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In July 2017, I started a University Sabbatical by restructuring
the studio space of my practice and participated in an Artist Residency in
Morocco.
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| Entrance to Kasbah, Matisse, 1912 |
It has been my desire to go to Morocco since I was an undergraduate student
and first saw the art works that John Singer Sargent, Paul Klee, and Henri Matisse
produced while on their journeys to Morocco.
Most significantly, Matisse’s work had a
profound impact on my understanding of painting because of his color/pallet
shift and the compositional changes in his work.
Matisse’s two trips to Morocco had a profound
and lasting influence on his studio practice.
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Several years
later I was introduced to the work of Richard Diebenkorn, and saw the influence
of Matisse’s Moroccan work on the Bay Area Master. These artists and their
works compelled me to explore the culture and the art at the north/western tip
of the African continent.
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| Matisse, Diebenkorn |
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I flew to the residency, called Green Olive Arts
in Tetouan, Morocco from Los Angeles, stopping over in Madrid, Spain. I was
picked up at the Tangier airport in Morocco by residency co-founder and
co-director, Rachel Pearsey. We had a
one-hour taxi ride to the Mediterranean port-city of Tetaouan.
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| Tetaouan, Morocco |
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Tetaouan is an ancient/modern city which is off
the dominant western tourist route. The city is the home of the King’s summer
palace. Tetaoun is a partly walled
ancient walking city (the Median) and part bustling modern city. Green Olive Arts occupies the entire second
floor of a three-story building situated a few blocks from the ancient walled
median. The building is nested in the outdoor produce market district filled
with farmers stands, bakeries, and cafes.
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The Residency/The City
The residency facility consists of four well-lit studios,
each with a balcony that overlooks the market place. There is also a small
library, a full kitchen, a computer station, small fabrication shop, art supplies,
and administration offices. The residency intentionally boards each of the
visiting artists in the community within easy walking distance of the studio
complex. This immerses the visiting artist into the daily pulse of the city,
walking back and forth each day with quick stops at the local bakery, produce
stand, or a cup of Arabic coffee.
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The residency facility consists of four well-lit studios,
each with a balcony that overlooks the market place. There is also a small
library, a full kitchen, a computer station, small fabrication shop, art supplies,
and administration offices. The residency intentionally boards each of the
visiting artists in the community within easy walking distance of the studio
complex. This immerses the visiting artist into the daily pulse of the city,
walking back and forth each day with quick stops at the local bakery, produce
stand, or a cup of Arabic coffee.
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| Studios |
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| street view from studio |
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The city is known as the art center of Morocco, home to the Institute
Nalional des Beaux-Arts and the Royal Artisan School of Tetouan. The city hosts
a variety of art events and cultural festivals every year, including 2-3 film
festivals, an international lute festival, concerts, cultural weeks, parades,
and Andalusian music events celebrating the richness of North Africa.
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Green Olive Arts founders and directors, Peter Herron, Rachel Pearsey, and Jeff
McRobbie, graciously run an impressive,
well-oiled program connecting international artists to the Moroccan culture and
the artists and master artisans of Tetouan.
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| Peter, Rachel, and Jeff |
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Each day involved a walk from my boarding room to the studio
thru the ancient walled medina.The median was always bustling with life: full of curious sounds, sweet and pugent smells, and kaleidoscopic visuals. The people of Tetouan were gracious and kind, quick to offer salutations or a
helpful hand.
By the third day I was recognized
and greeted by local residents and merchants on my daily walk to the studio.
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On several occasions the residency staff made
arrangements for opportunities to meet and spend time with local artisans; weavers,
wood workers, metal smiths, pattern-makers, etc.
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The residency hosts 4 to 6 visual artists and
writers from the international community. Each artist determines their own length of
residency ranging from 2 weeks to 2 months with the average stay being 3 weeks.
During my 2-week stay there were 2 other
visual artists in-residence: New Zealand artist/designer, Johann Nortje and
Moroccan artist, Hajar Daide.
My Work
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On my first full studio day I met with a master
pattern maker to study and practice Islamic pattern design. We did several
traditional patterns using only a simple compass, no rulers or straight edges.
As we worked I began to see the foundations of abundant richly designed
patterns that embellished the city from the ornate tile work to the decorative
wrought iron patterns to the textiles and elaborately woven rugs.
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By the end of that first day, I had determined the work I would do during my residency. I decided
to do a series of daily works, one per day, each consisting of a single large
pattern design, with a central form out of which the design would radiate. At
the end of each day, I would partially eradicate the pattern by applying a
series of thin washes of white gesso, leaving the central form a ghost image of
the pattern. This was a daily discipline of concentrated work (based on
Moroccan design forms) that culminated at the end of the day with a remnant of
the process. I deeply contemplated the relationship of presence and memory and
particularly, presence and memory while traveling in a non-native land.
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Day Trip to Chefchaouen, the Blue
Village of Morocco
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Chefchaouen is a
stunning mountain village about an hour from Tetouan. I took a local taxi (along with 4 other
occupants) from the Tetouan train station to the gates of Chefchaouen.
The city
was founded in 1471 as a
small kasbah or fortress to fight the Portuguese invasions of northern Morocco.
Along with the Ghomara tribes of the
region, many Moriscos and Jews settled here after the Spanish Reconquista in
medieval times.
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Often referred to as “the
blue city” or “the blue pearl”, the Chefchaouen is painted or should one say,
washed in a sky, rich blue. The buildings, the sidewalks, and even at times the
road- ways have been painted, and then painted again often with a blue that is
just slightly off tone ,as if the blues were breathing or pulsing.
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History tells us that
during the Spanish Inquisition thousands of Jews fled Europe, so as not to be forced
into Christianity. They ended up settling in Chefchaouen, painting all the
walls blue, the color of divinity in Judaism. Locals claim that the blue color
repels mosquitoes. Walking the streets of “the blue city”was the closest
thing I could imagine to walking thru a painting.
