Final piece is in progress

My final canvas here is now outside, I can't believe I am going back to England in a week! On this occasion I've tied the canvas with a longer rope, so it can be carried around by the wind and moved a bit more than the other pieces. I'm hoping that this will lead to it being bashed around a bit more than the others, and will produce a new result.
The canvas has already been outside for a couple of days, which should give it plenty of time to become weathered, and then finished off before I go back to Reykjavik and then home. It does feel like a shame to be leaving, as having experienced the conditions here I feel that there is much more potential for this type of work to be made here, and unfortunately I don't have time to explore many more ideas.
However, I've had time here to experiment with using other materials and surfaces that I hadn't previously considered, and this has definitely been helpful. I was already planning to work on an exclusively fibre based piece, and then weather this naturally when

I got home, and I now feel really excited to get onto this. I don't know why it never previously occurred to me to bring together the weathering process with a fibre piece, and I'm sure this will be interesting as I have no idea what to expect from that. I've been doing a lot of embroidery recently, in sketchbooks as well as on canvas, so I'm really into that at the moment.
I feel that this experience has been hugely beneficial for me, as I am coming away with a lot of ideas and plans, as well as a body of work. I've gained exactly what I wanted to from this residency, and I'm keen to take part in further residencies in the future. Perhaps I will even find myself returning to Nes at some stage!
When I initially applied for a few residencies I was mainly interesting in visiting a completely different environment, any environment, in order to develop the weathering work. But I really think things worked out excellently, as not only is the Icelandic coast completely different to anything I'm used to, but it has been so extreme and unpredictable, and greatly benefited my work. I think this really was the perfect place to bring the work and develop in further. I'm unsure whether I will carry on working with natural weathering once I get home, aside from the planned fibre piece, as the results will definitely not compare to what has happened here. However, if I do decide to do that I have some clear ideas now on how to make the process more effective.
I've absolutely loved having a period of time to concentrate purely on my work without other distractions, in particular having a day job that takes away so much of my time and energy. It obviously will not be the same once I am back in London, but I have some ideas on how to use my time more effectively when it comes to art. This has been a very significant experience for me and my career, and I'm so grateful that I was given this opportunity, I think it was exactly what I needed. I'm sad that the experience is nearly over and that I'll soon be home and back to reality, but I am looking forward to the future.

My residency has begun!

I arrived in Iceland on Tuesday, and in Skagastrond yesterday to start my residency! I really am so happy to be here, and just having a proper studio space again after quite some time is inspiring me to get working. As soon as I arrived yesterday afternoon, despite being exhausted, I got started on my work, and already I've manged to get a few things done. This is exactly what I want, as my time here unfortunately is limited, and therefore I don't want to waste a moment.
So far I've done a few sketches in preparation for the first two paintings I'm planning, and have made several abstract pieces on paper, which have been left in various locations in the village to become weathered. Already, after less than 24 hours, I've noticed that most of them are becoming damp, and hopefully this will have an affect on the surface. Working in this manner is also giving me an opportunity to gauge which locations work best for what I want to do.
As I was walking back from the studio last night I unfortunately found that one of the pieces had been torn up! It would appear that this was done intentionally by an unknown person, as the conditions have certainly not been extreme enough to cause this naturally, and none of the other sheets have been affected at all. This morning I gathered the ripped up pieces, and got to work. As I stated in my proposal for this residency, I'd be keen to look into embroidery as a means of repair where necessary, and this was certainly necessary. The paper may not have been weathered naturally, but there was certainly an effect. I suppose that's a risk you take when leaving work in public.
I've spent a good few hours today reassembling the paper - working out which piece went where was surprisingly challenging. I find the result quite interesting, even though it was not what I had initially had in mind. I'm looking forward to seeing the progression of the other five works that are outside, and looking forward to getting canvasses outside too. I'm planning to start the background for one or two pieces this afternoon, meaning that I can complete the portraits soon.
All in all, I've been here a very short time but I'm already so glad to be here. Although I wouldn't choose to live in Skagastrond on a long term basis it really is beautiful, and I'm really enjoying myself. The other artists here are all really nice, and I'm so grateful to have this time to focus on my work, and to think and reflect more generally. I hope that my whole trip is as successful as the past couple of days have been.
For more images of the work I'm making here please visit my Facebook page.

It's almost September

It's almost September, meaning that in just over 2 weeks I'll be in Iceland taking part in an artist's residency. It's such a great opportunity, that I've been waiting for for so long, that it feels quite surreal that it'll be happening to me in just over 2 weeks. I've spent a long time preparing, and surprised myself with how efficient I've managed to be, I can't really believe the time is nearly here.

My preparations have gone quite smoothly so far, even though it's felt a bit overwhelming at times. I can't help but feel that something is bound to go wrong! I'm worrying over nothing, I know it'll most likely be a wonderful experience, just as I want it to be. This experience feels like a big step forward for me, and I can't wait for the time to come.

I'm so excited to have a chance, however brief, to concentrate purely on my work, no distractions. That's near impossible when you have a normal office job as well. Ever since I graduated I've realised how fortunate I was to have several years devoted to art and nothing else. I've really missed being in that position, and now I'll be able to do that again, even if it is only for one month. I've got a fairly solid plan of what to do, I know exactly how I want to start off, so I'm ready to dive in as soon as I get there. I don't want to waste any time at all, because I now appreciate how precious the time is.

Everything has gone well so far and I definitely feel ready to go!

7 weeks to go...

There's only 7 weeks left until I go to Iceland for my residency! I can't explain how excited I am and how much I'm looking forward to it.

I really cannot wait to have some time to focus purely on art, with no distractions. This is something I've really missed since graduating, so it'll be amazing to have that, even if only for a month. I've bought all the materials I'll need now, and have a solid plan of what I want to do and how I want to work. I'm going very prepared so that I waste as little time as possible. I think this residency could be a huge benefit for me and my work, so I want to take advantage.

As well as already having a plan for my studio work whilst I'm there, I've managed to sort out most of the practical things already; I'm actually quite impressed with myself! I've arranged somewhere to stay in Reykjavik, and just need to send some stuff ahead of me, and do a couple of other things before everything is ready to go!

I'm also so excited to be travelling somewhere new, somewhere that I've heard a lot of positive comments about. This is part of the appeal of residency programmes to me, and one of the major reasons that I started looking into residencies in the first place. I'm going to a very remote place, so it'll be a big change for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like. My trip is going to be a very exciting time.

I'm really so proud that I'm going to do this. Getting accepted in the first place, working and saving so that I could go ahead with it, and being able to do what I really want, even on a temporary basis, makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere with my career. It's a brilliant opportunity, and getting to this point hasn't all been straightforward. I'm sure it's going to be a brilliant experience, and that it will have a real effect on my work and career. Can't wait to go!

Nes Artist Residency

For those who haven't seen on my Facebook page, I'm happy to say I have been offered a place on the Nes artist residency programme, in Skagastrond, Iceland. I'm very surprised to have heard back so quickly, as I only made my application last week, but I'm very pleased. I should be there between September and December 2013. I've got a while to plan ahead and get ready.
I've been really keen to find residencies abroad, as travel is also something I really care about. I'm very interested in this residency because the environment will be alien to me in just about every way, and I'm sure it'll help me to produce some interesting work, especially as I hope to focus on my idea of naturally weathering my work. I'm sure that the time of year, and the location will contribute to some really interesting results.
I only found out today, and I'm sure I'll have more to tell later.