University Campus Suffolk   2008/2009

Penny Healey

The AA2A experience was an extremely positive one for all sorts of reasons - primarily because it involved working closely with three other artists for a significant period. From the start, we agreed to get together regularly to discuss our personal projects and to organise our end-of-residency exhibition. Working alongside the students in their studio spaces, in a formal lecture setting and in the printmaking studio was continually inspiring and often, great fun.

At a personal level, working on my own and making practical, technical and creative decisions proved quietly exhilarating and led to a new confidence in my printmaking practice. My initial aim was to work on large-scale etchings and although this turned out to be impracticable I did produce a huge print installation, which, quite unexpectedly, took the emergence of the new university campus as its theme. Another aim was to push the boundaries of what I term 'formalized' print practice by introducing new and different elements into familiar structures. In this, I believe I was successful and as a consequence was invited by a gallery, to exhibit some new work with 'edginess' as the theme.