Eva Isaksen at Aunt Dofe's Artist in Residency
Eva Isaksen and Solveig Landa upon their arrival in Willow Creek, MT for their collaborative artist residency.
We recently caught up with Eva Isaksen to ask her about her artist residency in Montana. The artist in residency program was hosted by the Aunt Dofe Gallery in Willow Creek. During her time there with fellow artist and friend Solveig Landa, Isaksen immersed herself in her practice surrounded by the Montana landscape. Eva Isaksen's recounting of her time spent in Willow Creek is found below.
The view which greets you upon your arrival in Willow Creek.
I recently stayed five weeks at Aunt Dofe House in Willow Creek, Montana, together with good friend and fellow artist, Solveig Landa from Norway. An artist residency is a time given to refresh and explore. A time to take in the new surrounding and a different environment. A break from the everyday work in one’s studio.
The interior of the Aunt Dofe Gallery, where Isaksen and Landa's exhibition displayed. Isaksen's framed monotypes, Linger I and Linger II, alongside her collage on canvas work Mother, are visible.
We both graduated from the Fine Art Program at MSU in Bozeman, Montana 38 years ago and have always dreamt about returning to Montana together. The Aunt Dofe artist residency offered us this opportunity. We stayed in the beautiful Aunt Dofe House, and had an exhibition at Aunt Dofe Gallery, a wonderful gallery space with the most amazing light. The town, Willow Creek, is a very small place, quiet and sweet, with lovely people and the surrounding nature is amazing.
The artists' collaborative work, Wild Willow, created using cyanotypes.
To get settled in, we started working on a collaborative piece which we titled 'Wild Willow.' Collecting willow branches from the surrounding area, we experimented with cyanotypes using the branches and other material. Once this collaboration was finished, we started working on our individual art.
Left to right: Willow Creek Night, collage on canvas, 12 x 12 inches; Morning Light Montana, collage on canvas, 12 x 12 inches.
Two of the works created, 'Willow Creek Night' and 'Morning Light Montana,' I made shortly after arriving at Aunt Dofe. They are both little homages to this beautiful little place Willow Creek.
The first series of works on paper titled Gone to Seed. Isaksen drew inspiration from the many seeds and dried plants in the area.
The series 'Gone to Seed' are studies of the many plants going to seed during my stay in Montana. Sometimes the seeds or dried out plant are more interesting than the plant in full bloom. I am always attracted to the often-strange forms and shapes of the autumn plants. With the landscape paintings, I was trying to take in the vast space. With the 'Gone to Seed' series, I was looking closely at the small details of the many drying plants and seeds I discovered in the meadows and ditches.
One of the many incredible views of the expansive landscape.
Throughout this process, it was impossible for me not to address the landscape I was in. I collected mental images of the land and the sky from many outdoors explorations and processed these images in the studio.
The second series of works on paper titled Montana Land and Sky and based on the vast Montana landscape.
The result was a series of Montana landscapes. What these pieces might lead to now when I am back in my Seattle studio, I am not sure of yet, but I know they will feed new work and new ideas.
Isaksen at work. Visible in the background is Linger II, a framed monotype featured in the exhibition.
The experience of Willow Creek and the residency at Aunt Dofe was fabulous. And to meet most of our art professors from 38 years ago at the opening of our show was magical.
Big Sky Country
Several of the works created during Isaksen's artist in residency program are now available to view online or in gallery.