From Aurelia Zephire

05 May - 06 Jun 2016 and 24 Jun - 30 Jul 2016

Trelex Residency is a sort of heaven for artists. Tucked under the eaves of an enormous ancient Swiss house, with plenty of light and space in the studio and on the surrounding grounds, complete freedom to explore new mediums or delve deeper into one’s work.

I highly recommend giving yourself enough time. At least one week to settle in and experiment: either with new tools or different approaches to your work. Nina and previous artists leave behind a wide range of tools/ supplies with which to play with, but be sure to bring along enough of your own supplies too as the Swiss art shops can leave you frustrated if you have a specific need or are working on a limited budget. You will need at minimum two additional weeks to do some work and a few days to wrap it all up. Of course, the dream is to spend the full 3 months in one go in order to delve deeply and start a solid body of work that way. Though I do find that I still feel full and continuing some of the streams of thought started there over a year ago!

The first month I was there I was able to begin and complete several of the projects I had started along with a brainstorm of new ideas. After a one month hiatus, I came back for a second month and completed a few more of the drawings and paintings I had started along with beginning a few more ideas to be completed later. The quiet countryside and plethora of reading materials in the studio rooms and library nourished another bout of brainstorming for future projects!

Although the end product, or body, of my work is often quite large, the pieces that go to make it can be folded up into a traveling case in order to be worked on in smaller spaces and while traveling, moving or in bed, since several health conditions often conspire to keep me there for extended periods of time. With a recently recovered bit of health, I challenged myself with Trelex...I had been yearning for a larger studio space in which to stretch out, move and involve my body more in the process and create larger single pieces. The time at Trelex Residency, Nina and her wonderful family, was an experience in my life which I will cherish for years...

aureliazephire.com