Artists Comments - 2012-2013
Jessica Leonard - Canada
Sept '13-Dec '13
Madre Amazonia
A womb.
Holding you lovingly as you go on your journey with her,
she teaches and transforms you.
Endlessly calling for your truths,
she shows you that to become you, you must let go of yourself.
She is unafraid and brave,
asking you to cultivate a deep honesty within.
As in the pronounced life cycle of the jungle,
so we find our own death and re-birth.
If you are open to her teachings,
you will leave her as a new-born babe walking onwards with a new perspective:
It is beautiful to be you, and it is beautiful to change.
Every moment is it's own.
Trina's art is very powerful. Alike, her spirit is inspiring and beautifully direct. The intention for the centre comes from the heart of the earth, through the hearts of Trina and Daniel. This, you can see upon first meeting. To allow your spirit to experience and express itself in an environment like this, and to work in a studio with people such as Trina, is a great gift to your own evolution as both an artist and a human. Sachaqa is a magical place.
Zoe Wiles-UK
Zoe Wiles- poet and writer- drama- from the UK- Dec 2013
I originally intended to visit Sachaqa Centro de Eco-Arte for just 2 weeks. In reality, I stayed for 2 months. There is something rare about Sachaqa that draws you in and beckons you to make the jungle your home for a while longer. It is intense peace. A sense of tranquility that is so difficult to find whilst traveling. A chance for rest and contemplation. A space to reflect, to experiment, to challenge yourself. And with that challenge comes the intensity. Sachaqa is not a place for the faint-hearted. Away from worldly distractions, I was naturally confronted with concerns that I had previously ignored. Fears exposed, truths realised and hopes strengthened once again. I was not prepared for how life changing my experience at Sachaqa would be. Not only did I grow in confidence in my own creativity, but I grew in confidence in my personal spirituality as well.
I came to Peru searching for answers. Sachaqa provided a safe and supportive environment for me to listen, feel and thus understand those answers through communion with artists, with Nature and with God. My 2 months at Sachaqa was a liberating experience, one that I will always hold dear and will never forget.
Laura Tonks-UK
Laura Tonks- Painter and art teacher- Nov 2013
Be open and ready to receive the gift of an artist residency at Sachaqa Art Centre. The jungle is a truly appropriate and wonderful place to flourish an artist as you are surrounded by and experiencing the sheer joy of creation. The wealth of trees, plants, flowers, birds, animals, butterflies and insects is astonishing and you rarely see the same moth or butterfly twice.
You get creative support not only from the jungle but also from Trina and Daniel who both are very knowledgable and passionate about the local communities, the ecology and the marriage of the natural world and artworks. Make sure to take advantage of the many workshops and experiences they offer to be inspired by the passion of the local and indigenous artisans their communities along with the option of trekking through the jungle wildernesses to hidden paradises.
It really is a healing and inspiring place to be. It will imbue your fertile mind with bountiful ideas along with the passion and the means to realize them.
It is a deeply incredible place.
Megan Walsh-USA
Megan Walsh- Painter -June 2013
Oh, Sachaqa... I could really go on and on. Chances are, if you’re on the website (which you are if you’re reading this), you’re probably considering attending. In which case I have a few words of advice:
First, if you want to experience our planet at it’s finest, GO. If you want to meet and befriend the loveliest people and experience time and space in a different way, GO. If you want to immerse your body in a beautiful river, fall asleep to the sounds of thriving life, and breathe in air that will make your lungs eternally grateful, GO. If you want the essence of the jungle forever in your heart, GO.
But, if you’re afraid of bugs or being far away from a big city, DON’T GO. If you’re lazy, or can’t stand rain or humidity, DON’T GO.
I’m from a suburb in the United States, so my experience at Sachaqa was very different from anything I was used to. I’m only 20 years old (so I don’t have much to draw from), but I’d have to say deciding to attend Sachaqa by myself was the best decision I’ve ever made for my life. Before going, I would often find myself getting depressed or upset even when things were seemingly going well in my life. I obsessed about all of the negative aspects and social issues of my society rather than focusing on the good. Living in a place like the Amazon Rainforest, even for a short period of time, can really help you remember, or discover, what life without STUFF is really about, even if you’re already critical of the consumerism of today’s world. It takes you back to your roots as a living being and fills you with the vigor of life itself. It makes you see the infinite beauty our Earth holds. Wholeness and balance lead to happiness, and these things are all easily found in the jungle.
