My Journey as an Artist
Artist In Residence, Balatonfured/Csopak Hungary

Having never applied for a residency before, I was hesitant to apply
when I read the announcement in Artdeadlineslist.com since it seemed
primarily geared toward painters, film makers, and writers. Had I
known the pool of applicants totaled over 500, I might not have
applied but my ignorance of those odds led me to and I was chosen as
one of the 24 artists. The residency is superbly organized by
Hungarian born, world renowned painter Beata Szechy, founder/director
of the Hungarian Multicultural Center (HMC) in Dallas. During the
summer, two or three groups of twelve artists spend four weeks at a
guest house near Balatonfured Hungary, a beautiful resort town on Lake
Balaton (a few hours west of Budapest). The overall objective of the
residency is summed up in the introduction page on the HMC web site,
HYPERLINK "http://hungarian-multicultural-center.com"

http://hungarian-multicultural-center.com as the opportunity to
reside and work as a resident artist in an atmosphere designed to
stimulate personal vision and encourage new and exciting artistic
expressions.

The objective of this residency is multi-faceted. First and foremost
is for artists to gain a deeper knowledge of the rich culture and
wonderful spirit of Hungarian people and to act as ambassadors for
their own countries. Secondly, artists are brought together from
different countries, backgrounds, media, and styles to encourage new
dialogues which may impact their creative expression. Art transcends
political boundaries and although each culture has developed their own
unique forms of expression, the basic nature of humanity is common to
us all, regardless of where we call home. Exploration of new
surroundings and each other was just as important as the exploration
of our personal artistic avenues.

In February 2005, I was elated to receive my acceptance letter and
went into high gear preparing for this adventure. The idea of going
alone to Hungary was appealing since I love the spontaneous and
unknown aspects of travel. With many details to work out I focused
more on practical aspects than on emotional fears regarding my ability
to live up to my own expectations, which I would confront once I
arrived. I feel it's very important to understand the history and
culture of foreign places I visit so I purchased several useful guide
books. As flying to Budapest is expensive, I was fortunate to have
accrued enough frequent flyer miles to travel round-trip with an
upgrade to business class which really saved my back and made it
easier to transport three pieces of luggage, one completely full of
fabrics and art supplies. I made plans to spend four days in Budapest
prior to the residency, soaking up the unique culture of the city, as
did many other artists in my group. Rooms had been reserved for us by
the HMC at a guest house located on the Pest side of Budapest, close
to the Danube, the Parliament, and the Metro station.

Once travel arrangements were confirmed, my next task was arranging
for a sewing machine since I work primarily by machine. The thought
of hauling my 20 pound Bernina all the way to Central Europe made me
nervous so finding an alternative became my next priority. I emailed
the Bernina dealer in Budapest (Varrogepcentrum) explaining my
situation with the residency in Balatonfured and that I would like to
rent or purchase an inexpensive machine for four weeks. I was amazed
at the reply from Katalin, the store manager who spoke excellent
English, that the shop would lend me a machine at no cost; all they
asked is that I advertise their shop as much as possible. All this
communication took place in March and April so I was quite anxious
right up until my arrival in July, when I would meet them in person.
In the months prior to departure I continued to research Hungary,
planned what I supplies I would need, renewed my passport, and
purchased a new lightweight laptop.

My flight departed Albuquerque on Tuesday morning, arriving in
Budapest on Wednesday evening, and I found it easy to get a shuttle
from the airport to the guest house. The next morning, I walked to
the Danube for a glimpse of the imposing 750 year old castle on the
Buda side of the city across the river. Already I knew this was a
magical place I would embrace and want to return to in the future. I
wanted to lose myself in the magic but I had to pick up the machine
first; there would be time for gallivanting later. I called Katalin
to let her know I had arrived, whereupon she picked me up and took me
to their shop. Laszlo, the owner, and all the employees were excited
to meet me, look at photos of my quilts and get to know a little bit
about me and where I lived in the US; I was very proud to be a
cultural ambassador. I was delighted to learn they were loaning me a
brand new Bernina 440, including the Bernina suitcase for easier
transport. Katalin took me shopping for fabrics and threads and then
the shop owner's son, Tommy, took me sight seeing around the castle
and fortress. When I was completely exhausted, the machine and I were
delivered back to my room at the guest house; they refused my offer
of leaving a deposit or a credit card number for this $3000 machine.
The incredible generosity and kindness they showed me was not an
exception; I would find that Hungarians went out of their way to be
extraordinarily helpful over the next few weeks.

