Artist in Residence Programme
Burren College of Art, Ireland, 2022
process
Central to most artistic endeavours, there's a methodology that takes us from grounding the conceptual aspect of any project to the steps necessary for its execution. Process demands dedication and time to develop any idea's potential. In 2022, I had the privilege of participating in the artist residency programme at the Burren College of Art in Co. Clare, Ireland. A life-altering experience, to say the least.
During this time, the work truly informed the work.
When arriving, it was impossible not to be taken by the surroundings, the greenness, the rock formations, the most amazing blue sky, the greyest of thunderclouds and the pristine summer air and light.
Burren College of Art, main entrance
Photo: Ana Galindo
My investigations were of the sketchbook and hand-stitched variety and each day found me in the studio or hiking, always trying to absorb the environment like a sponge.
This daily intake was unpacked in the pages of my sketchbook, allowing for a metaphorical bird's eye view of how the environment was impacting the work and what seemed to be constantly catching my eye: Lichens.
Sketchbook pages kept during the BCA residency, July-August 2022
impressions of day 1
DMC embroidery thread on cotton fabrics
12cm x 15cm, 2022
impressions of day 2
DMC embroidery thread on cotton
and linen fabrics
10cm x 9cm, 2022
impressions of day 5
DMC embroidery thread and blueberry
stems on cotton fabric
6cm x 6cm, 2022
My Sunday
organic cotton mull on linen/cotton blend and DMC embroidery thread
16cm x 16cm, 2022
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Cover artwork for David Nash's poetry book
Dedalus Press, 2023
It is so easy to connect to David's poetry. One example is his poemTurlough, which beautifully depicts the time when after a storm, our grocery-run shortcut disappeared! Just like that, remaining under water for days.
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French knots on wood and bark—studies
DMC embroidery thread on different wooden surfaces, 2022
Seaweed—interpreted
Manipulated tea bags couched with Irish linen thread
embellished with DMC embroidery thread
16cm x 16cm, 2022
Thanks to the wonderful library at BCA and certainly, the abundance of lichens in my surroundings, I was able to fully focus on these intriguing and beautiful organic formations for the last 2 weeks of the residency, attaining solace and insight through every stitch.
Aspicilia clacarea (Whelan 11)
Photo: Ana Galindo
Rhizocarpon Petraeum, (Whelan 140)
Photo: Ana Galindo
Crustose lichen, yellow (Whelan 7)
Photo: Ana Galindo
Aspicilia clacarea—interpretation
Linen fabric, tea bags, DMC embroidery thread
12cm x 14cm, 2022
Rhizocarpon Petraeum—interpretation
Cotton fabric, watercolour and gum arabic, DMC embroidery thread
10cm x 10cm, 2022
Crustose lichen, yellow—interpretation
Cotton fabric and DMC embroidery floss
8cm x 8cm, 2022
Lichens, work in progress
Cotton fabric, breakdown printing with watercolour and gum Arabic, DMC embroidery thread
46cm x 34cm, 2022
Lichens, detail
In the end, it was not only the physical environment, but also the collective one that informed my investigations. What happens when printers, painters, fibre artists, photographers and writers share a creative space? Creative cross-pollination! We built a nurturing environment where ideas, knowledge and opinions were freely shared. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for which I'll be forever grateful.
Burren College of Art, night view from the courtyard
Photo: Ana Galindo
Bibliography:
Whelan, Paul. Lichens of Ireland.
Cork, The Collins Press, 2011.