obras foundation residency, portugal

at my first residency in east central portugal.
lovely rolling landscape of cork trees, olive groves
and vineyards. have settled into “portugal time”,
allowing the creative process to direct me instead
of pushing. am inspired  by the ubiquitous cork oak
tree, it’s pruning over the decades forcing it’s gnarled
limbs every which way. and beyond this tree “farm” is 
the watchful eye of evoramonte, a medieval fortress
town perched high above the landscape, witness to
human inspiration and folly in all it’s variations.

view of cork oak trees from my apartment deck

view of cork oak trees from my apartment deck





Thursday, June 11th, 2009 Uncategorized

7 Comments to obras foundation residency, portugal

  1. Hello Amy,

    A gentle hillside in Portugal appears to be a most excellent location for your first mooring. As a lover of trees, you may enjoy a brief “virtual” visit to my late sister’s web site. A place where artists from around the world can connect and share their stories and art honoring trees! As one who deeply respects the value of pilgrimage and the hero’s journey, it will be a delight to touch into your travelogue from time to time.
    Journey On… Bud from Boulder

    2. Bud Wilson on June 13th, 2009

  2. beautiful. may each morning present grand artistic inspirations, each afternoon find you saturated in lovely personal adventures, and each evening be defined deep satisfaction and nourishing rest. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Grace grieves your absence declaring wanting to mentor with you, she now wants to minor in art, and you are her main inspiration. Much love. Merrin

    3. Merrin Stein on July 11th, 2009

  3. thank you merrin, so good to hear from you and that grace is following the path of art – send her all my best wishes and when i am back some day, we can talk. i do miss my little lake cottage too! but this is the life i was meant to live for now and i feel blessed. all good things to you, amy xo

    4. amygclay on July 11th, 2009

  4. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. It is stirring a wanting to explore again, this is not the time for me so I will peek through your window of adventure, and enjoy the world you are seeing..
    Best
    Amanda xo

    5. Amanda Benzaken on July 12th, 2009

  5. thanks so much amanda, i’m so glad we will (hopefully) meet soon in paris. sounds like you are going on an adventure yourself ~ and i’ll do my best to create a window until your time comes…
    xox amy

    6. amygclay on July 12th, 2009

  6. Dear Amy,
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings and your beautiful paintings that reflect your travels. I am so happy for you that you had the courage to go,and every place will be a little part of you forever. I thought of you on your birthday last week, but was in the hospital with back surgery. Now i will get back to life as well.
    I send you my love and wish that you find growth in wherever you are,(and drink enough water),
    Alke

    7. Alke Silverman on July 13th, 2009

  7. alke, i’m so glad to hear from you, and thanks for reading my blog. i’m so sorry to hear about your surgery – i hope all’s well with that! keep in touch and let me know how you are recovering. miss you ~ amy

    8. amygclay on July 14th, 2009

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Untitled Document

the project:
to live and work in various artist residencies around the world for at least one year, exploring differing cultures, landscapes and resources.

the proposal:
how does "place" impact the creative process? by living and working in a variety of cultures, and using mostly local materials and imagery, i look to capture the essence of the environment in the artwork that i do.

the hero's journey:
my long held interest in the archetype of the hero's journey, as explored by joseph campbell, in the context of the creative process, is the overarching structure of this project. considering each stage of the sacred journey, or pilgrimage, gives me courage and insight while continually pushing off from the shore into the unknown, both physically and creatively.