Extensive travel to six continents has taught me the importance of
learning to say: please, thank you, hello, goodbye, how are you?, yes,
and no in several local languages (though that wasn't necessary in
Antarctica). Few Hungarians speak English but most speak German as a
second language which proved helpful to me. My French, Spanish, and
Italian were no use but I have picked up enough German from past
travels that I was able to read menus, bus schedules, and buy supplies
in German. Although I am very good at reading maps and figuring out
transit systems, there were times when construction on streets and
mass transit made it difficult to decipher the detour instructions.
Time and again locals would walk out of their way for several blocks
to direct me to the right place.

With three days left, I set out to discover Budapest and like most
European cities, Budapest is best explored on foot. Since I grew up
75 miles from New York City, I had spent time in Manhattan alone as a
teenager and was pretty street-wise. I quickly discovered it
perfectly safe to walk alone nearly everywhere in Budapest during the
day and also in the very early morning and at night; I was confident
to venture out alone, though taking the usual precautions I would use
in any city. I spent every waking hour enjoying the pulse of the city
by wandering the narrow, medieval streets on both sides of the Danube,
visiting the Opera house and several major art museums. In the late
19th and early 20th century, Budapest rivaled Vienna as the "Paris" of
Central Europe, the place to "be" for artists, writers, and
philosophers, until World War I brought upheaval with subsequent
Russian and Soviet occupation. Hungarians again regained their
independence in 1990, and then joined the EU in 2004. The cafe
atmosphere of the 19th century is enjoying a welcome renaissance in
the 21st century.

While living in Europe in 1968, my parents instilled in me an
appreciation for antiquities. One site I had to see was the partly
restored Roman Aquincum just north of Budapest. The 20 minute train
ride was as if I had hopped on a time machine. I spent the morning
immersed in this ancient city, completely mesmerized by fragments of a
civilization built two millennia ago. Several rooms had been
reincarnated by restoring the surviving wall frescoes and furnishing
the rooms with everyday items such as wicker furniture, baskets,
fruit, flowers; I felt as though I had been invited into the home of a
Roman citizen. A long storage shed filled with pieces of what was
once a thriving civilization contained hundreds of stone columns
chunks and other architectural elements, exquisitely embellished with
flora, fauna, and abstract designs. What many people regard as a pile
of old rocks and discarded "stuff", I see as a connection to other
artists who shared the same hopes and dreams as modern artists.
Hundreds of photos I took there will provide inspiration for future
quilt series, focusing on the simple lines and textures of the
decorations.

After several days of individual exploration around Budapest, we were
met by Beata and traveled by van to Csopak for the residency.
Although the residency is international, our group comprised eleven
Americans, purely by chance. The 12th artist chosen was from the UK
and cancelled due to a family crisis. There were eight women and
three men, ranging in age from 23 to 66, all incredibly talented,
driven to create, and open to this extraordinary opportunity to
discover new insights into themselves and their artistic paths. Our
adventurous crew of eleven would make our home together at Forras
Fodado, a spacious guest house surrounded by vineyards and sunflowers
in Csopak, a little village on the outskirts of Balatonfured. We were
two to a room in large rooms, each with a great view of Lake Balaton.
An inside studio/family room housed shared painting supplies and we
sometimes gathered there to view each other's artwork. Most of the
painters worked on the huge covered patio and we ate our meals out
there when the weather was nice, which was most of the time. Anett
Henye is a single mom, who runs the guest house with the help of her
14 year old son Soma, and became a good friend to each of us. She
went out of her way by taking us shopping and driving us places
difficult to visit by bus. We traded English lessons for Hungarian
lessons with both Anett and Soma. It wasn't like staying at a hotel
at all; we were treated like family.

