I’ve really struggled writing a re-cap of my Residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux since I’ve been home, and I’ve rewritten this a few times now. Not only because I seem to instantly get very emotional as I try to capture it, but because I’ve struggled between whether I want to go deep into recounting this experience in great detail, or keep it more surface level. I think this is finally a happy medium, but as you read it, know that in real-life—at least as I experienced it—everything was amplified 10x—the beauty, the creativity, the vulnerability, the emotions, and all that I got out of it. I took hundreds of photos, my cohort hundreds more, and yet, where it will live on most vibrantly is in my heart and memory.

This space…

Is magic. Aside from the obvious beauty—which cannot be properly conveyed through a photograph—there are not enough adjectives in the world to describe the magnificence of Chateau d’Orquevaux: its grounds, the animals, the sounds, the art that is everywhere. There is history here. You can feel it. Photographs cannot capture the aura, the spirit, the fresh air, the light and color. This is a place where creativity lives, deep into the bones of the building—it is soul-filled. The Chateau is situated up on a hill overlooking the charming, tiny village of Orquevaux in the Champagne region of France—a village on it’s own that could be inspiration for thousands of paintings, poems, songs and stories.

These people…

Swap out any one of these people for someone else and it would not have been the same experience. We are visual artists, writers, and musicians—mostly from the US, but also from Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia. All at different stages of our careers, each with own histories and stories and journeys. Painters, sculptors, poets, illustrators, novelists, essayists, screen-writers, actors, song lyricists, producers, illustrators, singers, performers—many a combination of those things—every one a rockstar of their chosen medium with their own distinct voice. I have never experienced anything like it—to share space with so many creatives all at once, each of us with a deep knowing of what it means to be called to create—to “get it.” We created work, but we also created an amazing ecosystem where the work could thrive and interweave and inspire and inform. In two very short weeks we formed bonds of friendship because we were all open, accepting and vulnerable and so deeply appreciative of the talents that each artist brought to this place. We shared so much laughter, tears, ideas and advice. it was deeply moving and inspirational to be surrounded by people that were committed to creativity. The residency founders and staff, all equally artistic, supportive and inspiring, have done an amazing job at creating an environment where creativity is the beating heart of it all.

My spaces…

Most residents were housed in the Chateau, but some had bedrooms in renovated spaces in the village or in the gatehouse—properties that the residency have acquired and committed to expanding the magic. I had Chateau Bedroom 2 which was situated on the main floor of the Chateau in the heart of the action, which was great for the feeding of energy, but not great for sleeping since I’m a light sleeper, but I figured it out. Each and every thing in my space felt carefully curated and special from the gorgeous fireplace to the artwork and beautiful antique furniture. Studios were situated in the Chateau, in the converted stables on the property—my studio was Stable Studio Five—or in the village. My studio, situated smack in the the middle of the stable studios, was big and bright with beautiful light flowing through the stable windows. I was able to settle in to both my spaces with ease and begin painting.

My Work…

I arrived to the residency open to inspiration, and it came quickly and overwhelmingly. I warmed up with a painting of Abby, one of the resident Chateau swans, but quickly was struck with an idea for a new collection when I felt the overwhelming presence of two highly influential women from my life that are no-longer on this earth. I began to create a collection paying tribute to them along with my mom, and I also opened the project to others to make suggestions of who I could pay tribute to. I created six pieces for my “To the Women Who Have Known Us” Collection—four larger pieces and two small studies—you can read more about those pieces and the collection on Instagram and then decided to take a break to create some work inspired by my surroundings. I painted a small landscape study and larger landscape painting based on the view of the Chateau on a misty, foggy, but ethereal, walk back up the hill from my studio to the Chateau one evening for dinner. It should’ve been dreary and gray but the colors were cool and so saturated, the scene diffused, dreamy and quiet. I left behind the larger painting, “Magic Inspired,” to remain in the Chateau’s permanent collection which was an option for all of the artists to do. I wanted to paint more landscapes, but moved on to creating some little studies of Dusty, the Chateau cat and true Lord of the manor, and some swan studies. Although I wish I could have more time in this space to create, I let my heart and inspiration lead, I’m happy with the work I created and will continue to paint work for the collection and inspired by this experience in my home studio.

Time…

It was such an unbelievably luxurious experience to be taken care of and use my time all day, every day as I wanted. Meals were taken care of, the staff kept the Chateau and studios impeccably clean. Every day I would wake up, shower then go to the dining room for breakfast which for me consisted of a daily Pain au Chocolat, a yogurt with granola and fruit and a cappuccino (or two), then I would head to my studio for a couple hours. Lunch was from 12:30-2:00. You could come and go as you wished, but I usually headed to the dining room by 1:00 where I would fill my plate with leftovers from the night before, generally capped off with a hot chocolate or yesterday’s dessert or another Pain au Chocolate, and then took a walk around the beautiful grounds, taking the long way back to my studio. I would spend my afternoons working until about 5:30-6:00, then head back up the hill to the Chateau to freshen up. Note: yes, there was a lot of walking up and down this hill—the journey became a little ritual of transition into creativity or back into socializing. It was not an itty bitty hill—I gratefully attribute it to enabling me to eat daily Pain au Chocolat(s) and dessert and all the delicious French food and butter—oh, the butter—I wanted without needing to loosen my belt buckle. I think the superior quality of the food in France helped as well. Before dinner, if I needed more wine, I would make a visit to the wine cave, and then join whomever was congregating in the salon, chatting until the dinner bell rang at 7:00 summoning us to the dining room where we’d tuck our phones into the phone holder on the sideboard (dinner was a no phones allowed affair). Someone (the chef, or one of the Residency Assistants) would read the evening’s menu and it became tradition to cheer and holler as they read off the nightly offerings—always some sort of salad, a soup, a green salad, bread and butter, a vegetarian main course, a vegetable, a starch and the main course, and the star of every nightly dinner—dessert. Plenty of variety for all. After dinner I would usually go back down to the studio for an hour or two do some prep work for the next morning then head back up to the Chateau where I’d go to bed (usually by 11).

