International Residencies & Travel

Artist Residency at Chateau de la Carriere, Mayenne France 2022

In August/September 2022 I was fortunate to be invited to a fairytale castle in the northwest of France as an artist in residence. Chateau de la Carriere was everything I had imagined, from sweeping views of deer grazing in the front parc to soft dusk breezes and cows lowing in the distance. 

My upstairs studio allowed me to work solidly on making pieces for a month, which are now available from the chateau directly.

View The Chateau Collection HERE

Each piece is particular to the environment, using found timber from the chateau outbuildings and sheds for the bases, and fabrics and haberdashery gathered and hunted from the chateau itself or brocante markets in the area. 

                               

I had many extraordinary experiences during my stay, such as the mysterious scent of intense perfume while wandering through the grass in the front parc while there was nothing around to produce it, no flowers, no people, nothing. It disappeared on the wind and then returned on a billowing breeze just as strongly, then was gone forever. The whisper thin space between present and past felt tangible and so real at that moment, and whether it was something wonderful or not, it opens the mind to possibility. 

                                 

I made the most of the opportunity to make my own routine, using the grounds to dictate my daily goings on. Dyeing calico in the chateau courtyards and walking the 600 metre long driveway forest three times a day to immerse in the sounds and scents of the environment. I will forever be able to turn the switch in my mind and be transported back into that parallel universe.

The people I met and have made lifelong friends with, the chance to be alone for a month at the same time, and the future connections and open possibilities are something I am thoroughly grateful for. 

  

OCTOBER 2023 in Paris

I spent the month of October 2023 staying in an apartment in Montmartre, with the intention of trawling the brocante markets and making connections for the future. The antique haberdashery is second to none, and I have the most excitement of my life digging through boxes of rubbish to find textile and antique treasure. I picked through the Puces de Saint Ouen (the largest flea market in the world, running since 1870) every chance I could get, plus Vanves Market in the streets every weekend, Place DÁligre market and various surprise markets I happened upon. 

                    

I found acres of upholstery velvets, 19th century peach brocade curtains, 1920's picot ribbon, tiny metal pressings hundreds of years old, vintage velvet ribbon, books from the 1600's, Victorian mourning lace, Edwardian lace collars and jars of antique mother of pearl buttons. And more.

              

APRIL / MAY 2025 PARIS & AVIGNON

Back in the brocante and shops of Paris to reconnect with sellers and collectors from previous trips, and who have kept in contact in between. Staying in the 20th arrondissement next to Pere Lachaise cemetery was magical, as a quiet and calming walk through each day. Many street markets and serendipitous chance findings filled my bags with antique clothing and textils.

I travelled to Avignon in the south for a few days to meet new friends (EuroDecor) who deal in antique textiles, welcomed their genuine hospitality and help, and filled more bags with ancient lace and old vestment trims. I happened upon a beautiful little shop (Dante & Maris) in Canal Saint-Martin back in Paris who is now a stockist for my work... joining my first incredible connection in the world of ancient textiles and stockist (Galerie Leyla) in the Puces Saint Ouen.

It is so warming and special to keep connections alive in between trips, from the market stallholders to the cafe owners. The expansive nature of linking likeminded people across the world is an undercurrent to every day life back in Australia.