Metal Artist Residency, Portugal

Arts organisation Metal Liverpool invited me to join Studio459Tomar, a co-living artist residency programme set in the beautiful, forested hills on the outskirts of Tomar (UNESCO world heritage site) in central Portugal. Artists whose work has a clear connection to the themes of Food, Nature, Climate and Power spent 2 weeks on creative exploration, research and development time at Studio459Tomar. I went in mid September with my wife Carolyn Murray and artist Martha Cattell.

it was inspiring to have time to think about where my practice is going and how I’m going to develop as an artist. I was excited to respond creatively to the immediate surroundings of Studio 459, finding natural waste materials to sculpt with such as cane, olive branches and grape vines, then going on a creative journey with them. This compliments the work with bamboo that I have been developing for the last two years. 

Experimenting with creating natural sculptures using what’s there led me to making pot type structures by weaving pruned grape vines and eventually to create a grapevine rocking chair in the vineyard.

Later weaving with local cane I created several large wand sculptures inspired by nature, that had visual conenctiosn with the distaffs used for spinning, seen at the MIAT historic textiles museum. When working with cane I realised I wanted to create open structures rather than closed. Shifted into working with living materials, rather than soaking dead material to weave with.  I discovered the beauty of the open frameworks with light coming through them and the shadows they create. 

Also unexpectedly enjoyed making pulp with soil/ earth rather than my usual paper pulp, so I want to explore that further. Partly inspired by discussions and practical pulp making with Martha Cattell. 

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