If you've chatted with me in person recently, or if you've been keeping an eye on my newsletter or my instagram, you'll know that I have a bit of a trip coming up this fall. I will be away from the studio and from Canmore for all of October and the main reason for this trip is that I'll be attending Chateau D'Orquevaux in France for an Artist's Residency. I was accepted into this residency back in 2019, and it was originally scheduled for 2020, but we all know what happened to trips planned for 2020.

A few of my non-artist friends have been asking what the deal is with this residency, so I thought I should share a bit about it with you, my community, as well. 

An artist's residency is a special program or opportunity where artists get to live and work in a different place for a while. It's kind of like a creative sabbatical. Generally, an artist might stay in a studio, a cabin in the woods, or a city different from their own for a residency. These can last from a couple of weeks to several months & they're meant to be a chance for artists to explore new ideas, get inspired by new surroundings, and create their art in a fresh, exciting, and focused way.

The one I'm doing is a 2-week residency in the countryside, staying and working in an old French chateau with 19 other artists, from all disciplines, from all over the world. 

During my time at Chateau D'Orquevaux, I'll have the amazing opportunity to focus on making art without the usual distractions & responsibilities of everyday life. I've decided that for me, this will also include social media, so that's one of the reasons I'm starting to share about this here on the blog. I'll be taking social apps off my phone for the time I'm away, to be sure to get the most out of the experience.

That being said, I know I'll have loads to share, so if you're interested in following along with my adventure, please sign up for my newlsetter list. I'll be publishing blog posts from France, and I'll let my newsletter peeps know when there's something new to read/see :)

So what will I be working on, you ask? Well, that is what I'm most excited about. I've been quietly working on a new series since January this year, and although you may have seen snippets of behind-the-scenes from the studio, I haven't shared the process as openly as I usually share online. Nor have I shared any of the finished work. This project is deeply personal, and addressing this subject matter feels more vulnerable to me than other artwork I've created and shared in recent years.

I'm making work about the very dichotomous and deeply engrained feelings I have around food & eating.

That's all I will say for the moment (more details to come over the next couple of months!)

The collection of photographs - a mix of still life pieces, and self-portraits - is still very much in the works so this is what I will be focusing on during my residency at Orquevaux.

But for now, here's a peek at two pieces from the series (which has yet to be named.)

Leave me a comment below, if you're interested! I'd love to have a conversation about this work :)