Joya: AiR / Susan Parker / GBR

This wonderful fortnight with the Joya: AiR residency has passed too quickly. My painting practice has expanded with this opportunity to create my own pastels and paints. After my last stay here, I knew that I wanted to use local materials to find the colours of this region and to work with limited water supply in response to the desert nature of this region. I came prepared with a glass muller to grind the rock to make my pigments, a sieve to create a fine powder and gum tragacanth to bind the resulting paste into a usable pastel stick. After a few attempts I finally managed to get the consistency right so that I could create a drawing.

As always, my work is practice led, so inspiration came with the process of making and being immersed in the nature of this special area. This has been a joyous experience for me in sunny rural surroundings with only my work to think about. Delicious food and comfortable accommodation, provided by Simon and Donna, as well as the interesting company of other artists make this a very special time and place.

I experimented with making egg tempera paint using the ground earth to create colour.  Egg, water and a tiny amount of gum tragacanth make a paste like paint. Sadly, honey was not available to use as a preservative due to strange climate conditions over the year which had affected the local bees. Using a light cross hatching technique in several layers I drew images of the local rocks that had helped to make the pigment. The whole process is very calming and favourably changed my way of working in a very slow and mindful manner.

My other work created here was a response to the light, the landscape, the lack of water and the dust. Everything in this valley is inspiring, especially the clear light, long shadows in the evening and the glorious skies.

Thank you again to Joya: AiR. I hope I will be able to come back.

Susan Parker

Susan started her career as an architect. Since her student days she has also illustrated nomadic dwellings for Dr Peter Andrews’ academic books on this subject. One example of Susan’s drawings is in the V&A Museum. Susan continued to work as an architect while alongside other design and art related work. She was involved with the Royal Opera House record drawings of the stage, studied glass design at Central St. Martins College of Art and designed exhibition stands at Olympia.

Throughout her career Susan has painted and exhibited work on the North Yorkshire Open Studios and Lunesdale Studio Trail as well as local galleries. Since 2015 Susan has worked as a full-time artist and is now studying for an MA Painting at Manchester Metropolitan University.