There’s something rather curious about the way life unfolds.
We make plans, pursue ambitions, and spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to work out what we’re going to do next.
And then, occasionally, something happens that makes us wonder whether we might have been looking in entirely the wrong direction.
My wife Virginie and I have recently begun a new chapter of our lives in the south of France, after almost twelve years living in Mexico.
And just as we’re trying to work out how to make this next chapter both creatively fulfilling and financially sustainable, something rather unexpected has happened.
I’ve been accepted for a year-long artists’ residency in Sanary-sur-Mer, beginning in 2027.
Sanary-sur-Mer is a beautiful Mediterranean town on the French Riviera, just west of Toulon, where we’re making our new home.
The residency will provide me with a free studio for the year, opportunities to exhibit my work in solo and group gallery exhibitions, and the possibility of organising painting workshops with the local community.
For someone who has spent many years developing an artistic practice largely outside the established gallery world, this represents a significant opportunity.
And one that came as a considerable surprise.
A Rather Unexpected Development
Over recent months, much of my attention had been focused on developing my educational methodology and exploring consulting opportunities as we prepared for our move to France.
After almost twelve years establishing and running The Heart of Learning in Mexico, an independent learning centre built around the belief that education should adapt to the individual rather than expecting every student to fit the same system, it seemed natural to consider how I might build upon that experience.
Painting, meanwhile, has remained an important part of my life, as it has for many years.
I’ve worked across different media, experimented with materials and techniques, and gradually developed an artistic practice that has become increasingly central to how I understand and experience the world.
But I’ve consciously chosen to pursue much of that work outside the established gallery and exhibition world.
When I came across the opportunity to apply for the residency in Sanary-sur-Mer, I decided to put myself forward.
I didn’t have particularly high expectations.
After all, while I’ve been making art for much of my life, I don’t have an extensive exhibition history.
I imagined there would be plenty of applicants with considerably more impressive artistic CVs.
Apparently, someone saw something worth encouraging in my work.
I’m still getting used to the idea.
What excites me most is the possibility of giving my painting a more visible place in my life.
A dedicated studio, the opportunity to develop new work, exhibitions, and the chance to become part of a local artistic community.
And perhaps, at last, fewer excuses for not taking my artistic ambitions more seriously.
Although I’m sure I’ll manage to invent a few new ones.
Twelve Years, Quite an Adventure
When Virginie and I arrived in Mexico in December 2014, I don’t think either of us imagined that we’d still be there almost twelve years later.
We certainly couldn’t have anticipated everything that would happen.
There were extraordinary experiences, wonderful friendships, moments of genuine happiness, and opportunities that changed the direction of our lives.
There were also mistakes, disappointments, difficult decisions, and periods when things seemed to be going spectacularly wrong.
Sometimes all within the same week.
But I wouldn’t change those years.
They challenged us, shaped our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and taught us things that no amount of careful planning could have prepared us for.
Running The Heart of Learning was a particularly important part of that experience.
Working with young people and their families taught us an enormous amount about education, human development, and the importance of recognising that everyone follows a different path.
Looking back, I suspect those experiences have influenced my artistic practice in ways I’m only beginning to recognise.
But that’s a subject for another day.
For now, we’re looking forward to discovering what life in France might bring.
Beginning Again, Together
Of course, this new chapter isn’t only about my artistic ambitions.
Virginie is also looking forward to returning to the development of her Atelier VBM clothing and accessories brand, something she’s passionate about and eager to devote more of her creative energy to.
We’re both hoping to create a life that gives us greater freedom to pursue our individual creative interests while continuing to build something meaningful together.
Education will remain an important part of that picture.
We have many years of experience as educators, and we hope to continue drawing upon that through online tutoring, consulting, and other opportunities that complement our creative work.
The challenge will be finding a way to make all of this sustainable.
After almost twelve years running a learning centre in Mexico, we’ve decided that the sensible thing to do is move countries and devote more time to two notoriously unpredictable pursuits: painting and fashion.
What could possibly go wrong?
In truth, we’re under no illusions about the challenges ahead.
There will be practical difficulties, financial uncertainties, and undoubtedly moments when we question the wisdom of our decisions.
But perhaps we’ve reached a point in our lives where we’re more willing to accept uncertainty as part of the adventure.
We’ve certainly had enough practice.
And there’s something exciting about the possibility of bringing together different parts of our lives that have, until now, often seemed to compete for our attention.
Planting Seeds
There’s something rather fitting about the way this opportunity has appeared.
I’d been concentrating much of my energy on education and consulting, trying to establish a clear direction for our next chapter.
The residency application was something I pursued almost as an aside.
And yet it may turn out to be one of the most significant opportunities to emerge from this period of transition.
It’s reminded me of the importance of continuing to put things into motion, even when we have no idea whether they’ll lead anywhere.
Planting seeds, I suppose.
Some grow, others don’t, and occasionally something unexpected appears in a place we’d almost forgotten about.
I find myself returning to the relationship between effort and expectation.
We can work hard, make plans, pursue ambitions, and do everything we can to create opportunities.
But we can’t entirely control what happens next.
That doesn’t mean abandoning ambition or simply waiting for life to deliver something interesting.
Unfortunately, I’ve yet to discover a philosophical tradition that successfully eliminates the need to pay the bills.
But perhaps it does mean learning to distinguish between the things we can influence and the things we can’t.
To remain committed to what we’re doing without becoming so attached to a particular outcome that we fail to recognise other possibilities.
It’s a lesson I seem to encounter repeatedly, both in painting and in life.
And, judging by my progress so far, one I may be studying for some time yet.
What Comes Next?
I’m particularly looking forward to the opportunity to develop new paintings during the residency.
Over recent months, I’ve been exploring ideas around memory, the emotional experience of place, and the relationship between intention and chance.
My paintings often begin with a few straight horizontal and vertical lines, followed by spontaneous layers of acrylic ink and water.
From there, the process becomes a conversation between deliberate decisions and unexpected developments.
I never entirely know where a painting will lead.
Which, come to think of it, is probably a reasonable description of our lives over the past twelve years.
I’m curious to discover how living and working in the Mediterranean environment will influence my work, and how the experiences we’ve accumulated in Mexico and elsewhere might find their way into new paintings.
I’m also looking forward to the possibility of organising painting workshops, bringing together my experience as an educator with my artistic practice.
I don’t know what the residency will ultimately lead to.
But I’m grateful for the opportunity to find out.
And perhaps that’s enough for now.
After all, I’ve spent many years making paintings without knowing where they might lead.
And now, quite unexpectedly, they’ve helped open a door.
I don’t know what’s on the other side.
But I’m looking forward to finding out.
And if nothing else, at least I’ll have a studio in which to contemplate the question.
Following the Journey
This is the first in a series of new reflections on painting, memory, uncertainty, and the unexpected connections between art and life.
In the next article, When the Painting Has Other Ideas, I’ll explore how my paintings develop, from their rather orderly beginnings to the unpredictable things that happen when inks, pencil, water, and intuition get involved.
The residency officially begins on 1 February 2027. Until then, I’ll be working from my small studio at home in Toulon, continuing to paint, explore ideas, and prepare for the year ahead.
I’ll be sharing new work, thoughts on my painting practice, and some of the preparations along the way. And once the residency begins, I look forward to sharing how the experience unfolds.
If you’re interested in following along, I’d be delighted to have you here.
You can also find me on Instagram at @adambutcher19.
Thank you to everyone who has followed, encouraged, or taken an interest in my work so far.