Artist Residency – Hypatia-in-the-Woods – Part 1
Recently, I spent two weeks at an artist residency, Hypatia-in-the-Woods. Located in Shelton, Washington the Holly House is the name of the place where I stayed. Previously, I have participated in other artist residencies in various locations. Each time, I have to figure out what supplies to bring with me. Fortunately, I have driven to all the residencies I have taken part in, thus far. But each location has its own space and set up.
For this residency, I lived alone in the Holly House, a small place set back in the woods. There was no extra studio space. Therefore, I needed to set up and work in the house. With this in mind, I planned to work on smaller pieces. I keep packing lists from previous residencies and adjust them accordingly. I took several pictures of items I packed to remember how they were packed in containers.
In this photo above, a variety of items are packed from machine and hand threads for stitching, cradled boards for mounting fused artworks, carving material and tools, extra sketchbooks to a phonebook to use for pressing plant materials.
My portable design wall came with me, as well as cutting mats and fusing materials. I don’t make specific plans on what I will work on when I am there because I want to be guided by the location. However, I bring a variety of supplies so I have options. Once I puzzle-piece everything into the car, I take a picture. Again, it helps to remember how I got everything in.
My sewing machine and ironing board also come along for the ride, as well as boots for the rainy, wet climate in Washington. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was how much green there was! It was almost overwhelming. The vegetation in the area is much different than our high desert flora in Boise. But I loved seeing all the green!
It took me a day or two to figure out how I wanted to set up a work space within the house. I eventually settled for putting the sewing machine on the large dining table which was next to the windows with the most light. I kept one corner of the long table clear to eat my meals. But the rest got covered in working supplies.
In the house, I found a rack which folded out. I decided it would be perfect for me to hang my fabrics on and tie my bags of scrap fabrics onto it, as well. I set up the ironing board in another corner by the stairs to the sleeping loft. And in the picture above, my design board leans against the wall in the upper left between the two windows.
A work area was set up and ready to go. What did I work on? More to come in another post.