About
The residency lies within a small hamlet in the Morvan National Park. The Morvan lies at the heart of Burgundy, 250 Kilometres south-east of Paris. The residency is located in the Côte-d'Or part of the Morvan, approximately half way between the towns of Saulieu and Autun. By TGV, Paris and Lyon are within 2 hours travel time and the city of Dijon is within1 hour drive time. The Morvan is a working agricultural area as well as a place for tourism. We regard ourselves as working within a regenerative culture that offers studios within a horticultural setting.
The Gardens
Our gardens are based on permaculture and regenerative agriculture. Long term we aim to be more self-sufficient by growing much of our fruit and vegetable needs.
We like to grow a mixture of cut flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables. The orchard has four mature fruit trees: cherry, damson, plum and mirabelle. Since 2019 we have planted many more fruit trees (mainly apple, pear and quince) and soft fruit bushes, and over fifty different varieties of roses. The potager garden is predominantly dedicated to growing vegetables, salads, herbs and soft fruit.
We have five gardens of variable sizes. Generally, we are happy to provide visiting artists with some vegetables, salads and fruit when they are available. Throughout all the gardens we have a variety of visiting and resident birds, including the famous hoopoe. We will continue to write small articles on the gardens and permaculture in the Journal section of the website.
The Morvan and Beyond
France first national park, rolling hills, beautiful villages, local markets, hiking, swimming in lakes, mountain biking, vineyards … as well as lots of local events happening throughout the summer
Established in 1970 as an area of outstanding natural beauty, the Morvan is ideal for hiking, wild swimming, mountain biking as well as beautifully preserved villages, churches and local markets. The Morvan lies at the heart of Burgundy, and the residency is located in the Côte-d'Or part of the Morvan, approximately half way between the towns of Saulieu and Autun. Our locality has great access to enable day trips to Paris or Lyon. The TGV train to Paris takes 1hr 05mins travel time. We are 50 minutes car drive away from the beautiful city of Dijon and the beautiful town of Beaune, both these locations are at the heart of Burgundy culture for food and wine. Dijon hosts a traditional Beaux-Arts Museum, the collection contains European painting from the Renaissance to the 20th century, as well as temporary contemporary art exhibitions. The Consortium gallery in Dijon focuses entirely upon international contemporary art. The Beaux-Arts Museum and the Consortium both have a English version website. Also of note is the FRAC Bourgogne contemporary art gallery next to Dijon’s famous food market.
There are also a variety of other museums in the Morvan relating to Roman and Celtic culture. The vineyards and their domains are 45 minutes car drive away. We will be happy to provide you with all the information you need on local markets, places to eat, where to swim and walk and current exhibitions in Paris, Lyon and Dijon and how to get there.
About us
We are Stephen, a painter, and Mila, a fashion designer and researcher in sustainable fashion.
Since buying our 17th century farmhouse and converting the outbuildings into spacious studios we envisaged hosting aspirational and innovative professional artists. We regard ourselves as working within a regenerative culture, not only adopting ideas of regeneration within the studio, but also trying to be careful on how we grow and source our food and make and buy products for the home. Our home is clean and comfortable and has a typical French rustic style, though developing the house and gardens will remain an ongoing project. Not everything we do is always environmentally friendly or ecologically sustainable, however, as artists and designers we aim to find ways of being that is empathetic for the environment and helps to nurture people.
For more information please read A Residency in the Morvan
Stephen
Stephen has exhibited his work widely across North America, Asia and Europe, as an individual artist and in artist collaborations. He has previously provided consultancy on cultural leadership and public engagement in the arts. He worked in university art schools in the UK for 25 years culminating in a professorship in contemporary art. In 2008 he completed a 3 month international art residency in Seoul, South Korea. He holds a PhD in art and citizenship and lead supervised several successful PhD completions in Fine Art.
Mila
Mila is a designer-maker, researcher, and consultant in sustainable fashion. Her work focuses on the connections between fashion and agriculture, and the role of time and cyclical patterns of nature in sustainable living. Mila holds a PhD in fashion and sustainability and has worked in advisory and research capacity for industry and academic projects worldwide. Her first book Mundane Fashion that explores people’s emotional and sensory experiences with everyday clothing will be published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts in 2025/26.