As I have said one of the most surprising things to have come out of this residency so far is the portfolio of new photography which I am building up. I have never really worked that widely in photography; although I do take good photographs, for me it has always been a means of documentation rather than a means to a finished piece. However I am really pleased with some of the things I have taken recently. It probably helps a lot to be in such a great location with the time to think and experiment. For todays photograph I haven’t however had to travel very far, it is an image of the stone-work and lintel above my studio window. I was particularly taken with the grid like form of the white lime mortar applied over the standard cement, it must have been a real labour of love to have done this to the outside of what was a the time just a Cow House. Plus it must have been done extremely well to have withstood nearly 100 years of weathering the way it has.

Last night we had the last of our artist presentations, this was given by Hilary Wilder, http://www.hilarywilder.com/; an american painter who has exhibited extensively throughout the States. Her large canvases and wall paintings often play with ideas derived from the romantic landscapes of previous century’s or newer interpretations of such. Though without narrative they take the spectator on a journey, be it through a cool, icy tundra reminiscent of Casper David Friedrich, the fire and brimstone of John Martin’s “apocalyptic” nightmares or out into space with the kitsch of Roger Dean or the void of Arnold Böcklin. Always produced with a wry humour, these are not always easy paintings to get along with and yet they seem to have a comfortable familiarity about them.