photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Merritt Spangler / USA

‘Upon arriving at Joya: AiR, I was immediately inspired by Simon & Donna’s commitment to both ecology and artists. This sustainable way of living, outside what we conventionally think of as society, deeply impacted me despite my brief stay at the residency. With new eyes I could see the life, both as an artist and a human being, that I’ve long desired to embody. Surrounded by snails on the property, I was reminded to move about my day slowly and methodically (that is to say with intention). This experience will impact my art practice for years to come. And I must not forget to mention Donna’s incredible cooking, as it is because of her commitment to evening feasts that I was able to connect so deeply with the other artists at Joya: AiR. I can only hope to experience La Joya again in the future’!

Merritt Spangler

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Ilinca Fechete / ROM

‘The precious time spent at Joya: AiR has been a truly unique gift and opportunity that has allowed me to engage in learnings of the self as deeply as in furthering my work in a tremendously rich environment - navigating consciously out of the usual distractions and demands of daily life - Joya has also gifted me time with the most deeply touching humans all whilst nourished with the most healthiest homemade dishes’.

Ilinca Fechete

Born in Romania in 2002, and growing up tri-lingually on the southern coasts of Canada, Ilinca Fechete’s artistic practice emphasizes conceptual methods to engage in political reflections and geopolitical preoccupations. Based in Munich, Germany since 2020 in new media at the Academy of Fine Arts, spacial concepts at the HBK, Ilinca is a recipient of the DAAD scholarship, the Max-Ernst Prize, and a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Folkes and the John Templar Canadian Artist Award. Ilinca’s recent artistic publications have been exhibited at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Karl & Faber Auction Haus, and the Max Ernst Museum des LVR. She is currently a part of the international artist collective 2.5 and co-organizes the academic lecture series, Jour Fixe of the Academy of Fine Arts Munich.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Odile Blanc / CHE

“Writing at Joya means writing on the sun, on a well or in the shade of an olive tree. It's finding refuge in a studio open to the outside world, the valley and the threats of storms. It's running during a break, on dirt tracks, through pine forests, almond and olive groves. It's sharing coffee, wine and fascinating discussions with inspiring friends, watching the dawn, and writing, writing before the sound of the bell announces the evening meal, cooked by the local culinary artist and host. It's about being inspired by the aridity of the land, by the sensations and emotions that run through: Joya inspires and, I believe, marks the existence, thanks to Simon and Donna”.

Odile Blanc

Odile graduated from the University of Geneva and the EPFL with a master's degree in art history (2019), specialising in architectural theory.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Femke Bosma / NED

Arriving at Joya: AiR felt a lot like a release of tension. The pressure to move with the speed of daily city life immediately fell away and I would eat breakfast in the sun and enjoy the silence. In those moments I was able to reflect on my life back home and the way I had been working for the past years.
I remember the silence alternating with having fun with the wonderful people that where at Joya during my stay. Playing card games, eating great meals together, watching films and walking around the beautiful hills. I also had a lot of fun returning  to experimentation with photography, which was a bit of a surprise as someone who works mainly with audio. But it had meant I felt the freedom to follow the creative hunch that I felt while at Joya.

Femke Bosma

Femke studied crossmedia design at ArtEz Enschede. She focussed on audio-installations that combined documentary interviewing with sound design and location specific experiences.

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.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Lesley-Ann O’Connell / IRE

I loved my residency at Joya Air.  The landscape is spectacular, it’s very remote and I was struck immediately by its silence.  I did the residency jointly with my partner and we brought our young son.  While it was challenging for us to create work under the circumstances, we took turns in giving each other quality time to absorb the place and create. I did a number of figurative drawings of scenes that captured my gaze, taking out my pastels to draw what was in front of me without overthinking.  I enjoyed the freedom of a limited time frame and site-specific task and it showed me how much can be achieved with restricted time and a small bit of focus.  This marked a break in my abstract painting practice.     

Joya: AiR is an immense credit to Simon and Donna.  They've created a superb space, blending their beautiful Modernist yet traditional set-up with the surrounding landscape with huge integrity.  Simon’s understanding of the ecology of the area and awareness of our impact on climate change has made me rethink a lot of my own habits and how they can be improved.  Donna’s vegetarian cooking was so delicious! Wow, I looked forward to those meals every evening. Both Simon and Donna were very accommodating to our needs during our stay.

Lastly, one of the best parts of the residency was the people we met, given the communal nature of the set-up.  All were from a variety of different artistic backgrounds and places.  They were so interesting and fun to hang around with.  It jolted me out of my post-covid, post-baby social slump!  

