Papertrails Residency

To me its a bit of an irony that in the month when my blog might receive more attention than usual because it was in printed form in a-n, nothing much seems to be happening in my project. This isn't entirely true, there is much behind the scenes sorting of materials and making of work. Much of my work is made up of large numbers of nearly identical pieces and although I find the process of making them satisfying and indeed almost meditative I find it hard to believe that other people will enjoy reading about it. Its one of those repetitive tasks like darning or cleaning which feels good for the soul but would be boring to watch someone else doing. There is also the little problem of the weather. Working ouside in the landscape with paper and paperpulp in a downpour would probably be very entertaining to watch but ultimately unproductive. So picture me calmly , meditatively making small handmade paper sheets and pages and shapes, casting paper over other forms in my calm studio in the north aisle of the church all the while keeping a weather eye out for a bit of a dry spell. Meanwhile my enforced period of work indoors at the church is seriously threatening to divert me away from landscape in the outside sense and into a different sort of landscape entirely. The church itself is a fascinating building with all sorts of stories attached to it. On one side of the church is the Newcastle Pew; a secuded and separate balcony pew where the gentry or indeed royalty sat with their attendants. Its a white painted area which is by contrast with the rest of the church, filled with light yet seems melancholy and unused. I find this solitary, lost space very interesting and have been making some more work which seems to fit there better than in the main church. I know I will find myself making other things for that space.