Beata resides with the artists during every residency and is as
passionate about the artists as she is at getting exposure for artists
and the program. She is a very warm and caring woman who is never
without Max, her beloved Beagle who was a joy to us all. On the first
official day of the residency, each artist presented a 30 minute slide
lecture about their artwork and intended focus during their tenure.
That really helped us get to know each other as artists and
individuals. When I presented my quilts, the other artists, who were
mainly painters, were quite surprised that my artworks were created
from fabric, thread, and sometimes a little paint. They had not been
exposed to art quilts before and were very anxious to learn about my
techniques. During the next four weeks, several artists would come
into my room and watch my creations take shape with enthusiasm and
although we didnít have any official critiques, several of us offered
critiques of each other's artwork, something I miss from my days at
art school. Being surrounded by artists for 24 hours a day is one of
the things I cherish about the residency. By day we would venture out
for our own explorations and that made for exciting conversations each
evening, when we could gather to share a little local wine, reflecting
on challenges and new found treasures in this strange new world.

It was a two mile walk into the town of Balatonfured on the shores of
Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe and famed for its
healing waters. The normally very pleasant weather of 80 degrees
changed drastically as we experienced a record week-long heat wave
with the mercury hitting 105 degrees, coupled with extreme humidity
which made it uncomfortable since there is no air conditioning
anywhere. After dinner on those sweltering nights we cooled off by
swimming in the lake, a pleasant respite. The following week brought
a cold front, sending us to the flea market to buy sweaters. Our time
was completely unstructured and I spent every other day exploring by
myself or with other artists. On my walks to town, meandering through
old neighborhoods, I shot photos of the unique architecture of the
homes and the spectacular gardens in the yards. Forras Fogado was
located on a bus route making it possible to take buses farther afield
without going into Balatonfured. One day, Robin Walker, a painter
from Dallas, and I hopped on a bus to Veszprem, a medieval town about
20 miles away, where we discovered a British version of super Wal-Mart
and also a huge home improvement store. Those were our best choices
for cheap food, picture frames and other art supplies. That was the
setting for the infamous incident of figuring out which bus to take
back to our home base.

Now that I knew the trick to getting the right bus, I went back to
Veszprem by myself to visit the 1000 year old castle, one of the
oldest in Hungary. I spent the day wandering around the hilly,
narrow, and cobbled medieval streets, all part of the walled city
built on a hill overlooking a large gorge. It was fascinating to walk
through the restored buildings, many now used as shops for artisans
and the ancient village square that hosts free jazz concerts
throughout the summer. This was part of the complex tapestry of
Hungary. The castles, the flowers, the wine, the people, their
language, all woven together in patterns that make this place unique;
wonderful inspiration for me to take back to my fabrics to begin
cutting and collaging!

I had decided before I began the residency that I wouldn't go with a
plan for my art journey and just let the beauty of the landscape and
Hungarian culture speak to me and let my work evolve from that. Since
I work primarily in landscapes, I did bring fabrics along which I
could use for landscapes; textures, flowery fabrics, leafy patterns,
rocks, batiks, and a good selection of fabric paints, markers, and
threads. After visiting every fabric store I passed, I quickly
discovered that fabric choices were limited by our standards. Readily
available fabrics consisted of woven, tweed types and silks, but very
few types of cotton and no batiks. Very often I use silks and
decorator fabrics in my landscapes so I wasnít averse to using them.
On my first trip to Veszprem I had purchased a grey tweedy woven
fabric, perfect for castle walls in ìVeszprem Castle Gateî. I worked
best by spending an entire day wandering around shooting digital
photos then creating artwork for the next day or so, working from the
images on my laptop. Six of us had laptops which proved to be a real
help for developing ideas when working from photos, since it was
difficult to get prints made. I had also purchased a large drawing
pad and plenty of drafting supplies at the discount store in Veszprem.

