Iona

In February 2015 I was selected to take part in an Artist’s residency at Lagandorian Shepherds Hut on Iona. A tiny tin hut clutches the side of the hill facing into the full Atlantic swell. This retreat provided a month of solitude (possibly challenging isolation at times – no mobile signal and limited internet access and very limited heating and no running water in the hut) . I used the time and space to develop a new body of work. The compulsion to take the Iona retreat was overwhelming despite the potentially challenging physical setting and cold time of year. My plan was walk every day and draw every day. The exhibition for Spring Fling 2015 was the initial output from that residency. The residency was self funded but I received a grant from South Scotland Artist Award Scheme to help me buy a new portable printing press. The output from the Iona Residency was a body of work focussed on the seascapes and winter light of Iona and the “findings” washed up on the shore. This was my first residency and it has altered my working practice, helping me to realise that an intense period of time embedded in a place feeds my creativity for a long while afterwards. The artist blog for my residency can be read on my news and events page.