Joya Time

In March/April 2022 I undertook an arts residency with Joy-AIR in the Alméria region of Spain (www.joya-air.org) As some of the work I produced there is about to go on exhibition, it seemed a good time to write about the trip. A new catalogue (‘Here & There’) is available which covers work made here in the British Isles and there, in Spain.

Mending Our Ways

Time to start thinking about the next body of work. The studio is tidy, my stash of ‘potentials’ from the summer are stacked on a workbench and a couple of backing cloths have been prepared for something I can’t quite decide whether to stitch. Which probably means I shouldn’t.., or I should at least think more deeply about it before threading a needle. And then James appears clutching a sweater. “It’s got a hole in it, can you patch it for me please”.

Resilience, Relinquishment and Restoration - Working Towards Deep Adaptation

After a period of reflection, I think I’ve identified what lies beneath my struggles: Grief and Rage for everything this Earth has lost and will continue to lose. Rage against the politicians who lie, deceive and don’t act in our best interests, don’t act now to start dealing with the Climate Crisis.

Inspiration and Outcome

In September, Claire looks back at her photographic images and selects some where inspiration turned in to outcome.., and some that did not! Proof that there’ll never be enough time to realise all of the ideas we have; some just have to be enjoyed.., and let go of.

Taking my own advice

This month Claire considers how to build a harmonious body of work without it feeling repetitive or formulaic, reminding herself of some key ideas to help us change the way we handle media, tools and even the cloth or substrate we’re working with.

Inside Atacama

"The place has an ancient feel, a sense of the ground being somehow sacred. Vast and humbling.” Read Her Quiet Materials May 2019 blog to find out how textile artist Claire Benn draws on the landscape of the Atacama desert as inspiration for her work.

Marking Time

"I’m aware that growing older can cause anxiety, as time seems to be running out, but imagining time as spiral is rather comforting as it contains all of the events, experiences, learning and wisdom that has made us so far. We are at the very centre of it, pulling it ever upwards but never losing all that has gone before. In fact, all that has gone before spreads out and sits beneath us as a solid foundation.” Read Claire’s fascinating musings on the experience of Time and the impact this has on her work.