Sunday Sept. 27, 2026:
Final week of the Artist Residency in Gaspesie
This week I enjoyed more hiking than before, and indulged in much local foods such as a Guedille aux crevettes from La Cantine off the main road, some wonderful fresh-caught fish soup (not chowder) from La Vielle Usine which was recommended by the lovely staff at Auval Farmhouse Microbrewery, and an amazing tartare from L’Auberge du Marchand. I highly recommend visiting these spots for some of the best the region can offer. An institution of a different genre in the region is Dixie Lee, which, rest assured, I did not fail to visit.
Moreover, the Brûlerie du Quai has been my preferred caffeine & writing place during the residency. I’m not incentivized by any of these. The region is beautiful, and these local businesses offer quality local products. I, myself, run a small business, and thus wholeheartedly encourage others’, and love seeing them thrive!
Uninterrupted studio work
This week, I had no art shows. I had the privilege of staying in the studio and was wholly focused on production and research. It became clear how much more production time I have when I’m not travelling to set-up a convention or exhibit. It’s kind of a catch-22. The shows are where I meet you all, and where I make the majority of my sales which is what keeps my business alive. Everyone is excited to chat about art and it’s truly reinvigorating. However, those shows also take an important cut of my week. I forfeit production days before, during, and after the show, and getting there and back takes sturdy financial resources. I’m unsure whether relying on these shows is financially, or physically, viable in the long term.
I’ve chatted with quite a few of you at the shows this year about this. In light of your feedback and unwavering support, this coming year I will reduce the amount of shows at which I exhibit my work, and invest in making more work.
Hopefully, the online shopping experience will be as thrilling as the busy crowds at the conventions. I’ll invest in making sure the experience is engaging, and worthwhile. That said, don’t hesitate to reach out and suggest ways you’ve seen businesses make online shopping less sterile. I really want this to remain an experience, not just blind shopping. I'm not particularly devoted to excessive consumerism.
Art Production in the Mountains
Last week I left off on two main artworks and some good creative leads.
The first artwork is the Blue Zones print. I’m still reining it in. It’s close to what I want it to look like, but something doesn’t feel quite right. I like the things I’ve painted, I love the color palette, I love the details and the inspiration. But the mood isn’t coming across, and there’s something not quite right about the scale of the different parts.
The Valley of Despair
The valley of despair is something I expand on in my mentorships. It’s a determining factor in becoming a successful artist. Every person, beginning any endeavor, will inevitably face the valley of despair.
There exists a predictable pattern when beginning a project. It starts off strong, with a creative burst, energy, and drive beyond belief. Our idea is palpable, and we see it clearly in our mind’s eye. We set to work. However, this initial energy slowly dwindles. We get tired, we get hungry, we realize that our mind had lied to us about having figured out the entirety of the project, or the artwork. We slowly come to accept the fact that we are going to have to work much harder than anticipated for this project to unfold. We realize that we are going to need to learn some news skills, study about them, and master them if we want to pull off our initial idea. We understand, all of a sudden, that we actually have no idea how to pull off what we set out to do.
This realization is the trigger point for the valley of despair. This, for better or for worse, IS what creation is about. Creation is about making something that didn’t exist before. For that thing not to have existed before, implies that there needs to be a breakthrough at some level. Otherwise, it’s not creation, it’s production.
Breakthroughs are hard to come by. They require faith in oneself, perseverance, curiosity, patience, forgiveness of our shortcomings and failings. There can be no art without failure. There can be no creation without faith in yourself. Quite literally, being an artist means spending the majority of your life facing your shortcomings, and chasing the breakthrough.
The Valley & The Blue Zones
As I mentioned last week, this Residency feels like a vulnerable place for me as an artist. Week after week, I report to you on the unfolding of the residency and there’s no hiding behind different topics, or the cool camera angles of an Instagram video.
I am in the midst of the valley of despair with the Blue Zones artwork.
I can feel the breakthrough nearing. I can piece together the missing skills, and the approaching foresight that will enable this artwork to come together. Years of experience add to my conviction. I have faith in my skills, and in my aptitudes to figure it out. I keep patiently working on it, and asking for feedback from trusted peers.
This is the way out of the valley.
The Woods
The other artworks I highlighted last week are set in northern forests. The sketches for these have been a true exploration of the themes, and the visuals I could use to convey the ideas I have in mind. I’ve made a point of going over each of the artistic direction decisions from last week, and seeing how they would best be visually represented. The following are a few examples of how I've applied these concepts to the initial sketches.
For Tenebrism, I decided to emphasize Caravaggio's emblematic color palette. To contrast the strong shapes created in the background, I've added a candle in the woman's hand. This will add a second, softer light that will create a focal point near her face. This newly created focal point will meet the artistic direction choice from last week in which I want to focus on the raw human experience.
I've also chosen to simplify the image to a two-tone palette, to see if I can still pull off Caravaggio's colors, in a more simplified, and slightly more modern take. This will take more work, but I can see it creating some very interesting effects of light and shadow, including some very strong shape design and lost & found edges. I'm excited to push this idea further.
I'm also creating symmetry with the woman's reflection in the water. The water will have the reflection with which I wish to convey some distortions in the reflected meaning, and will also allow to see the bottom of the river, which will be filled with jewels and gold. This way, the idea behind the artwork will communicate efficiently.
The Residency by the sea
It’s lovely the amount of clarity a change of scenery can bring. I’ll be wrapping up the Blue Zones artwork. This is an achievement I can attribute to this artistic experience. What’s more is I am developing two new artworks as extensions of this research project. I am so proud of what this experience has yielded. It’s like an artistic harvest after a long season of sowing and tending. I’ve taken so many more notes, and created so many more sketches than I could have ever possibly fit into this 4-week blog series. I’m considering editing them, and having them elegantly bound into a book of my field notes. The Artist Residency has been an abundant source of creation and a reinvigorating experience.
I truly hope you enjoyed the intimate glimpse into my creative process. I will keep you updated on the artwork’s development through my newsletter.
Thanks for your continued readership.
-Notwhatnot | Olivia