If you are an artist who loves to travel and explore new places, this is for you.
Artist residencies are something I’ve been wanting to dig into for a long time. Fate—in the guise of artist Janice Mason Steeves—put me in touch with Amy Clay.
In this episode of The Art Biz, I talk with Amy Clay about her life as a “professional” artist-in-residence.
She’s away from her home base for 4 to 6 months at a time, stringing together one artist residency after another to fulfill her lust for travel and build what she calls her visual library.
Amy and I discuss:
- How this lifestyle started for her.
- The various formats of artist residencies.
- What she looks for in a location.
- How she finds funding for residencies.
- How residencies have made her feel part of a global artist community.
Listen
Mentioned
- Amy’s online course: Artist Residencies
- Michael Singer
- Ateliers Fourwinds residency in Provence
- Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, Colorado
- Villa Lafoten, Norway
- Join me in the Art Biz Accelerator: group coaching and a global community
Amy Clay Quotes
“I’ve made friends from all over the world that I’m still in touch with.”
“You really do feel part of this kind of global artist community.”
“As artists, we’re always building this visual library.”
“It’s about absorbing all of the sensual—the smells and tastes and sounds and light and all of these kinds of things. I’m taking that in, but I’m also taking in and expressing some essence of the place.”
Amy’s 5 Favorite Residencies (so far)
- Arteventura, southern Spain
- Admiral’s House, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- BigCi Residency, Blue Mountains, Australia
- InCahoots Residency, Petaluma, CA (printmaking only)
- Obras Foundation, Portugal
Related Episodes
Hear more from artists who incorporate travel into their business, practice, and lives.
About My Guest
Amy Guion Clay is a painter/printmaker, a traveler and teacher. Her abstract paintings and etchings reflect her love of traveling the world as an artist in residence. To date she has been to over 30 different residencies in countries around the world such as Turkey, Spain, Iceland and Australia. She is most interested in the mythical journey and how place impacts her work, and her explorations have led to many exhibitions both nationally and internationally.
She currently resides in Boulder, CO and finds the Rocky Mountains and the local art community in Boulder and Denver to be rich with inspiration when she’s not on the road.
Check out her online course: Artist Residencies
Follow her on Instagram: @amyclayart
2 thoughts on “The Art Biz ep. 149: The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay”
Alyson,
Great podcast, Amy touched on all the questions I have and kept us engaged with her experiences…imagine being able to travel like that! I have combined art residencies (Iceland and Crete) into holidays as well, tagged onto the beginning or the end. Both were wonderful residencies for different reasons, I have my bucket list of others I’d like to try and I am encouraged to get going with the applications!
I have also turned other opportunities into a type of residency – two weeks hosting at an albergue in northern Spain, several hours a day with lots of free time.
Loved listening to this. Wonderful. Thanks for introducing us to Amy. She is a brave adventurer. What
a treat.
I will definitely follow her on Instagram.
XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara