Joya: AiR / William O'Neill / IRE

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / William O’Neill / IRE

While on residency at Joya: AiR, I planned to do one thing and then another happened instead! Breaking with my normal studio routine I made faster and looser still life paintings which I wouldn't have done if it were not for the inspirational and atmospheric surrounds where the residency is located.

Daytime, artists go off and focus on their work and then at night come together for banter AND to experience the incredible vegetarian dishes created by one of the hosts; Donna. I'm not a vegetarian but her food made me consider being one! 

If you're looking for a residency that's remote and gives you a feeling of escapism Joya is for you. The building, an old farmhouse, is perfect too, a testament to Simon's eco-friendly yet design-conscious eye with studios for all artists.

William O’Neill

@_williamoneill_ is an Irish painter who specializes in still life's. His paintings, which are process driven, are carefully considered compositional arrangements based on banal and simple everyday objects. The scenes he creates, photographs and then paints are fuelled by an interest in minimalism, the history of painting and the materiality of paint.