2020 - Gratitude For a Year Like No Other!
I don’t need to say that we all are glad to see the back of 2020. It’s been a tough year for so many. Nobody has been untouched by it’s contaminated hand.
Although I feel I’m one of the lucky ones, meaning my loved ones and I have (mostly) been virus free so far (touch wood). We have been careful, despite the frustration of physical distancing. We can’t wait to hug, and hang out and toast the new dawn, which finally seems within reach, although it can’t come fast enough.
But all that said and done - the lockdowns, closures and Clorox wipes - the thing that made 2020 more than a dung heap has been, simply, gratitude. In fact GRATITUDE is the best medicine for anything that plagues us. For most of us in the “first world” we still have clean water, electricity, stocked shelves (after the initial absurd stampede on TP, etc). And we can at least stay connected to our friends and family through technology, knowing we are keeping them safe.
“So often in life the things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Yes it was stressful - not just because of the virus but the fires and racial violence and election bizarro antics. Most of us have been impacted in some way by the financial mood swings and fallout of businesses struggling to hang on.
Flying out of Marrakech, Morocco in March 2020. ©Amy Guion Clay 2020
My biggest disappointment was the early abrupt end to my year-long travels back in mid-March. Already in motion, I was determined at first to ride out the storm (at the time in N. Ireland), until there was no longer a choice. I accepted the reality of having to cancel/postpone my 7 upcoming residencies and caught one of the last flights back to the US from Dublin (in the nick of time).
Compounding that regret, I wasn’t able to return to my own home because I had rented it out to fund my travels. I was adrift, not even temporarily able to stay with friends as I needed to quarantine for 2 weeks. Then luck had it - on Airbnb I saw a lovely apartment that was owned by friends in Boulder (and available at a reduced COVID rate) and I was happily situated there for the next 2 1/2 months until my renter moved out. Artists themselves, they even allowed me to set up a small temporary painting area in the bright and cheerful sunroom.
2 of the paintings I did in my temporary studio - a tiny corner desk was all I had to work on. Proof that we don’t need a big space to create!
Another example of my gratitude! There have been so many moments this past year of generosity, kindness, love and connection, and I’m deeply moved by the unexpected help and support I received from new and old friends. While I do not wish it back again, 2020 has made for some truly magical memories.
So here is my year in review and a few things that made this year special for me:
January: St. Ives Cornwall. I’d been to St. Ives several times before, and this time I had planned to do some printmaking at the local print studio. But when a dear friend joined me, we spent most of our time walking the stunning coastal paths! This was not a residency, so I was at liberty to plan a rare sort of vacation while I was on the road. I did manage to sneak in some time at the print studio to experiment with new techniques, but mostly I absorbed the breathtaking inspiration of the Cornish coastline. My favorite.
The Cornish coastline west of St. Ives. 2020 ©Amy Guion Clay
Experimenting at the Porthmeor Print Studio, St. Ives.
February: I then traveled on to a small coastal village in Spain called Rota, near the port of Cadiz. This 4 week residency (Pinea-Linea de Costa AIR) was just steps from the ocean, and though it was off season, there were plenty of busy happenings along the ocean front promenade. With just a few weeks to paint (I worked fast!), the residency culminated in an exhibition at the historic Castillo de Luna, a 13th century jewel of a space, with a warm and lively crowd at the reception.
Just outside the residency doors, the short walk to the seaside. I think they have since moved their location.
The magnificent exhibition space at the Castillo de Luna - my work for the exhibit hanging on the walls.
March: Morocco had long been a dream of mine. Being in southern Spain several times before, I’d regretted that I had never crossed the Straits of Gibraltar to the African continent. By now it was clear the virus was becoming a formidable foe, but still I was not going to miss this opportunity to finally get to Morocco.
In late Feb, I was joined in Seville by my friend and fellow artist Caroline Douglas (read my interview with her HERE), and we flew on to Marrakesh together. She is a seasoned traveler and has taught workshops in Morocco for 13 years, so she knows the country intimately. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect guide and companion, and we were well inspired for our planned upcoming exhibition together (dates still TBD).
Riding camels along the beach at Essaouira, Morocco. ©Amy Guion Clay 2020
Astride donkeys in the Atlas Mountains near Imlil, Morocco ©Amy Guion Clay 2020
From Morocco, I flew to Belfast to stay with my new artist friends who offered me their guest cottage by the sea, with studio, for most of March. Another sort of “self-residency” - it was an unexpected and glorious gift, offered to me after my other residency in March was suddenly cancelled!
By now there were new daily revelations about the severity of the virus, and it was looking bleak. I continued to hang on to my travels, not ready to return home. But eventually, I accepted defeat, and boarded an almost empty flight home to Denver on March 23.
Walking the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland, mid March 2020. ©Amy Guion Clay 2020
Flying almost solo from Dublin to Denver - sparkling clean and relaxing flight. One of the most pleasant flights I can ever remember!
After my Boulder Airbnb, and then settling back into my home/studio in June (while being as productive as I could muster), the roaming itch set me back in motion, this time by getting in my car and pointing north west. I drove my Mini up to Whidbey Island in Puget Sound to visit a friend. I then picked up my son at the Seattle airport and we meandered our way back to Boulder via Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, seeing a different view of the stunning Rocky Mountains along the way.
Later, in October, I retreated to some friend’s art/meditation ranch in southern Colorado, stopping at some of the small mountain towns along the way that I had never visited before. So being anchored in the U.S. meant exploring the varied deliciousness of my own home country.
The glorious changing colors of southern Colorado. ©Amy Guion Clay 2020
Work in process during my retreat in southern Colorado. ©Amy Guion Clay 2020
Above all, the gratitude I feel for the inspirational, exceptional people in my life is beyond measure. It is my warm and generous family, friends and fellow artists that make this life extraordinary. And to all of you, dear readers, thank you for your continued support and for taking the time to read my blog. It’s my gift to you!
So while we are on the cusp of a new Year that holds such promise (Yes!), the restrictions remain in place until vaccines are available to all. So in the meantime, take stock in what GOOD came of this year, even if it was just food on the table every day and night (and toilet paper in the bathroom). No matter the circumstances, there are always a million ways to be grateful. So enjoy!