Three hours east of Paris, RACSTL-grantee and St. Louis abstract painter Mark Witzling was selected to attend the International Artists and Writers Residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux this past March.
Witzling received an Artist Grant from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis in 2023, which helped him land the residency.
“Without [the RACSTL grant] I wouldn’t have been able to go [to the residency],” said Witzling. “The support matters and I think what RAC has done in the past few years since Vanessa came on board has just been phenomenal.”
Witzling, along with nineteen other artists, packed up and headed to the French countryside to work on their craft this past spring. Chateau d’Orquevaux provided everything the artists needed, from everyday essentials such as meals and boarding to a dedicated open studio space for all the artists to share.
He described the space as “exactly what you think a chateau in the countryside of France would look like,” a gorgeous estate located on a grassy hillside overlooking a small village of less than 100 people.
Witzling mentioned that unlike some artist residences, this one had no obligations. With no required showing at the end, the artists were given “time and space to explore their creativity,” and they had more time to focus on getting to know each other and talking shop.
Artists came from all over the world for the residency—the United States, Canada, Greenland, Sweden and Israel. They also varied in practice. Along with other painters, there were also musicians, writers and a variety of visual artists in different disciplines.
“Interacting with the writers was really fascinating because I know nothing about what it takes to write a novel! To listen and learn about the process and how they do it, it was interesting,” said Witzling. “I wish I could write like they do.”
In his practice, Witzling typically uses oil and cold wax on wood panels, but during the residency, he wanted to explore using different surfaces and play around with scale. He notes this was an amazing opportunity to paint in a much larger space than he is accustomed to, which gave him the freedom to create larger pieces, pushing him creatively.
“It is easy to fall into a routine of doing the same technical thing. Your message, visuals and composition might change, but the way that you use cold wax and oil, you can fall into a habit of doing it the same way, and I wanted to explore some new things,” said Witzling.
Witzling integrated his new experiences and knowledge from the residency in his workshops, which you can sign up for on his website. You can also peruse his collections on his website and keep up with him on Facebook and Instagram. For more information about Chateau d’Orquevaux Artists & Writers Residency, head over to their website.
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, the largest public funder of the arts in St. Louis, proudly supported Mark Witzling with an Artist Grant in 2023.
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