Made In Isolation

Community artist Christy Zuccarini has started a project called 'Made In Isolation' in light of the current global Covid-19 pandemic. She asked artists that she knew to participate. I was one of the artists she included on the 'Meet Your Makers' page https://www.madeinisolation.org/amelia-eldridge . On the Instagram page, she continues to post submissions that she gets through the website of whatever people are working on during their quarantine period. Whether it be formal works of 'art'or baked goods, etc.

Alaw, the Naiad of Rhaeadr Peiran

Alaw means "Melody." She is named after a river in Anglesey, Wales where she was born. Now she lives by the Rhaeadr Peiran (Peiran Waterfall) on the Hafod Estate in Ceredigion. She seduces men who walk by her waterfall. Once she met a man named Hefin, which means "Summer."

Morfudd, the Mermaid of Mwnt

She fell in love with a man who belonged to the sea.

In Progress Scroll

One of my main projects during my time in Wales was this paper cut scroll piece. While cleaning out/organizing artwork from college this past summer, I stumbled upon an old long form scroll I made in a drawing class in college taught by Leslie Robison. It featured paper cuts of me in these big blue headphones (the only painted part of the scroll) I always wore and a phoenix traveling throughout. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back the phoenix was very symbolic. I realized I wanted to revisit this medium. Well I took a scroll to Wales with me, and this is the result. It was easy to throw in my bag, and lug across the country. A visual diary of my journey in paper cut form. I used an X-Acto knife to cut out the shapes. There is a lot of personal symbolism, that resulted from my feeling like I was in a fairy tale. I read Welsh folk and fairy tales to prepare me for my trip- a sort of theme and angle to attack the country so to speak. Perhaps it is unsurprising that exploring and creating my own developed narratives was a theme during my time there. The dragon is the unifying character throughout the scroll, due to my personal affinity for them (them representing me/my transformation- first a phoenix in college, now a dragon on a journey) and that the dragon is of major cultural significance to the country. I didn't finish it at the residency, but have a written list of additional elements to add. 

Sleeping baby dragon with sleeping baby lambs. My favorite dragon so far. 

Red kites- love my raptors 

The Wild Apple Tree

I returned from my month long trip to Wales on Saturday, March 7. I spent three weeks in Y Ferwig, Wales at the beautiful CreateSpace Wales studio space, which is just outside of Abertifi/Cardigan. I then spent 4 nights in Aberystwyth, before spending another 3 nights in Cardiff. As soon as the plane took off from Cardiff I started to cry, and I cried on the second flight from Amsterdam to Dulles. I've totally fallen in love with Wales, a truly magical place that I intend to return to. I can't really put the experience into words, and I honestly don't even want to try, but below is a photo of a wise old wild apple tree that I found by Bwlchystyllen , in the highlands of the Cambrian mountains in Ceredigion. I left my soul there. It felt like coming home.

Residency in Wales

On Friday, February 7 I will be leaving for a residency at Createspace, in Y Ferwig, Wales. I will be gone one month. I cannot wait to play with dragons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBl7ZFI-QP8

A poem in Welsh that I have fallen in love with by the 14th century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym
Y Gwynt or The Wind . Magically enough, it is set in the county in Wales where I will be staying, Ceredigion.

Self Portrait with Hair Piece

It has been years since I played around with a nice camera. My brother let me borrow his nikon dslr , and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some new portraits of myself with a hair piece covered in dry flowers that I purchased from April from Floriculture Micro Farm . She always has such beautiful flowers and arrangements at the Hereford Farmer's Market. I've styled it with some Japanese silk ribbons of varying widths that I dyed with logwood and indigo last year.