CCFA Art Residency Completion
Parade Day - Corning, Iowa, USA It seems like three seasons were condensed into such a short space of time! Three months can pass very quickly when viewed in retrospect. We arrived in the late summer heat of September (read blog here), watched the leaves change color and fall from the trees and then felt the arctic wind bite when the temperatures plunged below freezing and the first snow fell in November. There were highs and lows living in small town USA. The peace and quiet was great but the limited variety of shops made finding things difficult. At times we felt the isolation due to the absence of public transport and chose to rent a car and drive somewhere. We did manage to get interstate and visit Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska, which were highlights of the trip. Nevertheless, the rural midwest has a charm all its own for the visitor at Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, a lifestyle and traditions that the unhurried, friendly residents of Corning appreciate and treasure!
The pictures in the gallery above were taken over a 12 week period showing the change of seasons around town. Most of the time i was in the studio working so i didn't get a chance to get out too much; the work had to be done before our departure date in early December. Depending on the size, my paintings can take anywhere from 30 to 70 hours or more each to complete. I was aiming to finish 7 paintings during this residency and managed to reach that goal. There were 5 panels at 50 cm square and 2 panels at 20 cm square. I was attempting to take the compositional structures to another level, continuing on from the paintings completed earlier this year in Denmark. The Danish paintings can be viewed here.
The pictures below show the finished paintings hanging in the CCFA gallery. I have a feeling that this body of work could be the last iteration of pattern sequencing that i have been experimenting with in my paintings for the last 5 years.
The pictures below show the finished paintings hanging in the CCFA gallery. I have a feeling that this body of work could be the last iteration of pattern sequencing that i have been experimenting with in my paintings for the last 5 years.
Every art residency has its own way of extracting from the visiting artist a particular set of responses to that environment. There is a determination and resolve required in order for the residency to be fruitful. There is often psychological pressure and emotional stress contingent on the artists personality or character or maybe experiential maturity. Often, isolation from peer groups and other support structures can create loneliness when far from home in another country/culture for lengthy periods of time. No matter how positive or negative the experience turns out to be there is still an expectation by everyone of a satisfactory final result so pressure to produce good work can mount as time slides away week by week.
I empathize with any artist who find themselves in a residence position somewhere and whether from choice or misadventure, experience things falling apart and what was meant to be a great time suddenly becomes a bad one; it happens unfortunately! All i can advise here is, precautions and due care must be taken when traveling to and residing in foreign parts. Simple advice would be; Strangers in a Strange Land, (Exodus 2:22) should be well mannered, keep a low profile and consider themselves guests.
Aside from this, what i do know is, art residencies are, for the most part, a great way to challenge personal character and push boundaries artistically while under duress. There is no better way to find out what one is made of than to set a high standard and then attempt to eclipse it!! The chance to make new art and friends and also to exhibit in a foreign place is a great incentive to get out of the comfort zone and stretch some limits once again or maybe for the first time!
Personally, i'm inspired by global art residencies and the different environments and opportunities that they offer the adventuring creative soul looking to discover their personal limitations and overcome them. This was my third residency and i look forward to, hopefully, a few more!
To read an article written about William M Boot by Jay Wilson a journalist with the Adams County Free Press click here
I empathize with any artist who find themselves in a residence position somewhere and whether from choice or misadventure, experience things falling apart and what was meant to be a great time suddenly becomes a bad one; it happens unfortunately! All i can advise here is, precautions and due care must be taken when traveling to and residing in foreign parts. Simple advice would be; Strangers in a Strange Land, (Exodus 2:22) should be well mannered, keep a low profile and consider themselves guests.
Aside from this, what i do know is, art residencies are, for the most part, a great way to challenge personal character and push boundaries artistically while under duress. There is no better way to find out what one is made of than to set a high standard and then attempt to eclipse it!! The chance to make new art and friends and also to exhibit in a foreign place is a great incentive to get out of the comfort zone and stretch some limits once again or maybe for the first time!
Personally, i'm inspired by global art residencies and the different environments and opportunities that they offer the adventuring creative soul looking to discover their personal limitations and overcome them. This was my third residency and i look forward to, hopefully, a few more!
To read an article written about William M Boot by Jay Wilson a journalist with the Adams County Free Press click here
