It’s October, my birthday month, and Libra season! The cool air is starting to show face in the South, and I’m feeling really grateful for all the magic that’s happened in 2026 so far. BUT the year isn’t over yet!!

I touched down in Mexico yesterday and am super excited to share that I’ll be living in Puebla for three weeks with 7-10 other artists from around the world at the Arquetopia International Art Residency! I came a few days early to hang out in Mexico City for the weekend before I commute down to Puebla.

This residency will be a bit more structured as a mentored program that acknowledges Mexico’s rich artistic heritage, expressed through a wide variety of techniques and iconography, and offers a nuanced perspective to connect tradition with contemporary art practices. My acceptance letter notes that they receive 800+ applications from over 100 countries and accept 100-125 visual artists, designers, art historians, curators, and scholars per year, so I’m feeling incredibly grateful and proud of this opportunity.

My program will I’ll focus on Organic Painting and the cultural influence taught by local creatives. Arquetopia offers a few focused programs: organic painting, Mexican ceramics, art history and research, natural ink making for silkscreen, gold leafing, and more. There is one artist allotted per program in each residency session, allowing for hyper-focused learning and support. There will be a mix of assigned readings, 9/hr per week of creative instruction, weekly meetings with mentors, and some suggested field trips around Puebla. Oh, and this vibrant red house is where I get to live for three weeks!!

I’m eager to see how this experience will evolve and push my creative practice, and mostly, I’m excited to live in Puebla and connect with locals on all the history, food, and excitement as the country preps for Día de Los Muertos in early November. I’ll be back with my Redux fam in Charleston before full celebrations kick off, but I hear there’s a lot to experience throughout October!

As I’ve been mentioning, I’m an artist in residence at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston for the Fall, so I’ll be connecting remotely with my studio mate, Cody Mathews, as we prep for our collaborative art show opening on November 20th!! Extremely grateful for the Redux team supporting creative opportunities and the flexibility on prior commitments. Will be fun to mix in some remote collaboration to this experience!

As the seasons change, and my snail mail reaches your mailboxes, I’m excited to keep sharing creative projects, experiences, and the growth that I’m feeling over this amazing year of exploration. My recent Instagram reels- a 3 Part Series from September Snail Mail - highlighting my corporate job being eliminated has been another “fun” experience this year..but I’m trying to take it as direction vs. rejection (since we’re in the age of AI). Anywho, I’m still feeling grateful and trying to lean into as many experiences that come by the way - by my own efforts, and the little treats keep showing up!

I started applying to residencies probably 4-5 years ago, and when I received my first acceptance mid 2025, I knew this year was going to be filled with some good things. Attending three art residencies isn’t something I thought I would get to do this year - or any year. I’m being challenged creatively, socially, and I’m really excited to continue building a creative life.

Ok I have to go! My food/market tour starts in an hour, and I’m still in a taco coma from yesterday! Gotta walk over to make room for more tasty little treats :) Buenas Dia!

Mexico Organic Painting Art Residency + Taco Tours!