Something Significant

A time came when I decided I needed do something significant, in order to focus on my studio practice and develop my work. In the spring of 2007, I began researching international artist residencies. Artist residencies are located worldwide and offer artists from a variety of disciplines, a space to work and concentrate on their practice. I decided that if I wanted to pursue a painting career and I needed to take a big step. The artist residency offers residents studio time away from the distractions of regular life, often in an inspired location. I had three must haves on my wish list, I was looking to go abroad, work on my Spanish, and find residency that was located outside of a city. I did a lot of research in the months to follow and nothing seemed to fit the bill. After a break in the summer, I did yet another search on line and found "the place". I came across an art centre high atop the Spanish Pyrenees, in the tiny village of Farrera. The Centre d’art I Natura, was a ideal, as all the residents had projects rooted in the nature. I applied that week and I was accepted for a residency commencing in the spring of 2008. This was a very exciting time for me. The opportunity to participate in a residency was something I always wanted to do. I planned on spending two months in Farrera and travelling for another four. Looking back, the decision to quit my job and make this move was the best thing I could have ever done for myself; the journey proved to be one of the most rewarding, productive, and challenging experiences of my life.