I've been avidly pursuing open art opportunities wherever I can find them. When the chance to participate in a month-long residency at the Art Gallery of Bancroft arose, I was eager to accept. Although I'm based in Guelph, my parents recently moved to the Bancroft area and I hadn't had the chance to explore it yet myself. For both professional and personal reasons, this residency was a very exciting prospect; the memory of which will stick with me for my entire life. 

For the five weeks that I spent creating a body of work at the Art Gallery of Bancroft, I  experienced the seasons shift from late winter into a vibrant spring. One particularly notable thunderstorm with damaging winds caused a lot of debris on the routes that I frequented, including a large branch that blocked my path during the storm. As I was wondering what to do, a man in a pickup truck ran out into the storm and moved the obstacle off the road. The people in this area that I've encountered have been outstandingly kind, as if everyone is their neighbour. 

The gallery quickly became a supportive "home away from home". I had many great conversations with the volunteers, including local queer artists Ken Fraser and Roy Mitchell, who introduced me to the surprisingly robust queer community in the area. Meeting a network of thriving queer artists in a remote location was very inspiring for an emerging queer artist like me. The visitors were often curious, asking about me, my work, and the project theme. Many people offered advice, including a local High School teacher who told me about the perfect spot – only a short walk away from the gallery – for a larger view of the town that would end up becoming the largest work in the series.

In my oil painting practice, I'm particularly interested in reconnecting with past experiences. I explore my own personal photography as a method to document and understand my life. When approaching the theme of Finding Community, it was imperative to me to explore the town and surrounding area of Bancroft through the lens of photography. From the carefully planned out DSLR photo, to the quick snapshot out the window from a smartphone, and to the screenshot of a quick-paced video; every moment can be examined and extracted. This process encourages spontaneity and curiosity – all things that my practice hinge on.

Having come into this residency with my own struggles to connect and maintain connections with people, I set my focus on trying to carve out space for any opportunity to engage with the community around me. Though I am naturally introverted and shy, the people of Bancroft were very welcoming and warm. Through countless conversations with locals, I learned that the majority of people visiting the gallery also felt that making friends and getting to know people is very difficult. Of the many transplants I spoke to, they often reported an average of 2 or 3 years before they were able to meet people in this area and feel more at ease.

What began to emerge through my documentation of the town was a reflection on many of the often-overlooked parts of our urban landscape that draws us together. Telephone and power lines crisscross between houses, birds in mighty migration, strangers' footsteps overlapping with other strangers', well-traveled traffic intersections, shared sunsets and weather; aspects of our daily life that inevitably and unknowingly tie people together. In 2024, Harvard University reported that loneliness is an ‘epidemic’. While bleak, the truth is that connection in a modern world is hard to find, hard to afford, and harder, still, to maintain. Perhaps our shared isolation is what connects us most clearly today. My painting series explores these hidden connections within the community.