Lesley Anne O’Connell

Kevin Kavanagh gallery-Lesley-Ann O'Connell

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Kathy Bussert-Webb / USA

Participating in the Joya: AiR residency changed my practice. I went from having every machine and tool in my U.S. studio to improvising, e.g., making paper with no blender, mould and deckle, or fabric (for blotting and couching), and using only a gallon of water total (3.8 liters) to conserve Joya resources. The texture and found objects on the Joya-made paper were more compelling! And since I had no sewing machine, I hand-stitched on paper, fabric, and sticks. Having access to every comfort in my U.S. studio made me complacent, so Joya pushed me to reveal my mark-making, making me feel vulnerable - naked, yet free as an artist. This opening in tools and materials also shifted my didactic work on eco-feminism and veganism to abstraction and playfulness on the same themes. I thank Simon and Donna for their hospitality, rides, conversations, input, and divine food, as well as Joya residents and hiking buddies for risk-taking with me. Last, I want to thank nature for being so generous.

Kathy Bussert-Webb 

Dr. Kathy received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in  studio art in May 2022. Kathy was a fellow at the Chautauqua School of Visual Arts (Chautauqua, NY), Azule (Hot Springs, NC), Art Farm (Marquette, NE), Elsewhere Studios (Paonia, CO), and Joya. She will complete a September 2023 national park residency at the Homestead National
Historical Park (Beatrice, NE). She has exhibited in several national/international juried and non-juried shows and has initiated several socially engaged art experiences with children and adults. Her solo shows include her MFA exhibition at UT-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV, March 2022), the Art Hub (May 2022), and the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy (June 2022). She published her art and poems/essays about it in U.S. peer-reviewed journals and two art reviews and an interview in GlassTire, a Texas art magazine. Dr. Kathy holds a Ph.D. in
Language Education from Indiana University, Bloomington. She is Professor Emeritus in UTRGV’s Bilingual and Literacy Studies Department, a Slemp Endowed Chair of Community Engagement, and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Honduras). In May 2023 she walked 200 miles in nature on the Camino Portuguese (from Porto) and received a Compostela certificate in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Sarah Phenix / USA

“During my time at Joya: AiR I reconnected with slowness, play, and re envisioned my art practice with the use of natural materials. I had the opportunity to go for long hikes every day and create within the landscape. After, I shared findings and conversation with artists I admire over Donna’s incredible cooking. This space helped me to engage with creating with the land in mind, with sustainability as a possibility. Joya: AiR was a beautiful and regenerative place for me.”

Sarah Phenix

Sarah Phenix is interested in connecting others through her relationship to the environment and her personal processing of loss and regeneration. She received the Bridges Fellowship from BAVC Media and worked with Other Cinema in 2018-2019 in assisting in running their 16mm archive. Her work has been shown and screened at Southern Exposure, The Roxie Theater, Image Flow, and more. Her work has been featured in Analog Cookbook, Nowhere Diary and Brooklyn Vegan Magazine (NY). She currently co-directs an analog production company, Rainbow Tunnel, hosting film workshops, screenings and creating independent film projects in the Bay Area, and is preparing for a show at the Mills Museum for Spring 2023.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Zoe Toakley / AUS

“Being at Joya: AiR was a fantastic experience that I am already missing. It was so fabulous to meet so many new and inspiring people over the 4 weeks I spent there, I feel so lucky to have been able to make connections with such amazing people from all over. 

Time has a way of moving very slowly at Joya, but it’s a wonderful way to work where you feel no pressure or rush but everything just flows quite naturally. I feel creatively re-energised and was able to build a foundation of work that I am very happy with. 

Thank you a million times to Donna and Simon for fostering this creative environment, and in such a beautiful space. It was so comfortable, nourishing, welcoming and open”. 

Zoe Toakley

Zoe Toakley holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Majoring in painting at the National Art School, Sydney


EXHIBITIONS AND PRIZES

2022 – The Other Art Fair (New Futures Prize), The Cutaway, Barangaroo

2022 – CustomMad feature in recently renovated house, Balmain

2021 – I Came To See, Exchange Square, Barangaroo

2021 – Group show, The Allambee Club, Yass

2021 – Lost and found, aMBUSH Gallery, Sydney

2019 – aMBUSH Gallery Prize

2019 - National Art School Graduate Show – Drawing exhibition, Sydney

2019 – National Art School Graduate Show, Sydney

2019 – Enigma (Group Show), National Art School Library Stairwell Gallery, Sydney

2018 – Landscape (Group Show), National Art School Hoff Space, Sydney

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Suman Gujral / GBR

“Being at Joya: AiR gave me the luxury of time to reflect on my practice through working, walking, thinking and discussing my work with other creatives, in a beautiful, peaceful location.  At home, all my time is accounted for but here I was free to decide moment by moment what I wanted to do, which was very liberating. What I loved was walking every day and breathing in the peace and beauty surrounding me. The immediate impact of my residency is that it has made me feel very connected to the earth and even more aware of how we need to protect it. I can't explain how uplifting it is to be at Joya - you will have to come and see for yourself”.

