An Art Residency in Portugal

Last week I finished my artist residency at the Convento de Mertola in southern Portugal. The featured image is of Mertola from a boat. I learned so much about travelling as an artist and how to make the most of my residency. I thought I’d share some of my learnings with you.

My tour began in Madrid where I studied the paintings of Joaquin Sorolla and visited the other museums to see his work in the context of Spanish painting. I have written about it here. Since then I’ve slowly travelled through southern Spain, painting each morning, and ending with a two week residency in the Convento de Mertola on the Portugese/ Spanish border.

ON SLOW TRAVEL

On this trip I discovered the art of slow travel and loved it. I didn’t fill my days with various activities. Rather, I committed to painting daily. My partner Jayne came with me and we stayed about 2 weeks in each place, using it as a base to explore the area. We drove a car some days, but mostly discovered places by foot. We walked the perimeter of small towns to take in the countryside, and stumbled upon markets, museums and eateries in the centre. By frequenting our favourite cafes, we got to know people a little. Home cooking is one of Jayne’s passions, so we only ate out occasionally. Importantly, we chose small rooftop apartments that were perfect for painting the view.

Travelling slowly has many benefits. Firstly, it gave me a sense of home while visiting a place. We lived ordinary lives in new places, without rushing. I discovered my way around without a map and felt more connected. I reflected and wrote regularly, while studying the season and light in the town through paint. Painting a place slowed me down and deepened my looking. I followed what caught my interest and stayed close to my dreaming mind. My head was filled with the amazing paintings I had seen in Madrid and spoke to my heart and hand through paint. It’s like I digest experience through painting. My study tour culminated in an artist residency at the Convento de Mertola in Portugal.

CONVENTO DE MERTOLA

Mertola is a fortress town that lies on the southern border between Spain and Portugal, inland from the sea. It has a rich and brutal history of being conquered. The town has Roman foundations that are integrated into the Muslem and eventually Christian architecture on top. It’s very old. The Convento is built in the 1700’s, on a cliff where two rivers meet. It lies across the river from the town and was originally a Franciscan monastery.  The Franciscan monks were known for their dedication to prayer and the monastery fell into disrepair. A Dutch couple (Geraldine and Kees Zwanikken) came upon the ruined Convento in the 1980’s and rebuilt it with their quirky aesthetic. They turned the grounds surrounding the Convento into a biodynamic botanic garden with the help of the river. The Convento is now offered as an artist residency. This area of Portugal is extremely dry and hot in summer. What they have achieved is quite a feat. The accomodation and studios are simple, but you have everything you need. Geraldine and her son Louis were very welcoming. 

What I really appreciated about the Convento was the maverick attitude. I felt lightly held and could deeply relax into my creative practice there.

 Challenges and Learnings

• My residency was for 2 weeks – not a long time. In hindsight I should have scheduled this residency for the middle of my study tour and taken at least another week. It takes time to settle into a residency.
• Befriending uncertainty became a practice. I embraced trusting that whatever arose on my path of study was right in some way, even if it just led to the next step.
• New environments challenge you to paint in different ways. The surrounding culture, nature and climate challenge you to interact in ways that are outside of your identity and are uncomfortable. Your subject matter is different and you can’t possibly paint what you are used to. 
• The quietness at the Convento was a blessing and challenged my belief for connection through social media. Social media plays an important role in an art career. At times I felt torn about posting, and then just gave up. It was really worth it and I could just focus on painting.
• The physical and emotional distance offered by an overseas residency gave me new viewpoints on my identity. I somehow feel more relaxed about my path.

Overall I loved the independence I had on this study tour. It really was an open space to follow new paths in paint and aspects of my identity, as long as I showed up with brush in hand. I hope my experience has given you an idea. Thanks for reading.

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