"Being an artist in residence at Azule was a wonderful experience. It gave me the time and space to sink into my process and focus on my art. The Azule atmosphere was beautiful and very conducive to creating".
In looking at the Azule site DONNA HURT was immediately intrigued by the area. She grew up in the mountains of SW Virginia and have always found such spaces very mystical and beautiful. Unlike the mountains of her home of origin however, the mountain range around Azule does not include her “family and the conservative restrictions that come with them. I would really appreciate a space like Azule to sink into and deepen my process as an artist. Being in the mountains of NC would help me start a project I have been wanting to work on. This project has to do with my home in VA and two very important women who helped mold me-- My mother and a paternal aunt-- One living. One dead. These two women approached life and took on roles very different from each other. My hope is that Azule will provide me a surrogate for my own childhood mountains that are too emotionally difficult for me to be in right now to undertake this work.
Not only would I turn to the nature around me, but also I would like to spend time talking to a few people in the community about my project and get input from them. No matter where I go I am interested in hearing people's stories and learning about their connection to the land they live in. My hope is that some of the dialogues that take place with others and me at Azule will help inform my work and Azule. My art will take shape with the use of photographs, handmade books, and maybe a video.”
Donna Hurt will be at Azule October 17-25, 2010.
Type C Photographs, 20x24"
Titles: Ida and Eliott
Childhood Dolls
The two images here are from a body of work that explores domestic relationships. One of my goals in delving into the domestic sphere is to better understand women's roles within the household. I have a particular interest in surrogate mothers and coming from a Southern heritage I am intrigued by the role of the African American Nanny.
I have chosen to explore these relationships in a variety of ways. One of the ways is taking portraits of nannies and the children they care for. Another approach consists of working with dolls. Dolls are toys and they are cultural objects shaped by the ideas, values, and obsessions of the society that made them. Toys are extensions of us and thus
have much to say about who we are.
ERIC OLSEN RESIDENCY
While at Azule , Eric explored the image of the painter painting. He worked from drawings he had made of other artists drawing at easels. For his three week residency, he developed those images into a series of paintings that depict the artist at work
Eric Olsen is an artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended The North Carolina School of the Arts, received his BFA from The Art Institute of Chicago , and received his MFA from East Carolina University in 1995. He is currently represented by Hodges Taylor Gallery. Eric also employs himself as an Art Installer/Preparator supporting various galleries and museums in Charlotte.
