Riding Down the Wind - Parting Shots of Pouch Cove Residency
Part of the 18’ painting expressing the wild, wet and windy atmosphere of this part of Newfoundland. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
As mentioned in my previous post, travel is a large set of variables and can change on a dime. Such was the case with my residency at Pouch Cove in Newfoundland. My 7 weeks were cut short to 5 weeks as circumstances evolved and changed. My mother fell ill, and I needed to return to Boston to care for the next - final? - stage of her life.
The picture windows of the home of my host in Pouch Cove. My temporary stay for my last week.
At the same time, the residency owner/founder had to temporarily shut down the residency spaces due to town politics, so for the last week of my time at Pouch Cove I was invited to be a guest at their beautiful home overlooking the Cove (see above). Fortunately I had access to the studio by day, so was able to finish the last of my work.
I have often talked about the importance of being flexible while traveling, especially when going to residencies. There is so much out of your control, and of course, that’s part of the adventure. In fact, sanitized, predictable, highly controlled travel shown through a glossy filter is not adventure. That’s a romanticized and, in my experience, often boring version of the real deal.
Another part of the 18’ painting. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
That said, sometimes when things spin out of control it’s exhausting, and often costly. So it takes a practice of presence and breathing to move through the stress, a practice that I’m constantly failing at and then having to remember and practice all over again (it takes a lifetime, no?)
I am now writing from the relatively tame environment of suburban Boston while visiting my mother. So now is a good time to share a few parting shots of my time along the wondrously beautiful north Atlantic coast.
The northern trek along the East Coast Trail north of Pouch Cove. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
Without a doubt it was the Cove that was the main event at this residency. The proof of the earth’s upward thrust is evident everywhere - the collision of tectonic plates pushing the strata up, over and under each other. The subtle shades of iron oxide, soft sage green, deep stark charcoal could spawn a thousand paintings alone.
A rock along the East Coast Trail, Newfoundland. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
The palette I chose to work with was more saturated, the format however was new - one long horizontal painting on a roll of Yupo paper 30” x 18’ long (cut from it’s full length of 30’ long). I took my inspiration from a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry I had seen in England last year - a long narrative chronicling the Norman Invasion of 1066.
One section of the 18’ painting. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
Another section of the 18’ painting. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
As many of you know, I’m obsessed with the Hero’s Journey/Epic Quest, and I’m always looking for ways to express that visually, without resorting to any literal story. The horizontal format is perfect for a travelogue of the journey, read from left to right, and expresses places/things seen and unseen.
However, it is difficult to show an 18’ painting in it’s entirety, so I’ve included just some of the sections of the painting above.
Pages from my sketchbook. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
The other important part of this art journey was my accordion style sketchbook. This too became the unfolding narrative of this particularly unique space and time. It also measured about 18’ long when unfolded but only about 8” wide. On my Instagram account you can see videos of me unfolding the book and showing the full length of the finished larger painting.
Ghostly boats of the now defunct fishing industry. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
Marks suggesting the vast groups of starlings sitting on the telephone wires. ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
Another case in point of having to be flexible at a residency - I had ordered a second roll of Yupo paper early in my stay, because I was already running out of room from my first roll. After waiting 2 weeks for it to arrive, they had sent the wrong item and it was completely useless to me.
I now had 3 weeks still left to go and nothing to work on. Fortunately my host had lots of construction materials around the building and offered me a stash of 16” x 12” plywood panels to paint. Rough cut, with nail holes and chunks of glue on the back side, I found the surface to my liking including the various cracks, splits, nail holes and other irregularities. It was a welcome contrast to the slick and perfectly cut Yupo paper.
So in my remaining time at PC I created a triptych of panels - 2 of which are shown below. This limited palette directly conveyed the visuals of the charcoal rocks, aqua seafoam, white ocean spray and yellow/green lichen on the rocks.
2 paintings on scrap plywood - 16” x 12” x 1/4” ©Amy Guion Clay 2019
And most importantly, it was my small group of fellow artists that made my stay truly special. We were a gang of 4 and shared the variables of our lives with each other - admiring each others work, sharing opinions on life and artists we love and don’t love, having a good laugh over wine and dinner. Sheri Rush from Chicago, Lisa Gingles from Valencia, Spain and her father Graham Gingles from Northern Ireland. I’ll be visiting them in Ireland in 2020 and miss them dearly already!
And finally, my host, James Baird, who made all of this possible. A huge visionary with the commitment to creating the right environment for future artists - thank you!
Having a moment - taking in the last of this majestic coastline. December 2019
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