Artist Residencies & Pivotal Events

I know that recent events have brought the word “isolation” to the forefront of many people’s minds. Many of us consider “isolation” to be a less than positive experience and something to be avoided. However, I’ve noticed in myself a tendency to seek out isolated places from time to time, especially vast, open, wind-swept places. I’m thinking about places like the prairies, the Arctic, Newfoundland, and Iceland.

Sometimes, an artist needs to leave her studio. She needs to set aside her focus on the business of art and simply go and create somewhere new. She needs to step out of her day-to-day routine. She needs to travel away from her city and her usual environment. And she especially needs to fill up her well of creativity with new impressions, sensations, sights, sounds, flavours, and ideas.

One of the most delightful ways for an artist to shake up the familiar and to grow artistically is to take an artist residency. The following stories are three of my pivotal events that also happen to be artist residencies.