Joya: AiR / Michelle Landel / USA

‘I came to Joya: AiR at the end of January and basically spent a week carrying around and photographing a life-size paper mache bird head that I had stuffed into my suitcase and an old watering can that I found blown into the woods. This sounds a bit mad but sometimes as an artist you need the time and space to follow the weird to find a new and a more interesting place. Being at Joya allowed me to slow down and go deeper into my creative practice and ideas. I read, sketched, journaled, and took long walks in this magical landscape. I had great conversations around the fireplace and dinner table with wonderfully talented artists, especially our hosts Donna and Simon, that I will be thinking about for years.

At Joya, I had my own quiet bedroom, bathroom, and private studio. I woke up rested and without an alarm to watch the sunrise each morning, made myself breakfast and chatted with the other early risers, and got to work. When I needed a break there were the mountains to explore, a friendly dog’s ear to be scratched, delicious food to be eaten, and cozy corners for reading.

I know already that the photographs I took of the watering can will be the basis for a September solo exhibition at Le Salon Vert gallery in Geneva, Switzerland and by wandering and playing outside, my paper mache bird head became a scarecrow who is both a woman and a bird that scares and intimidates predators while protecting what is growing and is vulnerable and needs nurturing. This project may take me years to develop but my time at Joya will have been a crucial part in pushing it forward’.

Michele Landel

Simon Beckmann27 March 2023