I’ve recently returned from an artists’ residency that I’ve attended for the last 3 years in Maine, in the US.  It takes place on a heavily wooded island, out at sea.  Close by is another island, which is uninhabited, with a boarding house that was abandoned back in the 80s.  It has a Marie Celeste air, with food still in the cupboards, toiletries in the bathrooms, posters on the walls, magazines open on tables.

The 2 photos below were taken a year apart, up in one of the bedrooms.  The difference between this year and last year was marked – there were signs of animal entry last year, but this year they’d gone wild.  I wasn’t sure if people had been in, but looking at these pictures it’s clear they have, as the bottles had been moved off the dresser.  I don’t think the house will be standing much longer, so I feel privileged to have been able to wander around whilst the place is still intact enough.

The experience last year led me to paint ‘Mary Was Unwell’ – the rooms are so evocative of what might have taken place there.