Chateau Orquevaux

Chateau Orquevaux. Artist in Residence. Champagne-Ardenne, France.

Here I am! Preparing for my visit to Champagne-Ardenne at the beginning of December, 2023. This is the first Artist in Residence that I have ever participated in, and it is frankly, an absolute dream come true. I am astounded that I was chosen to be part of this remarkable opportunity and so very eager to meet my fellow residents and feel the creativity in every corner.

I am looking forward to documenting my journey and experiences, focusing on how to better develop my art practice, mingle with some exceptional artists, writers and musicians; and with any luck, come home with a better understanding of myself and my goals for my next artistic chapter.

I hope to document as much of this journey as I can without taking away from the creation process. But what is creation and creativity if not a form of documentation; even a blog post—perhaps especially a blog post when it includes photos and insight and learning and let’s be honest (knowing me) probably a lot of food porn.

All of my companions in life are well aware of my love affair with France, and having met the program director yesterday for a live call with the other participants, I am more excited than ever; although, I don’t think it will truly hit me until I’ve landed at CDG and make my way towards Chaumont.

Still sorting out my goals for the trip—what do I create? What mediums do I want to better understand? Is there something inside of me I haven’t been listening to that might finally emerge? So many questions to be answered, or at the very least, be explored.

So, here we go. I leave on November 29th, departing DIA in the late afternoon and arriving in Paris on the morning of the 30th. I make my way to the residency the following day, and will find my footing in the French countryside, crisp December air on my cheeks, and a belly full of butterflies. Parfait.