Tyrone Guthrie Residency

October 2020 | Eibhilin Crossan

I was lucky enough to spend a glorious week painting in the Tyrone Guthrie centre last October. I was awarded the residency by Longford Arts Office and I’m so grateful to them for the experience.

Located at Annaghmakerrig, Newbliss, County Monaghan, it was founded in 1981. The house was the family home of theatrical director Sir Tyrone Guthrie, and he bequeathed it to the Irish nation in 1971, to be used as an artistic retreat.

There is something very special about the place and I had an incredibly productive week. With stunning Annaghmakerrig lake in front and forest all around, it was the perfect place to finish this series.

I was given an enormous studio to work in and it was amazing to have so much space to create in. I went with a plan – to complete my woodland walks series of canvases which I had been working on for many months. The space allowed me to spread out all the work and really see it. I found this so helpful to my process. Being able to go from one canvas to another really helps me to stay in flow. In hindsight, I now know this was the moment I decided to make a garden studio back home – I want more space!

As the days went by, I spent some time each morning and afternoon walking around the grounds, taking photos of the amazing mature trees, which were resplendent in their autumn leaves. The weather was also with me that week and I was able to take a huge amount of photos of the tree canopies flooded in sunlight. These photos will be a treasure chest for me to dip into again and again for inspiration.

You can view the finished Woodland Walks Collection here.