Creativity, Snow and German cheeses.
Does creativity flourish when all your needs are met? Creativity can happen anywhere, and thrive in any environment. Creativity can be a way out of darkness and a new way of looking at things from a different perspective. But when an artist is given a space, an environ where all the needs are taken care of, but of course this allows for the seeds to be sown and flourish in the spring. The only thing you have to do is work on your creation, and there are no constraints (except your own!). Time is on your side, to allow the gift of creation. But I guess creation is also limitless and timeless.
I was given an opportunity to explore this. Before leaving New Zealand I applied for an arts residency in Germany, as I was heading in that direction. the application involved a small payment, and for some reason I felt to apply to this one. And so came some good news, brought by the email pigeon, I was offered the Hoefgen residency stipendium!
I had brought some art supplies in Berlin before leaving for Saxony. On the 18th of January with a carpool Mittfarrgelenheit; 11.30am to Leipzig, and from there caught a train to Grimma. Kristina Bahr greeted me and picked me up at the Bahnhoff (station). A Lovely large room awaited me, open plan studio/bedroom. I walked in and was full of superlatives, (I’m not so good at being an aloof artist). It was like a New York Style apartment, with a little kitchenette and even a bath. It was snowing later, but this room was warm and cozy with central heating. I may have been pinching myself that night.
It was a five minute walk down to the restaurant, which is open for locals, and also where the artists in residence are able to eat and enjoy three meals a day. Quite an incredible residency for an artist, and I was very appreciative. There was a concert and a recital whilst I was there. There was a sculpture walk on the land, and some of the buildings were very old. The place where I was staying was a new building. The people were kind to me on this residency.
It was nice to meet Daniela, a German author there, and a few other people, Volker whom was a musician.
My time at Hoefgen was very, very valuable in terms of further experimentation with the paint process/techniques and working on many designs/ideas. Most of the paintings were inspired by images of Circuitry boards, collated from the internet, and put together with cellular formations. They are about connectivity and communication. Below is a painting I completed whilst there. ‘Connectivity’ – 60 x 80cm (Acrylic on Canvas). I was actually very tired when I arrived at the residency and was thankful for this time to rest, research and draw.
I was away from the residency from the the first week of February, (31 Jan – 7 Feb). I had an
appointment in Berlin 10am, and was happy as visa was extended to stay in Germany until November 2012. Then I went to Basel (Switzerland).
On the 7th, I carpooled back from Dresden with Rosemarie, all the way to my front door of the residency flat! Arriving back I met Gabriele, an Italian arts writer also staying there. Whom liked a good conversation, we talked a lot and shared meals at the restaurant. And we strolled along for merry snowy walks, next to the river and it was poetry to look at.
Walking in to Grimma town on a cold crisp day had many artistic moments. I would do walks around the Hoefgen area when it wasn’t too cold. These walks were beside the Mulde River. It seems that Grimma, is affectionately known as the “Pearl of the Mulde River Valley”
I caught the train to Leipzig one day and brought canvas stretchers. I stretched all the canvasses at the studio. There were about five 1m sq canvasses all ready to go. But they ending up going with me to Leipzig…
On the 3rd March I moved to Leipzig as it happened. I had to leave residency at Hoefgen a bit earlier. As the residency program was going to close, and so the residency was cut short. But I had been there for 5 weeks. so that was already a long stretch and I was thankful for the time. So Danielle offered that I could stay with her in Leipzig. And I ended up moving there as I met an artist friend of hers Thomas Flemming, I rented a room in his flat and completed the paintings. I called this group of paintings ‘The Saxony Series’.
Before I left and before it closed there was an open day. An arts crew came to film the place and filmed me pretending to work with the canvas.
With Ease 