A blog from Model Studio artist Sue Morris:
I am a visual artist, usually practising from the Model studios, Sligo, Ireland, but have temporarily relocated to take up an Artist`s Residency in Krems, Austria. I was awarded the residency/scholarship through an exchange programme with Custom House Studios, Westport and AIR Krems.
Armed with a case full of nests (more on that at a later date) and a large box of Barry`s teabags, I arrived in Vienna on the 25th October, a clear day with the promise of snow, and spent a week in the city to orientate myself and take in its wealth of art galleries, museums and cultural events, including the Viennale, the city’s annual international film festival.
From 1 November it was a case of goodbye Vienna, hello Krems, a town situated about 48 miles northwest of Vienna, and the start of my residency. AIR Krems is situated in the Factory, part of the Art Mile, alongside galleries, museums, cultural archives and centres of architecture and literature. Sandwiched between the Art Quarter and Krems University, is a sprawling prison complex, which makes for a strange juxtaposition and provokes thoughts on notions of freedom of choice, constriction and containment- ideas that reoccur in my own work.

There are five studio/apartments with international residencies running concurrently and across disciplines. The studios are bright, spacious, fully equipped – including a dishwasher and an ironing board! With a friendly and supportive staff on hand, the overriding aim is to provide time and space for artists to work on and realise their artistic projects.
After two days of unpacking, rearranging furniture and generally getting my bearings, its time now for some serious work…