I could never have anticipated all I would learn about myself and the world while there. As an artist, I can assure you that your work will be forever affected by this experience. And to Trina and Daniel, I will be eternally thankful for making all of it possible, for me and for others.
Georgia Mattey- Australia
Georgia Matthey - Painter March 2013
Time to think and be inspired. Applying my knowlegde with new and traditional ideas and methods. Creating artworks that has lead me into a new realm of thought process and inspiration. Sachaqa Arts Center offered me the opportunities to expand, open and create but also ground my thoughts and artistic manner.
Unforgettable beauty and peace.
Thank you
Dagmar Binder-Germany
Textiles January 2013
I've enjoyed my stay at SACHAQA very much and wish I could have spent more time there!
The peaceful, relaxing atmosphere in the village gives you the precious opportunity of calming down your mind from city life and daily buisness, take a time off from constant presence of phone and internet (although you can have it if you need).
Living closed to nature, makes you more concious about how little we really need in life, the beauty, richness and wisdom of Mother Earth, appreciate simple life and the real taste of fresh fruit and veggies right from the villager's gardens.
Sachaqa supplies a great chance to get inspired by the diversity of nature and local life, arts and crafts and share your experience with friendly, helpful people and fellow artists.
As a feltmaker, I'm mostly working with wool and created some objects and "amazonian shields", incorporating different aspects of nature.
The river (and local pottery tradition) gave me the idea of combining different materials in my installation "de hoy en adelante..." (from now on), which refers to the vital importance of water (or just might be a subject of meditation in general).
A series of felted bowls show a cracked structure on their insides, like dry earth, with a continuous meandering line and river stones floating above each of them. The situation is still open, if these stones would be on our plates in the future or not. It depends which way we would chose to go, from today on.
Regan O' Callaghan- New Zealand
Regan O'Callaghan-Mixed media January 2013
I am an artist originally from New Zealand who now lives in London. I applied to Sachaqa for 2 main reasons. The first was I wanted to spend time and be inspired by the Amazon and from this experience to see how my art practice developed. The second was to explore and work with natural materials from the area. Both of my aims were realised! My time at Sachaqa as well as being an incredibly creative time was also a period of reflection and inner development. You can't not be inspired the trees, rivers, sky, animals, birds and plants. I also met great people and made lovely friends! With regards natural materials I worked with and learnt a lot about pigments collected from the river and plant dyes and clay and weaving with palm which culminated in an art installation (another aim of mine). Overall I had an amazing experience at Sachaqa and would recommend it to people who wish to grow creatively and be challenged and inspired.Exhibition, San Roque'Paseo De Arte' Exhibition, Tarapoto'Senales Amazonicas'Regan's website and a short written piece about his journey to Sachaqa,http://www.reganocallaghan.com/?page_id=68
Thida Leiper-Cambodia
Thida Leiper-Painter and photographer 2012
In a way, I felt that San Roque brought me back to my roots, to a place where I could be free to create and be able to hear my own voice again. I had spent years living in a city trying to get back into painting and photography, and was thrilled to find out about an affordable eco art residency in the jungle while I was traveling through South America. But to be honest, I arrived to Sachaqa with very little understanding of how art and the environment connected. I also had no clue of what people meant by things having energy, I thought perhaps this was a language that I would never understand. But with each day that passed painting in that quiet studio, and through every jump in the river, every friendship that developed and through deeper understanding of what life in a jungle village is, I came to my own understanding of what 'energy' means and how it moves you. I will always be very grateful to everything that Sachaqa is and will be, as it continues to grow through Trina, her family, the residents of San Roque, and visiting artists. Thank you all for believing in me and my art, your power and positive messages have changed me greatly. I would highly recommend Sachaqa to anyone looking for a unique experience, especially to those who are seeking to recharge their creative energy, however you interpret it to be.
Much love to Sachaqa and San Roque! Another home to return to someday! Some amazing photography of Thida's stay and her Exhibition, Photos
