Following his graduation from BA Fine Art at Newcastle University, Will Copley came to Highgreen for a one-month residency. His practice explores colour, material, and light within site-specific environments, often working beyond the traditional boundaries of the gallery space. Central to his approach is a desire to create works that deeply connect to their surroundings and to the people who inhabit them.

Having grown up in a remote rural part of the UK, Will maintained a strong personal relationship with landscape and the colours that define it. His work sought to reveal the emotional and sensory connections between people and place through the language of colour.

During his two-month residency at Highgreen, Will immersed himself in the landscape of Tarset, responding to the natural light and colour of the area. His experiments focused on the subtle shifts in tone and atmosphere that occur as light moves through the environment. The culmination of his residency was a final artwork inspired by the experience of looking up through the trees towards the sky—a piece that captured both the stillness and movement of the rural setting.

As Will reflected:

“Being fully immersed in the beautiful surroundings at VARC was an opportunity like no other. The quality of light and the sensations it provided became the focus of my experiments, and will continue to be a source of inspiration after the residency. The work I made has become a time capsule of sorts, as the pressed leaves within it are an explicit representation of time I spent there. I feel exceptionally grateful to those who offered me the opportunity and those who made the time so special.”

Alongside developing his studio work, Will led a public workshop for children and families at Bellingham Heritage Centre in August 2022. Participants explored how light affects colour by using painted samples and LED lighting, experimenting with shifts in hue and tone under changing conditions.

This residency formed part of VARC’s continuing relationship with Newcastle University’s Fine Art department and its LifeWorkArt programme, which supports emerging artists as they transition from education to professional practice. The opportunity provided Will with vital space, time, and freedom to experiment without the constraints of deadlines, marking a significant step in his developing artistic career.