Though that was a typical day, I also took advantage of every organized activity the Residency offered: an Artist Statement Writing seminar, a trip to the village’s beautiful church, a figure drawing session, open mic night (where a few of our writers recited poems or excerpts from their work and our resident musician performed), bonfire and karaoke nights, a French Lesson and a great Business of Art discussion with the residency co-founder, Buelah. At the end of the Residency, there were several nights of celebration with lots of cheese and champagne—lots of delicious cheese and champagne! The last three full days were capped off with celebrations—first, a writers night where everyone gathered to support our writers as they re-cited/performed work that they had completed while at the Chateau. Then following day were the studio visits where all of the residents visited every visual artist’s studio to admire the work they created while in residency and leave notes on post-its for the artists, followed by a performance from our uber-talented resident musician—and more wine and cheese! The residency culminated in a gallery celebration on the final evening where the work that the artists donated to the Chateau was on display alongside other work collected from previous residencies in the gallery in town. Champagne toasts were made, and a poem written about the residency was performed by one of our talented writers left us cheering and tearing as we toasted one another. Celebrations went into the wee hours and it was hard to step away that last night and tuck myself into bed.

Time was a tricky one for me. I wanted to be serious and buckle down and create, but I also felt torn at times, finding myself want to do all the things and hang out with all the people and stay up late, or go on all the walks and explore. Our time was ours to handle how we wanted and I observed each artist had their own patterns and schedules and priorities—all of us committing to creating work, resting, enjoying the environment or forming relationships in our own ways. I believe I created a good balance, but overwhelmingly, I wished that I had one more week (at least) in this bubble, in this beautiful space, with these people, creating. We left with all of us talking about a reunion residency at the Chateau in the coming years which helped to calm the sting of saying goodbye.

What I gained…

27 new, amazing friends that have touched my life in so many ways. They all contributed to a space that allowed for creativity, vulnerability, support and where we could all be our authentic selves. Of course, I wish I would’ve had more time to get to know them all but I know we will continue to keep in touch and support one another. I was inspired by each and every one of them in big and little ways. They were the magic sauce. We have formed this little world-wide network that I am excited to see how it further entwines and deepens with time.

Knowledge that there is a world for me beyond the little bubble that I’ve felt overwhelmed by, especially the past few years. My life has had a lot of trauma in the past five years, and although I have proven to be extremely resilient, I haven’t done the best at committing to myself and my creativity fully. This residency has shown me that I can step away and care for myself and give to myself, and everything will be fine. I left the residency with a promise to myself to re-prioritize myself and my art. Leaving the Chateau with a new series underway and boundless inspiration and ideas has been just the kickstart for this for 2026.

Self-assuredness.I have always been a person that feels things deeply and lets my emotions show easily. I let myself feel things as I generally do and didn’t hide that sensitivity and vulnerability. During the residency I was very aware that there is always grief sitting just below the surface with me right now and it doesn’t take much for the tears to start to flow. I shed many tears during this experience—tears as I shared vulnerable things, tears as I painted, tears of awe and gratitude for my talented friends and this experience, and over the overwhelming support I felt from everyone, and tears of joy and celebration.

That I am capable of, and enjoy, traveling on my own. Granted, with flights of my fellow artists getting rescheduled because of weather back home, enabling meet-ups in Paris after the residency, I had less “alone” time than anticipated—which was time well spent and that I was grateful to share. I actually enjoyed traveling and spending time on my own, doing what I wanted, when I wanted. I felt safe, the people of France were warm and welcoming—I think because I at least stumbled through trying to speak with everyone in their native language before asking if they spoke English. I had a fun few days in Paris site-seeing, getting a fresh tattoo with two residency friends and eating some glorious, rich French food. France is beautiful and I can’t wait to return—solo and with family and friends. This was my first big solo trip and it won’t be my last.

Reaffirmation that I do, in fact, have a distinct and needed creative voice. That my art is unique and special and that there’s a place for it in this world. Although I’ve known this deep down, it was extremely gratifying to have it acknowledged by my peers, whom I have deep respect for, in such a profound way. I left the Chateau with boundless inspiration and drive to re-commit to creating and desire to witness where it will all take me.

A reminder that although can be unbearably difficult at times, sometimes it can be infinitely better than I’ve ever imagined.