Suman Gujral

https://sumangujral.bigcartel.com

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Jason Haberman / CAN

"The short stay I had at Joya: AiR was like a dream. When I got there I was greeted in the most welcoming yet casual way that I instantly felt a part of something bigger. The dry mountain air felt like clay on my skin. The smell of lavender and rosemary followed me wherever I went. It took a few days to discover how truly special the landscape I was immersed in was. So much passion and care go into every inch of the land and witnessing this made my imagination run wild. A truly humbling experience. I have so much respect and endless gratitude for Simon and Donna. The energy they cultivate here inspired me for a lifetime not only as an artist but as a human being. Thank you"

Jason Haberman

Jason Haberman is a multi-instrumentalist / artist and musician from Toronto ON. 

In 2021 he released a full length experimental ambient L.P. with musician Isaac Symonds called 'Natura Sophia' and he has found much success and following within the ambient music community. With averaging 35k listeners a month and playlist spots such as Lava Lamp, Music For Plants, Electronica Romantica Jason says ‘I feel like my reach to more fans is closer then its ever been’. 

in the Fall of 2022 he released his second solo album called VOYA that has been described as "Exotica music for warm baths" - Brian Borcherdt (Holy Fuck)

Aside from his solo career as 'Yaehsun' he is a touring musician and has recorded / toured in bands such as Dan Mangan, Zeus, Jason Collett, The Wooden Sky, Dusted, Yukon Blonde, Jose Contreras and more.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Romas Tauras / LTU

‘Splendid isolation in the great emptiness of the Altiplano Maria Los Velez in Spain. Painters privilege Northern light for its constancy. There’s everything to be said however for a vast studio window facing East. Every day begins with a sun salutation. Very grateful to Joya: AiR for making this space, and so much nourishment for body, mind and spirit available to me during my residency. All this in the ‘Grande Vacío’ of the Spanish interior. Where there is nothing. And everything.

El Grande Vacio has been designated noplace, a non-place. Socioeconomically it is a blank. People, industry, even agriculture have all flocked to the coasts. There is nothing to see here, and every day feels the same. And yet there is an infinite array of tones in the smallest piece of flint, the wildflowers are tiny dashes of pure saturated colour. And here are Simon and Donna, self-sufficient - thriving in fact - in a climate that conventionally deemed inhospitable. The future is here in La Joya, and they embody it’.

Romas Tauras

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Lucy Ridges/ GBR

‘I came to Joya: AiR for a short time only, without any heavy expectations of what I wanted to get done. I came with a few loose new ideas I wanted to work on, and a couple of almost-completed projects that I wanted to think over, consider, and complete. 

From the moment I arrived, I felt calm and welcomed, and I knew it was going to be a great week. There’s a real energy to the place, everyone is cracking on and doing their thing, but there’s a really beautiful atmosphere of sharing, support, and friendship. 

Donna’s cooking was a highlight! Some of the tastiest, most nutritious, wholesome food I’ve ever eaten. Meal after meal was just incredible. Sharing meals together in the evenings with the other artists quickly became one of my favourite times of the day. Enhancing the sense of community that I was already feeling. 

I’m really happy with the work I ended up producing, my studio was ample sized and filled with loads of natural light. I felt like I had so much time to breathe, in a way that I don’t really get at home. I love residencies for their ability to take you to a different place with your creativity, without distractions. The location is great, most afternoons I went for a big walk in the beautification surroundings.

I had some lovely talks with the other artists and writers, and it felt so nice to talk through my ideas with other people, who gave a different perspective to the work. 

I really hope to return to Joya: AiR soon! Thanks so much Donna and Simon. 

Lucy Ridges

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Kate Langrish Smith / GBR

‘I arrived at Joya: AiR excited by the prospect and luxury of spending two weeks immersed in a rural landscape, with other artists who would be living, exploring and experiencing this alongside me. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the countryside of the Sierra Maria as we drove to the Cortijada surrounded by magnificent mountains, almond trees and the parched white terrain. 

This parched white terrain was, as Simon informed me, mainly clay based  - and would form the focus of my creative exploration over my stay through collecting, processing, experimenting and then forming into vessels, inspired by the artefacts in Donna and Simons home and the surrounding materials. 

