In April I blindly applied for an art Residency with the Art Gallery that represents me in Arkansas: Art Ventures NWA. This was their first residency of Art Ventures Visual Arts Residency Program, which makes it extra exciting. I went to Branson, MO. A place I hadn’t been since childhood.
Early in the year I applied and was rejected from so many other residencies I didn’t even consider when this one was, how long, or any details. Just filled out the application and kind of assumed I wouldn’t get it.
Surprise, I did! It was pretty last minute. I found out I was accepted May 6th and the residency start was May 13th. I’d already booked a trip that conflicted with the tail end of the residency so lots of last min flight changes, car rentals. The stress in the end was worth it though. Spending the week drawing in the forest is unmatched. Below is a video of my experience there and description of what I worked on there.
My focus was on the final piece of my Vrksasana series, which began in 2019 with Vrksasana Blossom. This explored the grace and power of a cherry blossom tree doing yoga. It combines Black, Indian, and Japanese cultures. Two other pieces have been created in this series: Vrksasana Willow, celebrating the variety in the human form, and Vrksasana Chill Oak, showing men doing yoga—something rarely captured in artistic expressions. As the last piece Focuses on a Sugar Maple tree Branson was perfectly serendipitous for its vast amounts of Maple. Prime research location.