Follow the Sun and Angel Greenham came together for an artist-gardner residency

In late autumn, James and I undertook a short residency at The Hide, living and working in a pared-back shepherd’s hut within a quiet, rural setting. The reduction of the space to its essential elements prompted an immediate shift in attention, foregrounding both the surrounding environment and a heightened awareness of the body. 

Photo: Follow the Sun

A daily rhythm emerged through a balance of physical labour and studio work. Mornings were spent outdoors, engaged in repetitive, physically demanding tasks. This introduced a form of embodied calibration, structured through effort, duration, and repetition. It clarified relationships between exertion and rest, and established a slower, more deliberate sense of time. 

Basic routines - eating, resting, warming - became more perceptible and materially grounded. Operating outside of habitual structures and distractions allowed for sustained concentration. The absence of digital and social noise created conditions for extended observation. Seasonal transitions became more legible: shifts in light, temperature, and movement across the landscape. Attention moved towards subtle variation and cyclical change, reinforcing an awareness of rhythm operating across both environment and body. Afternoons and evenings were spent working in a glass-fronted studio overlooking the garden. 

The space enabled an ongoing visual engagement with the landscape, where drawing functioned as a form of prolonged observation. Time within the studio extended beyond production, supporting reflection on process, context, and the conditions that shape practice. Conversations and exchanges during this period formed an important parallel to the work itself. 

My practice is guided by reduction and clarity, distilling visual language to its essential components. Through restrained form and measured systems, the work seeks to produce conditions for attentiveness. Rooted in scientific observation, the ongoing Beyond Earth series translates infrasound frequencies—vibrations beyond the threshold of human hearing—into drawing, sound, and sculptural form. The residency reinforced an interest in imperceptible phenomena and the role of calibrated environments in making such forces tangible. 

The conditions at The Hide - its spatial reduction, temporal rhythm, and proximity to environmental change - aligned closely with these concerns. 

Angel Greenham can be found at her website https://angelgreenham.co.uk/

And Follow the Sun at https://www.followthesunstudio.co.uk/