Graeme Hitchcock with some of his glass artworks. Photo / Grace Odlum
Graeme Hitchcock with some of his glass artworks. Photo / Grace Odlum
Glass artist Graeme Hitchcock, from Waikanae, has secured a coveted place in a month-long artist residency at the Arteles Creative Center in Finland.
His residency, at one of the largest and most international residency centres in Scandinavia, happens in January.
The theme of the winter residency programme isSilence Awareness Existence where participants will spend 1-2 days per week in silence with limited internet access and scheduled meditation hours in the heart of the Northern winter.
“Leaving New Zealand in the peak of summer to anywhere from -5 to -20 degrees Celsius, with only seven hours of sunlight and a lot of silence and meditation, I’m excited to see what the results of my unleashed creativity will be.
I think one of the greatest gifts a person can have is to sit and purr like a cat.
The centre hosts more than 120 selected international artists and creative professionals per year.
Hitchcock’s interest in the residency was piqued when a friend suggested it to him.
“He said the residency would suit me so I looked it up and applied. I’m really excited.”
It appealed for various reasons.
Artist Graeme Hitchcock. Photo / Grace Odlum
“Everyone wants to do an artist residency if they’re an artist, being in Scandinavia appealed, and the meditation aspect, and you don’t have to go there with any preconceived ideas. You allow your natural creativity to emerge.”