Joya: AiR enabled me to connect with the landscape and its ecology, the other residents, to share interests, creative practices and passions. This is supported by the vision, energy, care and nourishment that Simon and Donna create as part of an embodied expanded creative practice and home - exploring, learning, understanding and responding to the landscape and their place in it, and through compassionately sharing this space and knowledge, and encouraging and allowing others to explore and respond in their own unique way. A truly inspiring, energising and nourishing experience. 

I look forward to being able to return one year to collect and play with more clay and other local materials and possibly even fire work in the kiln’! 

Kate Langrish - Smith

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Klara Kusa / SVK

‘When I came back to Slovakia, the first thing that hit me was the vivid green colour of the landscape. The landscape in Spain is much different from what I am used to in Slovakia. Therefore, I observed the country and walked across the desert. I found a book on anthropocene in Simon’s library and was inspired by Timothy Morton’s thoughts. The idea of hyperobjects suddenly started to make sense to me. 

For one week, Joya: AiR became my home and I used it to regenerate, contemplate and create art. I collected various objects found in the desert and juxtaposed them in my studio, creating coal drawings from the found remains after the fires. Coming from central Europe, I have become much more aware of how climate change affects us and what are the consequences of our inability to live sustainably. I would like to thank Donna and Simon for their hospitality, and great meals (I learned a lot about British and Spanish cuisine). Moreover, I was inspired by the architecture of the whole house filled with inspiration and simply magic’!

Klara Kusa

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Suzanne Gainer / USA

‘Joya gave me the space to make art among like-minded creatives, commune with nature, eat delicious home-cooked meals, play, and evolve. I was fortunate to have had several weeks to devote to my practice and in this time, my work was transformed. I learned to simplify. I began to let go of external expectations and enjoy the process of making. Talented artists, writers, and musicians came and went, each an inspiration and a new friend.

It was a privilege to have had this experience. Simon and Donna have created a truly exceptional space. Joya is a work of art’.

Suzanne Gainer

Suzanne Gainer is an artist and a Professor of digital media art at Worcester State University in Worcester, MA. She holds an MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI and a BA in Communication from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.

Her exhibition record includes local, national, and international venues. Works from her project ‘Visible/Indivisible’ were shown at the Barcelona Foto Biennale where she received a Pollox Award in the Digital Photography Manipulation & Collage category. Other solo shows include ‘Flora’ at Gallery Seven in Maynard, MA, ‘Wonder’ at the Acton Memorial Library in Acton, MA and ‘Memories Wake’ at the Red Eye Gallery in Providence, RI.

Other notable venues include the Charles Playhouse (Boston MA) where she was awarded the grand prize at ‘Vortex: A Juried Exhibition by the Blue Man Group', the Limner Gallery (New York, NY), the South Shore Art Center (Cohasset MA), Worcester Center for Crafts (Worcester MA), the Katherine Shultz Gallery (Cambridge MA), the Nash Gallery (Minneapolis MN), Arlington Center for the Arts (Arlington MA), The Print Center (Philadelphia PA), and the Sol Koffler Gallery (Providence RI). Her video works have been screened at a number of festivals including the ‘New England Film & Video Festival’ at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Talia Stone / NED

‘An ant walks near my feet, stops at the little chunk of muesli I dropped and picks it up. The grain is twice her size, and she stumbles on her hind legs while waddling over the cool concrete. I follow her nearing a hole in the wall, where her fellow ants help her carry her prize inside. I take another bite of my breakfast and sip my green tea. The leaves of the olive tree above me crackle in tune with the tingling sound of the light metal strings hanging in the door to keep the flies out. The buzzing bees and a melodic bird add to my little morning orchestra. As I write this in my journal, I can’t wait to start another day here at Joya: AIR.

The peaceful household, surrounded by endless trails for exploring, mountain views and blue skies, are a fantastic framework for days of writing. My senses are wide open, my brain feels soft -but in a good way, while I work effortlessly.

Sometimes one of the other residents glides by, and we chat or decide to go for a walk together. Or they pull me inside their studio for a second opinion. We share stories, ideas and jokes in the evenings while enjoying Donna’s delicious meals. Spending your days like this is such a luxury, and I wish it could last forever.

I’ve grown as a writer here; I can’t explain it.

But it’s interesting to notice that the serenity of the environment has crept into my stories. I wrote this one sentence about two characters who are fishing together. When I read it later, I laughed out loud and thought: That’s me!

Here is the sentence: ‘They enjoy the stillness, defying the fast-paced life around them.’

If my book ever comes out, I might have to name Joya AiR as co-writer’.

