With the hustle and bustle of city life, we know it can be hard for artists to find uninterrupted time to create. That’s why we created our Artist Fellowship Program, to give creatives a space in nature to work on their projects. We love seeing what our artists come up with and we’re excited to share some of our recent fellows.
Illustrator and New Yorker Cartoonist Jeremy Nguyen has been drawing since he was a kid, but he didn’t start working his humor into his art until he was a teenager.
“I really try to look at everything and anything,” Jeremy notes. “Something can strike me about a current event, or a new exercise fad, or seeing someone mad for getting too much ice in their iced coffee. I love finding jokes in the minutiae, but I also love taking on broader ideas and contextualizing them in ridiculous situations.”
Jeremy, who recently escaped to Getaway Catskills, believes in taking frequent breaks and enjoys taking naps, grabbing coffee, or grocery shopping for restful moments. His dream projects include drawing a graphic novel, illustrating a board game, and collaborating with his favorite brands for global campaigns.
Zai Divecha has been a full-time sculpture artist for four years and in the beginning of her career, she worked primarily with metal. After feeling frustrated by the heavy machinery and toxic chemicals in her work, she decided to move to another medium.
“At the beginning of 2018, I made the switch to working with paper, and it changed everything,” Zai reflects. “I felt more engaged with my creative process, more playful and happy in my day-to-day life, and way more proud of the finished pieces.”
“Lately I’ve been making these white, monochromatic, textural sculptures and installations out of paper,” Zai said. “The process itself is meditative and calming, and my hope is that the finished pieces make the viewer feel quiet and peaceful inside.”
Zai, who recently escaped to our New York Outpost to create, said her dream is to create a large paper installation for a wedding.
“I love being able to subtly affect people’s moods with my work. It’s the best compliment when someone says, ‘I saw your work the other day, and it made me feel so calm,'” Zai says. “The idea of making something that could serve as the backdrop for an emotional life milestone appeals to me.”
Looking for a creative break of your own? Book your escape now.