In Residence at La Tempera
Chateau du Bois, France
November – December 2022
For one month I lived in a converted 17th century farmhouse in Chateau du Bois, France. Split into an open studio and cosy living space, the month-long residency was a time of self-directed experimentation, rest, introspection and slowness. Possible because of the Bellmaine French Appreciation Travelling Scholarship, La Tempera held me at a time of intense creative and personal vulnerability providing gentle space for new ideas and ambitions within my practice to emerge and begin to clarify.In the company of Mahee Auffret (FR) and Gaurav Ogale (IND), I fell into a gentle routine of walking, making, sleeping, walking, eating, wandering, writing, walking, dreaming, touching, thinking and sitting. The Country held me differently; it smelt of changed seasons, mossy dampness, early mornings, instant coffee, dry stone, colza and wood smoke. Solitude, not loneliness. I went to the local markets and drank mulled red wine with the local climate group; shopped at La Resourcerie; walked the tiny streets and visited the bookshops; drank classique French espresso at the local pub; played Amigo and lost and walked the forest night and day.
Thank you to Isabel, Florian, Mage, Mahee and Gaurav for being so generous with their company, conversation and time. The time I had at La Tempera is deeply treasured.
