Summer 2003
A workplace for Artists!
From May until August 2003 I had a residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Center at Annaghmakerrig, Newbliss, County Monaghan, Ireland.
The center offers residences to established professional artists from both parts of Ireland and abroad in all the main artistic disciplines. I heard of the center through a friend and by some miracle my application was accepted. It was like living in a dream.
Some excerpts from my letters home:
"I’ve been able
to go walking along the lanes around the center. It is amazingly beautiful, like
something out of a fantasy story. The view from the house of the lake
surrounded by tall pines and fields with cattle and sheep is stunning and the
flowers resplendent in the gardens. When I came the gardens were full of
bluebells, tulips and yellow poppies. Now the pe
onies
and roses are in bloom. It is a wonderful environment for working.
Time congeals here rather than passing and it is difficult to measure. The
weather changes hourly and I’ve become accustomed to periods of rain followed by
brief sunshine."
"On the first of June the roses bloomed and were quickly followed by a whole host of summer flowers. The garden is full of color and fragrance. I’ve been walking in the forests surrounding the center and I’ve even spotted some of the fauna including a badger and a rabbit." Sat, 21 Jun 2003
"A few weeks ago I moved into a beautiful studio with
a fantastic view and that gave me a real burst of enthusiasm and inspiration. My
work is progressing painfully slowly. Many days I work up to twelve hours in
tedious labor, tying knots, sewing or weaving with a needle. The result is well
worth the effort. The fire cape has taken shape and it is now a matter of a
week or so attaching the feathers and finding glittery things to add to it
before it will be finished. Unfortunately I find myself allergic to the dander
from the feathers and the dust in the threads I am working with. So I’ve been
alternating my activities so that I don’t get headaches."
Sat, 21 Jun 2003
"The guests here have included musicians and we’ve had a few evenings of singing and poetry readings. At one occasion a dancer here wore one of my capes in a performance. Last Sunday evening a few of us visited a woman who lives close by and it was a spontaneous evening of singing and poetry. I’ve established my reputation for “The Man from Snowy River” (I’m glad I took the trouble to memorize that one) among other Australian poems." Sat, 21 Jun 2003
"The past week has been fabulous! Forgive my
reference here to the weather but it seems necessary to say that glorious
sunshine and balmy—even hot temperatures—have added to the pleasure of the
place. But more than that, the company has been very pleasant. For three days
in a row we had artists presenting their work. On the first night, the
Australian playwright did a performance of his one-man show. It was based
on
the response to the question “Who am I?” in reference to being in one’s body;
very creative and one of those “Wow!” experiences.
Then another artist/poet played the piano, followed by
the presentation of my three
capes in the elemental series. I did a
presentation and talked too long as you can well imagine but the capes were well
received and looked great. The models carried off the whole thing with
flamboyance and so a great deal of fun was had by all.
Monday night consisted of two artist shows. Both were
leaving the next day and the first artist had her work displayed while the
second, who is a real character, did a demonstration called “painting to jazz”
in which he managed to paint along to music and completed a painting in about a
half hour. We all had dinner and that was followed by some poetry
reading and a
journalist reading a thoughtful reflection on her travels to Burma.
Tuesday morning included a short story reading and a few recorded excerpts from the work of an opera composer who is here from “America”." Thu, 07 Aug 2003