artist-in-residence

“What have hidden rooms, a German piano, Arboreal Book Club, the Irish National Space Centre, a Swedish film company, a dancer, a heron, five hens, a typewriter and a mischievous goat got in common?” We’ll give you a hint: it starts with Greywood and ends with Arts.

Greywood Arts is thrilled to feature on a recent episode of The Arts House with Elmarie Mawe. Last week Elmarie paid us a visit and was treated to a tour of Greywood by our Artistic Director Jessica Bonenfant. Jess shared a little about Greywood’s history, current projects and hopes for the future, including news of the current Coach House renovation. With a guest appearance from current artist in residence, actor and writer, Paul Layton.

Take a listen to hear about the unique creative spaces within Greywood’s main 18th century house which welcomes visiting artists in residence alongside members of the local community throughout the year. Many of our upcoming workshops also get a mention, including our August 11th Arboreal Book Club meeting and Wednesday Craft & Cuppa open studio sessions to name a few.

If you fall in love with Greywood at first listen, there are many ways in which you can get involved. Join us at our upcoming workshops and events – check out our current Meaningful Conversations summer/autumn programme here to see everything we have on offer. For Artists, we have an excited funded opportunity: The Inevitable Ether – A Residency Award from Greywood Arts & the National Space Centre which is now accepting applications. Our 2023 Creative Process Residency is also now accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Elmarie Mawe presents The Arts House on Cork’s 96fm — The latest news and reviews from the worlds of Theatre, Cinema, Showbiz & Literature. Listen in on Sundays, 8-10am.

We are delighted to welcome playwright and author Gareth Fox to Greywood Arts!

Gareth will be helping us prep the house for renovations while working on new short stories.

Here’s a little about him, in his own words:

I was born in Craigavon, County Armagh, on a very harsh, cold November evening, or maybe it was a morning or afternoon – I have no idea. I’ve never asked. Anyway, yes, I am from Northern Ireland. I studied English at Manchester Metropolitan University and after I graduated I fled to Montpellier in the South of France. What an absolutely horrible place to seek intellectual refuge, yeah? And, oddly enough, that is where I had the ill fortune of running into Hughie and Jess.

I spent four and a half years there, struggling to acquire the language and also struggling to find my feet as a writer. After a few years I finally made a small impression with my first stage play, For Use Of The Laity, which ran in Montpellier and Avignon. I have recently turned to fiction writing with publications in Liberties Flash Fiction – Ireland and The Incubator.

For me, the opportunity to join the Greywood Arts team has come at a very significant time.
It is no secret that the biggest struggle for young writers is finding the time to write/rewrite/edit/redraft around work commitments – those work commitments which pay rent and put food on the table. There will always be those who state that if you want to be an artist you will always find time to create your art – I think we all know what that is.

I was asked recently, after venting spleen to a friend for a few minutes about these very struggles, what would be my ideal job? I answered, “I would like to spend my days power-hosing things. Anything. Barns, houses, walls of things which have walls.” When asked why I explained two reasons. One is that my mind would be free to amble and exploit the difficulties I was having with my fiction in order to be able to attack it that evening (I would not be mentally fatigued). The second reason; I could see, physically, what my exertions have created; when power-hosing there is a clear vision of what is dirty and what has been cleaned/improved. Here, at Greywood Arts, I have that opportunity in abundance – the exertion of physical energy (like a “dauntless chieftain from days of yore”), seeing the rewards of this labour and also the time to focus on my own art) and in such a beautiful location.

And dauntless Gareth has been in attacking the dining room with a hammer drill. He’s removed about 4 inches of plaster all around in preparation for dry lining!

In the coming months you will hear more from Gareth on this blog, on facebook, and on our soon-to-be twitter account that he has offered to set up for us. Yipeee!