"I love the work I made at the studio in Provence. Because of the time constraints- I didn’t have time to overthink the paintings. It’s really stressful, but also kind of nice to work under pressure like that. I think the work ends up being a little more raw, more sketchy, maybe a little more frantic. I pushed myself and my process, and I broke into some different ways of dealing with composition and perspective. The light in that region is a totally different experience than anything I’m used to. It’s all encompassing, especially at dusk. For me it was a little overwhelming- everything was almost glowing.  I like to refer to my work as a memory of a place. I think it will be really interesting to see how my reflections on the time I spent in Provence will seep into my future paintings. I often like to look back at photographs I’ve taken in the past, and ideas from those photographs tend to influence the current paintings. Around half of the paintings I made were sourced from photos I took in France, however all of the paintings were influenced by the region. It's not so much about location to me, it's more about my experience with the painting as I work through it."

"During my stay at Mas Molières, I felt very emotional. I hadn't been alone with my creation for a long time, as a young mother of two. Every hour of the day was so precious that I quickly immersed myself in the work. The exceptional light of Provence, the richness of its flora and fauna, the variety of fruit and vegetables, the warm pastel colors were my first sources of inspiration and the raw materials for my photographs. I felt very close to Paul Cézanne; I was on his land, and he inspired me enormously. In my approach to photography, I think of my compositions as paintings. My inspiration comes from the Impressionist movement. During my creative residency, I explored a new technique for creating the colors of my still lifes. In fact, all my work was inspired by Provence. I dyed my papers with natural ochres. Once I'd prepared my settings, I'd add color directly onto the paper backgrounds, like a painter with a brush on canvas. I was very moved by this approach. The photographs I took during my stay at Mas Molières are a continuation of my Éloge de la simplicité series. They invite us to remember a smell, a taste, a moment in Provence. The experience of poetic writing accompanies this project."

"I was so happy to be asked for this artist in residence. I have been to Provence twice during my education to paint. But there are a few years in between. And that Gabriele and I had been asked together, I was even more pleased. I arrived there and could not put it into words at first how impressed I was. There are too many factors that are overwhelming. To start, there is this house full of art and the garden. Everything is so aesthetically and carefully decorated and designed with love without being too much. This place alone is so inspiring. Then you go explore the surroundings in the footsteps of the great masters like van Gogh, soaking up that light and feeling the wind on your skin. I loved every single moment there and it was mostly because Gabriele and I were a perfect team. We had a similar rhythm in terms of painting, communicating, eating or going on excursions. We had a great exchange about our work and everything else. I am very grateful for this time and will never forget it."

Hidden Gardens Hidden Gardens was created with photos I have taken in Paris and in the Provence region (south of France). Each work carries a composition using images taken in both places to create the illusion of hidden landscapes (like Parisian gardens). My work is constantly looking for new ways to look at familiar places but creating moments of surprises. This series continues to evolve on my interest to explore photography beyond it’s descriptive quality with the use of color paint. In this series the geometrical paint marks invite the viewer to create their relationship between image and abstract forms. The need of the human mind to find logic and find a sense of geographical space in a photo base work takes each viewer to create their own reasoning on each work.

"Being lucky enough to have seen a plethora of paintings by my favourite French artists on this residency, I felt encouraged to continue themes of mostly landscape and interiors I came into contact with. Travelling through the Provence region and Paris have informed these paintings, along with the time spent at the villa where my studio was. I couldn’t help but be enveloped by the countryside here as I began the days. The hot sun beaming down on the wide, green garden of trees and flowers. The long, purple lavender adorned with bees, butterflies and Hummingbird hawk-moths. The clear blue pool reflecting light, refreshing me. I’d step out of the studio for air, take walks and explore the sights of the South of France and let it out into the paintings."

"I arrived at the Amélie Maison d’Art residency in the South of France early March 2023 and stayed for 3 weeks. During my stay, nature woke up from early into full spring and every day more flowers and trees started to blossom in many different shades of colours.I tried to use my time there to work out new ideas in my painting, letting myself being influenced by my surroundings in a conscious manner as well as by my intuition. All seemed like a remarkable and beautiful dream. There is of course a great history of painters like Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso working in this area and I felt very aware of it. I visited Cézanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence and followed Van Goghs story to Arles and the Sanatorium in Saint Rémy. The special light and strong winds moved me especially. Hence I called the 4 large paintings I completed at the residency after 3 of the many different Provence winds: Mistral (Red), Mistral (Blue), Tramontane and Levant. I think all the large and small paintings I managed to generate at the residency are strongly influenced by the natural surroundings there, the beautiful historic building I stayed at with the painter Yvonne Robert, as well as the local food we tried out, the conversations we had, our evening walks and exploring a wider area by car. I think this fantastic experience will be feeding into my work for a long time, I am still contemplating everything and through it trying to develop new exciting works. Thank you so much for this truly amazing and so generous Artist Residency!"