General News
30 March, 2022
Residency provides fresh perspective
MELBOURNE-based artist Shannon Donovan has learned to approach her creative endeavours from a fresh perspective after taking part in the Commercial Hotel’s Artist Residency program.
MELBOURNE-based artist Shannon Donovan has learned to approach her creative endeavours from a fresh perspective after taking part in the Commercial Hotel’s Artist Residency program.
The program offers artists an opportunity to focus solely on their artistic and personal growth over a six-week period, with accommodation and support provided by the Commercial Hotel and its kindred creatives.
Ms Donovan, 29, finished her time under the program this weekend after creating 12 oil-based paintings which feature images and styles she had not originally set out to create.
“I had sort of been doing the same thing for the past few years, all of these blue paintings and drawings which I am still liking, but I thought that would be the big project I did while I was here,” she said.
“It’s worked because this style I have been doing is much bolder, a mix of traditional still-life with pop-art influence.
“I haven’t really done anything like that before, so I think being here and being away from the Melbourne art scene was good.
“It can get a bit pretentious, yucky and toxic sometimes. It has a lot of great elements, but at lot of yucky ones too.”
Ms Donovan said she had been inspired to join the Artist Residency program after hearing Commercial Hotel owner Les Cameron interviewed on radio.
“My parents had heard Les and said to give him a call because it sounded really cool,”she said.
“I felt like things were a little bit stale for me in Melbourne, it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere, so I thought a change wouldbe good.
“You don’t get that many opportunities to spend six weeks working on your art without distractions, not having to support yourself with a part-time job or other commitments.
“I think being removed from all my social commitments and having to go to work every day really helped, and I was quite happy to move out of where I was living, so it was all good timing.”
She said the opportunity to step away from her metropolitan surroundings, and the day-to-day necessities of life, had proven beneficial and helped to approach her art from a new perspective.
“I think being away from thinking about what people in the art world were thinking about what I was painting really helped,” Ms Donovan said.
“I was so removed from that, and every day life, it was almost like isolating in a way.”
Ms Donovan said during her time in Terang she had learned to approach her art from her own perspective rather than from one which felt a safer, more commonly-accepted medium.
“Not searching for others’ validation is probably the best lesson I’ve learnt here,”she said.
“I really want to hold on to that because it’s helped me make art that I like a lot more than anything I’ve made in a while. “Getting away really helped.
“I’m definitely going to not keep things to myself, or look for other people’s validation from friends, family or other artists.”
Ms Donovan’s range of artwork is currently on display at the Commercial Hotel, witheach work available for purchase.