Artists response to being resident and featured artist:
My three months spent a Wigwell Lodge were one of the best three months I have ever had. The time to step out of my life and away from other work commitments meant I could focus solely on my ceramic practice and spend time in and around Wirksworth. I loved the mornings walking with my dog, sketching and photographing the beautiful landscape and the afternoons playing around with clay in my make shift ceramic garage studio! A wonderful old garage with high ceilings and lots of natural light through the high windows.
The opportunity to then spend a year developing and making work for the Festival central exhibition was my biggest creative challenge to date. I was able to make large scale work in a shared studio space with another successful application for an art residency at the University of Lancashire under the AA2A scheme for 2024/5 to make my exhibition “Unearthed” a personal response in clay to the Wirksworth area and Derbyshire.
The whole experience has been an incredible opportunity to create a strong relationship with my practice and with clay. The pressure of feeling as though people had invested their belief in me as an artist was profoundly motivating and the feedback from the Festival and Festival goers was positively humbling. I had the most incredible support from everyone around me and especially Martin Brooks from the Festival and Rob Parr, my old lecturer, friend and surrogate dog father. The belief, support and wisdom from the Trustees, John Wheeldon and Carol Taylor plus the most amazing woman I know, my Mum. The exhibition has not only provided a years worth of focused practice and development, but it also brought nearly all of my most cherished friends and family under one roof which was totally invaluable. Thanks everyone for believing in me, this truly has been one of my biggest achievements.