Talia Stone

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AIR / Helen Benedict / USA

‘I arrived at Joya: AIR with the beginning of a new novel but little idea of where it was going. Tentatively titled, Glorious Sin, it’s about memory, aging, love and betrayal. In the past, it takes place in 1940s New York and 1950s London, opening during the Great Smog of 1952. In the present, it takes place during the pandemic when the protagonist is swinging in and out of dementia at the age of 97. By the time I left Joya: AiR, I had ten chapters written and a plan.

All in all, Joya gave me some of the best writing time, inspiration, peace and nourishment (visual and literal), I could ever have asked for. Met wonderful, kind, inspiring people, saw and heard wildly beautiful birds every day. The landscape of white and sage, pink and forest green, red poppies and bold blue sky have all seeped into my work. Donna and Simon, thank you’.

Helen Benedict

Helen Benedict, professor of journalism at Columbia University, is the author of eight novels, including the forthcoming The Good Deed, about refugees in Greece, and two novels about the aftermath of war on women, Wolf Season and Sand Queen, the latter named a “Best Contemporary War Novel” by Publishers Weekly and reviewed by The Boston Globe as “The Things They Carried for women.’” A recipient of the 2021 PEN Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History, the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for her exposure of sexual predation in the military, Benedict is also the author of six works of nonfiction, most recently the award-winning, Map of Hope and Sorrow: The Stories of Refugees Trapped in Greece, co-authored with Syrian writer and refugee, Eyad Awwadawnan. She is also the author of The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women at War Serving in Iraq, and a widely-performed play, The Lonely Soldier Monologues. Her writings inspired a class action suit against the Pentagon on behalf of those sexually assaulted in the military and the 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary, The Invisible War. She also authored Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes, the first book to examine the effects of racism and sexism on how rape is seen by the press, the public and the law.

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Lettie Neame / GBR

‘My time at Joya: AiR was such a unique and wonderful experience. Before arriving, I had no idea what to expect, but was shocked by the overwhelmingly beautiful and serene surroundings. It was a great way to connect with other artists and nature to take a step back from the outside world.

What makes Joya AiR so special is its centrality around sustainability and giving back to the environment. Everything here is circular and makes you realise how easy it is to incorporate into your daily life. One is free to go about their day as they please making the experience totally theirs, and in the evening everyone gathers to share delicious food and each others individual experiences and journeys. Donna and Simon create such a relaxed and warming environment that helps you to slow down and embrace this moment in time.

The beautiful views and surroundings were enough to make me feel inspired in my painting practice, but what was really encouraging was the constant support everyone gives one another. This was a great way to pause and reflect on my art practice before going into my last year at Edinburgh college of art, and I have left full of ideas and excitement for my practice. I really had such a great time and will definitely be back, thank you Donna and Simon for your incredible hospitality and this opportunity. I can’t recommend it enough.

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh studying MA Fine Art. It is a 5 year course where I study both History of Art and Painting. I have just finished my fourth year and have one year left’.

Lettie Neame

photo Simon Beckmann

Joya: AiR / Paula Bosco / ARG

“My time at Joya: AiR has been a unique opportunity to engage in my creative practice in a new environment without the usual distractions and demands of daily life as well as connecting with talented and beautiful humans with whom I exchanged experiences and enjoyed delicious food.

Joya’s location in the stunning Andalusian countryside provided me with a breathtaking backdrop for my practice. With its ethos centred on sustainability, it was just the perfect place for me to continue addressing the impact that the art industry has on the environment within my own practice. As an artist that embraces moving away from exploitative and extractive relationships with nature, and prioritises connection, slower living and mindful action, I felt more connected than ever even though we’re completely off-grid. I was also able to see my work with fresh eyes and gained new insights into my creative process which has helped push myself to new levels of creativity and self-discovery.

Surrendering to the astonishingly beautiful landscape and letting the sublime simplicity of life being the protagonists, generated a fertile environment for observation and focused work. I spent time soaking up the peace and beauty of this incredible place, allowing myself the time for grounding, exploring, creating. Just observing and simply being in deep communion with Mother Earth. 

Thank you Simon and Donna for being such warm and loving beings. I felt at home”.

Paula Bosco

Paula Bosco was born in Córdoba, Argentina. Her career began as a Fashion Designer, fashion being the industry within which she developed a fascination for textiles and honed her screen printing, hand embroidery and textile manipulation techniques used in her current creative practice.

In 2017 she specialised in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins School, University of the Arts London. Throughout the years, her artistic practice has evolved alongside her personal spiritual journey, and transitioned from working mainly digitally as a print designer to a continuous exploration of a wide range of textile manipulation, dyeing techniques, natural materials and anything that allows her to connect with slower living and mindful action.