Joya: AiR / Ellyx Martinez / USA

“Joya: AiR is a quietly powerful and awe inspiring space on all levels. Leaving and reflecting on my time here, I feel entirely humbled and grateful for the privilege of being able to share time with this incredible residency and the life that surrounds it. As my time here unfolded, deep listening and appreciation for the land holding our shared home became unavoidable. When applying here, I hoped seeing Spain and its landscape in the context of care my ancestors knew could give me insight on the mixed identity I’m learning to carry. I couldn’t have expected the absolute embrace I felt from the space and the found family that emerged. Whether we were patiently waiting for the sunset together, making tea at all times of the day, wandering to the sound of wind through trees, noticing the power of water in the high desert hills, or giggling at the untamable galloping of Simon and Donna’s dog, Frida as she chased the swallows- there wasn’t a single aspect of this experience that didn’t leave me with a swollen heart and a sense of recognition that comes with reconnecting with family, no matter how distant. The most potent takeaway was the power to witness each day with the people around me, simply enjoying the company of one another as we saw ourselves bloom in our work and discovery with the pacing only a space like this can give. Simon and Donna are incredible hosts and co-creators of this uniquely inspiring and joyful environment”. 

Ellyx Martinez

Ellyx is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, studying for her Bachelors in Painting and Printmaking. She will graduate in December of 2023 as a Dean’s Scholar. In 2022, her work was shown in a juried exhibition: Layers of Ink in St. Louis, MO as well as a First Friday Exhibition in the Arrowmont gallery in Knoxville, TN. She was also commissioned to design and paint a mural for Mutual Aid Distribution. (Richmond, VA). She was chosen to be Arrowmont’s Visions Intern for the Summer of 2022. https://www.arrowmont.org/2022-summer-visions-intern-ellyx-martinez/.