Joya: AiR / Louise Frances Smith / GBR

“Before starting my residency at Joya: AiR, I planned to spend my 11 days drawing, reading and walking into the surrounding landscape. I knew there was clay there but had no fixed intentions of using it - however, the clay drew me in! It’s such a huge part of the landscape you can’t escape it. I collected it on my walks and made it into slip and inks (from red earth) to make my drawings - trying to capture some of the textures in the landscape (with paint brushes I made using local materials), the patterns of strata, rocks, clay; the shape the water erosion has left (but noticing the absence of water); the black clusters of moss on the rocks. There was so much to explore and so much I wanted to try to record.

With another artist we collected and processed some clay in the sun - slaking, sieving, drying, turning, wedging. At the end of each day after this, I sat and watched the sun disappear over the top of the mountains while I made with the clay - a piece that started to grow across a stone that was used when Joya AiR was a farm. It was wonderful to be able to process the clay and connect with the landscape in this way.

I’m extremely grateful to Donna and Simon, their ethos for Joya is truly inspiring and I’ve learnt so much - it’s filled me with aspiration to learn more about how I can bring this way of life back into my everyday life. I’m also very grateful to the other artists I connected with at the residency and their generosity in sharing stories and their work”.

Louise Frances Smith