Sue Green and Alice Crane, 10 – 17 February 2024

Instagram: @sue_green_art @alicecraneartist

 

Sue Green

 

It was such a great opportunity to get away from all distractions, from home/work and online, Brisons Veor provided a much needed immersive experience and I/we could have easily stayed for 2 weeks.

The project proposal submitted focused on a site specific response and the intention was to collect pigment and colour sources in the surrounding environment. We had 2 days of sunshine at the start of the week and were able to walk the coastal path to Botallick mines taking in Kenidjack along the way. This was the perfect opportunity to collect and forage responsibly on route. The scenery was captivating and inspiring. 

A visit to Kurt Jackson’s gallery in St Just was also a treat, as were Sennon farmers market and the coast guard’s station around the corner. I discovered a wonderful piece of folded and eroded metal washed up on the shoreline and this was a significant object that influenced my creative journey.

 

Sue Green (images above)

We really enjoyed sharing the large studio space and working with the sea outside the open door upstairs was really fantastic and we enjoyed watching the sunset from our chairs strategically placed for the best view. Watching the gannets and other seabirds, seal spotting and witnessing the vanishing Brisons as the mists descended was also a fascinating experience. 

The house was well equipped and having no TV or wifi was a blessing, and as we had no distractions we were very productive. Each evening we held a critique session and reflected on the day and what we wanted to develop moving forwards. This was so helpful and allowed us to each give voice to our work and to articulate concepts and challenge one another on our practice.

We worked in handmade sketchbooks, on large paper, had a sewing machine set up, did some printmaking, screen printing and hand stitch, we collaged, painted and projected imagery around the space and felt that the week extended our creative output. We were fizzing with energy and put in long hours to maximise our time.

The key achievements for us both were in the supportive, nurturing collaboration and dialogue around our practice. We really had the time to talk deeply about our work, alongside the making process and this was refreshing and energising so that we left feeling like we were on the cusp of new work and discovered new ways of motivating ourselves once back in the studio in Somerset. 

Brisons Veor encouraged new connections to form and a long lasting relationship to flourish.

 

 

Alice Crane (work above)

My focus (Sue) was also on my MA exhibition at Plymouth Arts University in August. My week was particularly beneficial in terms of having time to think, plan and write. It clarified lots of ideas that had been swirling around in my head. I explored mark making with home made inks and stitched into our waste packaging to develop new forms. This feeds directly into current practice and continues a trajectory of discovery for me.

Alice began several new landscapes that had previously existed as unresolved ideas. She had also brought a collection of fabrics pertaining to family members and lived experiences, she was able to lay these out as a timeline and they began to make sense as a series for new work. This was a deeply satisfying resolution and she will continue to develop these in her studio moving forwards.

We plan to show our work during Somerset Arts Weeks in September/October and we are now planning a joint exhibition at ACE Arts, Somerton in 2025.