In Cahoots Residency - November 2021

We are 5 of us, around the table, sharing the moment each of us knew we were an artist.

Each person’s story is unique, intriguing. Things I never would have guessed about the women in front of me. I’m reminded how little we know of others in general as we pass them by on the street.

Photopolymer etching/monotype, drawing. 11” x 30” ©Amy Guion Clay 2021

This is one reason why I love artist residencies. 10 days ago I didn’t know these people existed. Now we know intimate details about each other’s personal histories - families, struggles, successes. What it means to be committed to the life of being an artist. A choice that is never made lightly, or easily. But for those of us who head the call, we could never do or be anything else.

I’ve come to this residency in rural Petaluma, CA, for three weeks in November, to begin a 6 month residency binge. Or you could say, resume a year long residency adventure that was so rudely interrupted in March 2020 by, well, you know. And if you don’t, you haven’t been living on planet earth for the past 2 years!

Anyway, I digress.

I chose this residency because of it’s focus on printmaking. Without an etching press, I rely on printmaking residencies that offer the necessary tools and equipment to create my etchings. This place had it in spades.

The studio is a converted old barn, large enough to house 2 letterpresses, 2 large etching presses, and lots of room to spread out and also have an afternoon tea with your fellow artists.

Photopolymer etching/monotype. 22” x 15” ©Amy Guion Clay 2021

My table and wall filling up with etchings. ©Amy Guion Clay 2021

We each have our own private cabins with comfy beds, kitchens and bathrooms, so we are fully independent and cook our own meals. That said, every few nights we gather around the outdoor fire pit for happy hour, sharing stories and talking all things art, ideas, life.

The walk to the studio is 25 steps away. There are 3-5 artists at a time, usually selected based on the equipment they’ll need, so we don’t all show up at the same time and need the same press. And there is space also for one writer.

Photopolymer etching/monotype, drawing. 22” x 15” ©Amy Guion Clay 2021

More etchings on the press. ©Amy Guion Clay 2021 ©

My challenge was to use a set group of images I created on photopolymer plates, each time in different combinations, in new ways. To create a cohesive body of etchings that would tell the ongoing story of the Quest.

Photopolymer etching/monotype, drawing. 15” x 22” x ©Amy Guion Clay 2021

As usual there was never enough time to complete all that I had hoped to do. Alas, the plight of the artist. But I explored a new level of understanding myself as a printmaker, how different is the process to painting, and that I can love and do both. The more I do, the more I want to do!