In September 2023, I spent 3 weeks as an artist-in-residence at Skopelos Foundation for the Arts (SkopArts) on the island of Skopelos in Greece. Skopelos is an island located in the Sporades Archipelago in the Aegean sea.

Being accepted into this residency was a dream come true. Greece has always been on my list of places I want to visit, and now I would be able to paint for 3 weeks on a beautiful island? Unbelievable! At the time that I did this residency, I was a year out of college and my studio practice was not very consistent due to post-grad "real life" catching up to me. So, having a full 3 weeks where I could just focus on painting and art was perfect.

SkopArts takes residents for 3 concentrations: printmaking, ceramics, and painting. I was the only painting resident for most of my time there, with a little overlap at the end. There were a couple ceramics residents and a couple printmakers. They have a variety of supplies for each type of art. I didn't have to worry about packing any paints or mediums--I just had to bring brushes and any surfaces I wanted to paint on. I decided on a few small flat panels that would easily fit in my suitcase, as well as a sketchbook.

The studio at the Foundation is small building overlooking the gorgeous Aegean Sea. The building is 2 levels, with the upstairs housing the printmaking studio, main area, and small kitchen. The downstairs is the painting studio and ceramics. I spent most of my time working in the downstairs studio, which is completely open-air and provides the best views.

I spent most of my time working in the downstairs studio, which is completely open-air and provides a great view of the sea.

The first week I was there, Skopelos was hit with the worst storm they'd seen in years. Heavy rains, strong winds, the whole shebang. Everyone was told to stay inside and ride it out. I had barely gotten in the flow of consistent studio work when it hit, and now I was stuck in the little one-room apartment I was renting for a few days. The WIFI was out, and we even lost power here and there. It was definitely a little nerve wracking for someone who was alone in a foreign country (for the first time!).

What helped me get through my nervousness was the fact that everyone was extremely kind and caring. The director of the Residency, Jill, made sure to check up on me to make sure I was okay and safe. The owners of the apartment I was renting stopped by as well, and one of the ladies even brought some pastries she had made. This consideration from everyone really made all the difference of this experience.

When I could finally go back to working in the studio, I had to move to an indoor space as the winds were still pretty strong outside. Even though I had lost a couple of days due to the storms, I quickly set up and got to work so I could make the rest of my residency count.

A New Body of Work

I went into this residency really with no idea what kind of work I wanted to create. I wanted to draw inspiration from the island and the country, but I didn't have a plan. I tend to work more intuitively, following my gut and feelings, and this was no different. The first couple of days I was there (before the storm), I worked plein-air, painting a landscape of the ocean.

I enjoyed this method of painting, but I wasn't in love with the way it turned out. This ended up being a warm up painting for me to get used to the environment and get in the groove of painting. After the storm, I shifted gears a bit and moved in a different direction and subject matter.

While I was cutting up a fig, I snapped a quick picture for a reference. I was no stranger to painting fruits and other still lives. I was doing that a lot in college, and there's so much you can do with a simple fruit painting. I decided while mixing the colors for this fig painting that I didn't want to simply replicate the image I had taken. I really started to push and experiment with the colors I was using, utilizing more vibrant colors than what appeared in the picture and in real life. I added colors that felt right instead of just copying the picture. By the time I was done, I created a painting of a fig that was vibrant and colorful, inspired not only by the fruit itselt, but by the diversity of the island around me. Thus, the idea for my body of work was born.

By the end of my 3 weeks, I had a nice little body of work featuring 7 vibrant fruit still lives. These paintings were the most I had experimented with color thus far in any of my food paintings. I love how vibrant and juicy they all look. I think being surrounded by all the lushness of Skopelos, and the colors of the oceans and the town really inspired my choices. This was really my goal for the residency: to be immersed in a place/environment that was different from where I live normally, and to see how that influences my work. I believe my time spent here had been successful in that aspect. I definitely learned more about myself and my work during these 3 weeks, and I really do think my practice has grown from it. I am more confident in my color choices, and I am able to rely more on what feels right versus what looks closest to the reference.

I stopped thinking so much about whether what I was painting looked looked exactly like my reference while still being intentional with my color choices. I may use a blue or a purple for the shadow, but it still reads as a shadow. I may be mixing more colors into my whites (such as pink or blue or yellow), but you can still tell that that is the white part of the fruit, even without the appearance of pure white. Because, white rarely appears a pure white in real life. It's fun to experiment with color and see how far it can be pushed. This is a big lesson I learned while creating these little fruits.

My Overall Experience

The SkopArt Residency was by far one of the best experiences of my life. Not only was the setting absolutely gorgeous, but everyone I met was so welcoming and nice as well. I felt very comfortable as a young, solo female traveler. The residency was very self-directed, so you kind of set your own schedule. I found this to be challenging at first, especially coming out of an art school environment. By the end of my time, though, I had a pretty good studio practice going and I was able to balance my painting with my desire to explore.

When I wasn't in the studio painting, I was exploring the island. Skopelos is such an incredible island filled with amazing beaches, restaurants, and landmarks. I spent a lot of time down at Glysteri Beach, soaking in the sun. It was definitely quite a hike to get there from where I was staying, but it was definitely worth it. Jill (SkopArt Director), also took all the residents on a couple of field trips! We got to the Monastery of Timio Prodromos, where monks produce Byzantine ceramics. Jill also took us to meet ceramics master, Nikos Rodios, who gave us a demonstration on how he creates his pottery.

Fun fact about Skopelos: it is where most of the movie, Mamma Mia, was filmed. I took a day to go on a Dolphin of Skopelos bus tour to visit the different filming sites, including the Chapel of Agios Ioannis (pictured above). A funny story is while on that tour, I missed the bus due to the restaurant taking too long at our last stop, thus stranding me across the island from where I was staying. But, instead of freaking out, I took the opportunity to visit Amarantos Cove, which was about a 20 minute hike from where I was. This cove is not only gorgeous, but another filming site for the movie that wasn't included in the tour. Then, I ended up getting a ride back to Skopelos town from two old Greek women. Everything ended up working out, and I got a fun travel story out of the experience!

Overall, I am so incredibly grateful for my time in Skopelos. Participating in the residency was so amazing, and I got to learn and experience so many things. I would recommend SkopArt Artist Residency to everyone. This foundation is truly run by people who care about their community and about artists and making art accessible for all. I was able to leave feeling fulfilled, with a new body of work, a new hunger to create, and a desire to return to this beautiful island.

Chapel of Agios Ioannis

Amarantos Cove