Residency Reflections South of France
The rooftops are the first thing that found their way into my work. Their shapes and colours — reds, ochres, soft greens, light browns — shifting in the late-summer light, layered against the wine fields and rolling hills. The tiles themselves have become a fascination, a rhythm, a quiet mark that now threads its way across my canvases almost unconsciously.
Something subtle is changing in my paintings here. To the viewer it may appear clear, but for me it feels like small shifts: different marks emerging, a fresh language of shapes and outlines pressing through. What strikes me most is not the change itself, but the intensity with which it comes.
This residency has revealed something I didn’t expect. I have always known Australia as home. The feeling is immediate when I return there — a sense of arriving, of grounding. Germany, where I grew up, has never felt like that, even now when I go back. It feels foreign to me, as if my body never truly belonged. But here, in the south of Europe — in Greece, Italy, France — there is something different. Something cellular. I look at people and think: these are my people. I resemble them. Their gestures and presence stir something in me. It is not that I want to live here; I know where my home and life are. But here, for the first time, I feel a recognition of origin at a soul level.
I am painting as I always do: from a place where emotion, memory, and intuition blur into one another. Memories of five minutes ago sit alongside memories decades old, layered like translucent negatives — each image visible, but overlapping, shifting, weaving into what emerges on canvas. The difference here is the intensity. Days are long in the studio. Distractions are few. Feelings are heightened, the act of painting distilled into something dense and almost feverish.
There are days when I begin at five in the morning and suddenly it is midday before I’ve thought of food or rest. There are nights when I dream only of paintings, waking restless until I return to them. The process is beautiful and painful all at once — obsessive, consuming, sometimes edging on madness. The studio feels both sanctuary and prison: I hold the escape door closed myself, unwilling to step away.
Around me are other artists and a writer. Their presence adds another layer of intensity — a shared field of creativity, a hum of accountability. We push each other simply by being here, by showing up every day. And yet, it is not always easy. To create in the presence of others can feel like being on stage, someone perpetually over your shoulder. At the end of this residency, there will be an exhibition, and the thought of strangers walking in feels both exhilarating and terrifying. Vulnerability becomes the cost of creation.
Why am I here? On the surface, to paint. But beneath that, it is to give room to parts of myself that rarely lead: the dreamer, the rebel, the intuitive madness I have feared most of my life. I have always lived close to the edge of this creative madness — frightening in its power, intoxicating in its freedom. Here, I am old enough, steady enough, to hold it without falling in. My partner, Peter, is my anchor. He grounds me with tea on quiet mornings and small reminders of reality. His presence allows me to stand closer to the fire of creation without being consumed.
The greatest gift of this residency is freedom. Freedom to follow intuition without interruption, to create without limits, to let the dreamer and the rebel lead. What I will carry home cannot be packed: the promise to allow more days where the madness may reign, balanced and fruitful. To hold space in my daily life for the same intensity, but in doses I can live within.
If this experience were a painting, it would be full of movement and strength, breaking rules of form and order. Circles would not remain circles; squares would resist their boundaries. Yet it would also hold softness — gentleness that doesn’t diminish strength but expands it. A centre point bold and rebellious, surrounded by quiet that makes its power even more undeniable.
This is the tension I am seeking in my work: strength without domination, softness without fragility. I haven’t found it yet, but I feel it coming. And so I leave this place with more than paintings. I leave with a knowing: that freedom is the truest medium, and that the work ahead is not only on canvas but within myself.
With lots of love,
Kirana xx
What's On:
Save The Date - Saturday 18 October at 3PM
After three weeks immersed in an artist residency in Siran, France, I will soon return with a body of work shaped by rooftops and vineyards, long days in the studio, and the kind of creative freedom that is both beautiful and consuming. What has emerged on canvas carries the intensity of those days — the dreamer, the rebel, and the quiet moments of belonging.
You are warmly invited to the opening of “3 Weeks in Siran, France.”
Opening Event
Saturday 18 October, 3PM
Exhibition Dates
18 October – 8 November
Viewing Times
Mondays & Wednesdays: 10AM – 4PM
Saturdays: 9AM – 2PM
These paintings are pieces of that experience — works born from memory, intuition, and the spirit of place. I can’t wait to share them with you.
Open Studio - Wednesdays + First Saturday Of Each Month
Next Date - Wednesday, 1st and 4th of October
The studio will be open on Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm and the first Saturday of each month from 9am to 12pm.
Pop in for a look around, a cup of tea and a chat. We are looking forward to seeing you here.
Monthly Walk-In Art Class
Next date - 4th of October
Join me on the first Saturday of each month for a creative morning at my studio! Whether you’re an experienced artist or simply looking to explore your creative side, this relaxed and welcoming class is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the joy of art.
10am - 12pm | $70 per person (GST inc) | All materials included
One on One Art Lessons
Can be booked suitable to your timetable, tailored to your needs and all ages.
$110 p/h (GST inc) | All art materials included
Final Notes
All the above are also great gift ideas for a loved one who would benefit from some breathing space and would love to try something new.
If you would like more information on any of these workshops or to book, simply reply to this email or contact me on 0448446466.
With lots of love,
Kirana xx