was to make something that mapped the wind.



using paper, scissors and a needle and thread i attached these paper circles to a paper backing.



this is a detail of the circles.



i attached these to the outside of my studio.



i like the contrast of materials in the photos.



you can see the wind moving each tile.

then i made a square version.

and again it mapped the movement of the wind.

i am not sure how all this will be incorporated into my future works directly, but having the time at bundanon was exactly what i needed. i feel relaxed, grounded, and ready to get back to real life.

artist in residency

just a quick hello! i am at an artist in residency that is in the middle of no where. there is no phone or internet access, (i am in town getting food and art supplies today with a chance to go online) and there is only me and 2 other artists on site. it is in the middle of the Australian bush and it is great. at first i was a bit worried about the no internet/phone access, but really it is kind of nice, there is nothing to worry about no distractions and you just get on with bush walking or making work in the studio or reading or writing. i have been here 3 days now and have 7 more to go. its nice, no responsibilities.



this is me hiking up a track, it is absolutely beautiful here.

this is the track, it is just starting to rain lightly. it has rained everyday i am here but really i don't mind at all. i have a new rain jacket and it is nice to be int he studio when it is really pouring down.

and this is my new wombat friend casandra. she lives under the place i am staying and i have seen her every night. there are plenty of other wombats here too, which is good as they are my favorite animal. something about the short stockiness i like about them.

more about what i am doing while i am here when i get back to civilization a week or so.