Creating Your Own Self Residency Experience

Leaving space for serendipity

When planning artist residencies, things don’t always go as planned, and lining things up can be a logistical challenge, especially if you are doing several residencies back-to-back like I often do. I rent out my home in Colorado to finance my travels, so if anything falls through, there isn’t a home to come back to.

Some residencies might not inform you of your acceptance for months, and if selected you might not receive the timing of your choice. Or in my case while planning my 6 months of residencies from November 2021 through April 2022, there was a wide open gap for the month of March. I set out on my trip anyway, trusting that something would fall into place as it almost always does.

Printmaking at the spacious and fabulous Glasgow Print Studio. March 2022

So it was time to create my own residency opportunities.

I knew I would be in Spain for Jan/Feb, and then Scotland for April, and I also knew that I wanted to do more printmaking. I love the UK and have lived off and on in London for some years, so I decided I would focus my research somewhere in Britain.

Sadly the London Print Studio, where I have done several print residencies in the past, was now closed permanently due to Covid, so that wasn’t an option.

Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow, Scotland - 2 week residency

I had heard over the years about the Glasgow Print Studio, which has an excellent reputation as an Open Access print studio. These kinds of studios don’t often advertise as residencies, as they cater to their members, but I enquired if I might spend a few focused weeks there in March. Despite the surging Covid cases at the time, the UK was open for travelers, and they generously invited me to print with them. They even connecting me with a wonderful and affordable place to rest my head, as the studio doesn’t offer accommodation.

A selection of the etching/monotypes I created at the Glasgow Print Studio.

This was a gloriously spacious print studio with all the equipment and help I needed, and it ended up being a productive, focused and highly enjoyable time. Not to mention that the local Glaswegians were incredibly friendly and available for help when needed. 10 out of 10!

Photopolymer etching ©Amy Guion Clay 2022

St. Ives, Cornwall. 2 weeks printmaking at Annabel Wilkes Studio

I also adore Cornwall in southwest England, especially the quaint village of St. Ives. I had been there several times, and I longed to go back. So I contacted a lovely printmaker I had met on my previous trips (I rented her Airbnb) to see if there was an open access print studio in the town (I knew of one but there was no heat inside!).

It turned out that she had just started offering her own print studio with accommodation for short stints to printmakers like myself, which included help and instruction to learn some new techniques. Had I not asked, I never would have known or had the opportunity. Perfect!

The studio of Annabel Wilkes near Zennor in Cornwall, England.

It worked out beautifully, and I was able to spend 2 weeks printmaking in Cornwall with Annabel, learning some collagraph and new monotype processes with natural objects.

I also had a few days to visit my favorite local places and to do the challenging 6 mile hike along the coastal path to the tiny ancient village of Zennor. My absolute favorite walk anywhere in the world!

Exploring new techniques using colorgraph and natural objects for monotypes. In process.

One of the collagraph/monotypes I created at the studio. ©Amy Guion Clay 2022

The Takeaway:

The point here is that we don’t always have to have everything planned out before we begin. Certainly this is true in the creative process! By leaving some space in our schedule, our plans can unfold in unforeseen ways, and new possibilities can present themselves in the most magical circumstances.

Also, create your own self-residencies by contacting places that might offer a space and studio to other artists. This is an opportunity to get creative with the ways you can make art in the world. It doesn’t have to be a formal residency situation. Choose a place you want to visit and find out what art spaces are available locally. Keep asking questions and see what answers arise.

So maybe next time, leave a little bit of wiggle room in your plans, ask around, and watch what wonderful things show up. Trust the spaces, the gaps, and embrace the unknown!

Learn more about residencies here