Fundacio L'Olivar Artist Residency, Catalonia, Spain

6/6/2016

The residency is located across the road from the curiously tourist-free beautiful medieval town of Ventallo.

Meal-times called for passionate discussions with fellow residents on topics like culture, language, art, progress on and plans for current project

Around the residency are wheat fields and wild poppy fields that reminded me of Monet and Van-Gogh paintings. There is a Catalonian belief that the tall cypresses of this countryside connect the earth to the heaven, and hence life to death. The cypresses of this area and the clouds and skies have made their way into Dali paintings for this is Dali countryside.

My residency at the Fundacio L'Olivar in Catalonia was not only an opportunity to focus on my art making but also to deeply experience the natural world. Being surrounded by plants, trees, birds and insects always does wonders for my creative process and this time was no exception. Long walks and sketching in the forests and meadows surrounding the residency opened up many new ideas and avenues to explore in my work.

Working in the meadow

I also developed a deep friendship with Spanish artist Mar Serinya. We found such instant connection within our ideas and practices that it automatically led us to work on a collaborative project.