Last year, I applied for something on a bit of a whim.
I discovered the starvingartists.studio org on Instagram and became a member - it is a fantastic resource for artist open calls, residencies, grants, etc.
I applied to an artist residency at the @ArcticHideaway and then left it.
And then I got in!
It’s my first residency.
It’s on a small island called Sørvær, in the Fleinvær archipelago, off the coast of Norway. You get there by boat. After that, there’s no transport, no shops, nothing to fall back on in the usual way. Just a handful of buildings and whatever the weather brings in.
The place is made up of simple cabins and shared spaces. It’s set up for artists and musicians, but there’s no structure around what you should make. No set outcome. Just time.
That was what pulled me in, even if I didn’t fully recognise it at the time.
I’m someone who usually hates the cold. Every time I mention Norway, or even when I went to Iceland, people say the same thing. You? Really?
They’re not wrong. I have permanently cold hands and feet. It’s not my natural environment.
But I’ve realised it’s more manageable than I give it credit for. With the right clothes, it’s fine. And more than that, I don’t want to miss places like this just because they’re cold.
I remember being in Iceland and feeling completely at ease there. Snowed in, wind coming in sideways. I found the bleakness calming. I stayed out longer than I expected to, just walking and looking.
That feeling has stayed with me.
A beach holiday has never really held much appeal for me unless it includes diving. I’d rather come back having experienced something, or learned something, or shifted something in how I see things.
This feels like an extension of that.
Most of my current work has echoes of place, maps, coastlines, and natural fragments that sit somewhere between geography and story. Usually, I return home first and work from memory and photographs. This time I’ll be working while I’m immersed in it.
I haven’t planned what I’ll make.
I’ve just thought about how I want to work while I’m there.
I’m trying to keep the kit simple. Watercolours. Cyanotype paper. Pens and sketchbooks, some small lino stamps. A phone and a small tripod. An iPad for flexibility if I need it.
Enough to respond without overthinking it. The rest will come from being there.
I don’t know what I’ll leave with yet, but I feel good about that.
I’ll share a few things while I’m there, mostly on Instagram and back here on Substack when I return, but I’m keeping it light. I want to stay in the moment rather than document everything.
Wish me luck out there!
Thank you for reading.
Kate
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.