Foundation House, CT, Artist Residency Experience Part 6 The Basement/Uncercroft

One last thing I did at Foundation House was installing "A Thread X A Thread" in the "game room" in the basement.  The room looks like a medieval undercroft with a vaulted ceiling, pillars, a stone fireplace, stained glass windows, candle-sticks shaped lights, and wooden arched doors that make squeaking sound.  There was also some furniture and a snooker table, without which it looked like a dungeon or crypt. The room certainly had a creepy atmosphere.  Once I started setting up the pieces, the installation was easy, as the walls already had some nails driven into them.  These nails were rusty, suggesting that they had been in place for a long period of time.

I also installed a piece in a curved staircase to the basement and took some pictures. It was a little scary, but I had so much fun!  I probably won't be able to experience something like this in the future!

This is the end of my stories from Foundation House.  As an installation artist, I benefited tremendously by being able to install my installation piece “A Thread X A Thread” in three different spaces; apple orchard, inside the house, and the basement.  Each of these spaces were unique and inspirational; they became wonderful settings for my work that are hard to find in other public art venues.  I was also able to make eight paintings which was way more productive than usual.  I will treasure so many impactful conversations with other artists and writers, and moments of just having quiet time indoors and outdoors. 

 

This house was almost going to be demolished, but thanks to the new owner who bought it and "rescued" this place, it has been preserved and maintained. I honestly believe that even for wealthy people it would be hard to maintain such a big house. I am grateful for the preservation of this beautiful house and for the philanthropic spirit that makes this place available to artists and writers.  

It was a very fruitful time, and at the same time, it was like a dream.  I thank God for taking me to different places by doing art. 

Foundation House, Greenwich, CT  August, 2023

Foundation House, CT, Artist Residency Experience Part 5 Some Other Scenes

As a part of activities as a group, I had an opportunity to do an artist talk.  It was not a requirement.  What you do for the group is totally up to the individual resident.  In my artist talk, I talk about the stories behind the work that I don't normally write in the artist statement. 

Daily conversations with other artists and writers were nourishing, heartwarming, and thought-provoking.  We were a mix of visual artists and writers.  It was the first time I attended  "reading" events by writers.  Here, Annita is reading her work at the Open Studios event.  

This is the formal dining room for dinner for everybody to get together, but this is not the formal formal dining room.

This is the formal formal dining room.

This is the artist kitchen.  There are snacks and drinks here and we can have them freely anytime.  This is not the main kitchen by the way.

At one point, I was shown a gym in the basement.  After that, I could never find it.  This photo is the proof that I saw it!  

I even got to swim in the pool!  I enjoyed watching the beautiful colors of the pool with the house in the background.

Some more photos of the beauty of this place.

Foundation House, Greenwich, CT  August, 2023

Foundation House, CT, Artist Residency Experience Part 4. Open Studios Event

An open studio event was planned for the weekend to which visitors from outside were invited.  For this event, with the director's permission, I installed my installation "A Thread X A Thread" inside the house.  I chose the staircase, the foyer, and the end part of the great room.  These three spaces were separate, but my thread work held them together around one wall between them.  My rule here was to hook the threads where there were already places to hook them, such as the stair posts, railings, and wooden dowel joints.  This made for a rather unique composition for the installation.  And these dowel joints were strong and solid!   As I touched the old, smooth railings and panels, I could feel the craftsmanship and the weight of the history of this old house.  I got help from Jeff, a writer resident of this program with installing the piece at the high position.  It turned out to be one of the largest scales to date for this work.  I am so thankful for the generosity of the place for allowing me to do this.  

This open house event was all the more special and significant because it was the first time that people from the East Coast of the United States added the threads to my work.

I also exhibited my painting series "Iridescence," which I created in my studio. Thanks to the environment that allowed me to concentrate on my work, I was able to complete eight paintings.

Foundation House, Greenwich, CT  August, 2023