My first day of working was a warm up exercise, using my fabric paints
to create a close up of the sunflowers and the colorful hills around
our guest house which I framed and presented to the Bernina shop in
Budapest as a thank you gift. I was so fascinated by the architecture
and the beautiful flora of the area I naturally gravitated to working
in that direction. While woven fabrics I purchased locally were
perfect for portraying ancient castles and masonry of the homes,
decorative stitches on the 440 machine, coupled with variegated
threads I brought from home, lent themselves to embellishing the
architecture with lush vegetation. On one piece in particular, Shadows
& Light II, I didn't have the right fabrics at all so I painted most
of the scene, using just a bit of fabric. A real boost to my
confidence was that my co-artists admired how well I could render the
scene with a combination of paint and fabrics seeing as I hadn't
painted much in the 30 years since college. Paint was a main element
in Breezy Morning, inspired by a sheer curtain blowing out from an
open window. In eight weeks at Csopak I completed eight fiber
landscapes and have several hundred photos for future quilts. I have
ideas for several series from just simple architectural elements,
intriguing since they are different than our doors and windows; they
have their own stories to tell so I will attempt to offer them to the
rest of the world.

This residency effectively provides peaceful, unfettered time and
space for artists to pursue their art; uninterrupted by phone calls,
visitors, and chores. Either by bus, bicycle, or on foot, we could go
into town to check our email at an internet cafe or shop. With no
phone in the guest house, most of us walked to the local market and
used pre-paid phone cards to call home now and then, although a public
phone has since been installed. I so enjoyed rising at around six in
the morning and having a quiet breakfast on the patio, soaking in the
beauty of the gardens that surrounded the house. I shot photos of the
crumbling stucco, the weathered windows and doors, and the exotic
flowers. At mid-day, a local restaurant brought our catered lunch in
the European tradition where lunch is a large, hot meal; a great
opportunity for us to exchange our thoughts about everything from the
challenge of getting on the right bus to finding coffee creamer at the
market. It also made us feel like a family and furthered the bonds we
were forming. For dinner, we were on our own to either cook in the
communal kitchen or go out for an inexpensive meal. I shared some
wonderful dinners with my fellow artists at a local restaurant about
ten minutes walk away, where a gourmet meal with wine was served
amidst beautiful gardens on the patio for less than $10; discussions
that ensued were priceless.

A requirement of the residency is that each artist donates one artwork
to the Health Union, which owns the guest house in Budapest and Forras
Fogado in Csopak. Another artwork is chosen to exhibit at HMC
sponsored shows; Beata has organized an exhibit each year at the end
of the summer sessions. Two nights before our residency ended, the
first exhibition opened at the Congress Center in Balatonfured. On
the afternoon of the reception, three different television stations
came to the guest house to interview each artist and film us working
in our respective media. At the reception, the mayor of Balatonfured
opened with a speech, followed by a speech by a local art
historian/curator. Because Hungarians really support the arts, the
reception was very well attended and a few paintings sold that
evening. Media coverage included television, radio announcements,
several magazine and internet articles, and an article in the flight
magazine for Malev (Hungarian national airline). In addition to the
exhibition in Balatonfured, Beata Szechy worked with the HMC and the
US embassy in Budapest to organize an exhibition including artworks
from the 1996-2006 residencies at the Central European Cultural
Institute in Budapest; a catalogue of that exhibit will be out in 2007.

On my final day, everyone gathered to bid me farewell since I had an
earlier departure than the rest of the group and I was truly sad to
leave. I had made new friends, gained confidence in my ability to
work under challenging conditions, and discovered new focus for my
visions. During the four weeks at Balatonfured, we eleven artists
shared our discoveries, our fears and insecurities, our support, and
most of all, our joy. Some of us took baby steps, some made giant
leaps; my steps were somewhere in the middle, I didn't come home with
a completely new road map, but I had taken a few short journeys
outside of my comfort zone and found some new avenues to explore. I
have vowed to return someday as there is much more I would like to see
and I felt warmly welcomed by the wonderful people of Hungary.
The HMC is a 501(c non-profit each artist is provided with a studio space.

Patricia Gould is an award-winning fiber artist who has exhibited her
art quilts internationally, gaining much of her inspiration from her
travels to exotic places.