Tales of Orquevaux is a body of work created during and inspired by my time at the Château d’Orquevaux art residency in France. Entering the residency as a surrealist, I intentionally stepped outside my comfort zone to explore new approaches including landscape, cubism, portraiture, and impressionism, allowing curiosity, play, and experimentation to guide the process. Influenced by the culture, environment, museums, and creative exchange with other artists, these paintings reflect a period of artistic growth shaped by openness, risk, and lived experience.