‘Platform’ has been my first residency, and I’ve been lucky to work alongside Ryan and Miklos in the Project Space at Surface. I began with an idea of making a series of paintings, though I found that I wasn’t happy with the result. After an enlightening one-to-one critique with Yelena Popova, I stopped working on the paintings and explored something new.

Having a deadline to work to and not knowing what the finished result will be was something completely outside my comfort zone. But I felt supported by Surface and the other artists to lean into it, explore, and enjoy the process.

Until now, I’d been making artwork from home, but I realised through the residency that I preferred having somewhere to come and work. It made art feel much less like a hobby.

I’ve also been grateful for being able to speak to other artists about the practicalities of being an artist - money, sourcing materials, applying for funding, having a web presence.

My work is about Phenology - the study of seasons - using a hybrid approach to generative art. My processes involve walking and photography to produce handmade algorithms to give her abstract work a natural feel, to mirror Nature’s patterns without repeats.

I’ve become a colour collector. Understanding subtle variations, the act of noticing, and reflecting on the effect of climate change on the colours we see is central to my work.

I’m in the middle of a Develop Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England and have been using the residency opportunity to consider my next steps. It has been equally important to figure out what I want to focus on, as it has been to rule out what I don’t want to focus on.

If I had advice to others looking to apply to opportunities, it would be:

● Treat art like work.

● Set aside uninterrupted time for artwork.

● Make applications as easy to read and understand for the funder/gallery as possible.

● Make as much work as you can.

● Find your niche.

Have fun.

Further works and updates from Holly can be found here by following her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/hollyjames.studio/