Joya AiR: Week 2

Week 2 of my residency at Joya saw more refining of my focus. I narrowed it down to woven wool pieces that mimic the landscape, and ceramics made from local clay. The land was so unfamiliar to me, and drove me to explore unexpected avenues. Mornings would often be spent wandering the hills birdwatching and seeking out inspiration for my forms, while afternoons were spent weaving in front of the window or sculpting. At night I would sink into my bed, listening to the soft calls of Scops Owls outside my window.

Bits and pieces of experimentation: mark making tools, treasures found, sculpture components.

Spent one afternoon hiking up to this mountain cave with newfound friends. We spotted a herd of Aoudad sheep sprinting past along the scree slope.

Neolithic cave paintings. What could it depict? A bird and a human? A fish? A birthing scene?

Dinners are communal, an opportunity to connect and share ideas. The meals prepared by Donna are always nourishing and delicious.

Olive trees, viewed from my studio window.

Trying out firing my clay pieces in the wood-fired boiler. It unfortunately did not get hot enough to really bisque the clay.

On a junk quest with Alessa Joosten and Jenny Pope! The hills are full of abandoned, ramshackle farmhouses which yield excellent sculpture components.

The spoils of our junk collecting adventure.

The last wall standing from an abandoned farmhouse. Most young people have moved to the cities for work, resulting in the emptying out of agricultural communities in a phenomenon called España vacía.

A handmade game/interactive art piece set up by Romy Day Winkel to celebrate Alma Mathijsen finishing her manuscript!

Dawn hour view from the top of the mountain.

Making black pigment from a found animal bone, charred in the furnace.

Gathering esparto grass to try my hand at weaving it.

Dusk over the mountains.

Attempting a sort of “earth printing”, leaving soaked woven samples out overnight on the earth. Mixed results.

“Earth printing” test results. The last one is hammer ecoprinted with local plants.