Michael Hepher: Artist Residencies – A Home Away From Home, Part I

A studio at the Similkameen Artist Residency. Photo: Michael Hepher

Michael Hepher

I’m Michael Hepher, a full-time artist, printmaker and writer living and working in Fernie. Articulate is committed to sharing artistic voices from across the Columbia Basin, and I’m one of the lucky people who has been invited to contribute my thoughts every other month. I’ll be sharing what’s on my artsy mind, give you glimpses into life as a rural artist, and talk about what’s going on in the cultural scene in the East Kootenay. Thanks for reading!

One of the most important parts of creating a sustainable art practice is understanding the conditions that your individual process requires in order for you to work effectively. What “effective” means—and how to get there—is as unique as each individual’s creative journey.

In my studio, the biggest contributor to my ability to get into the zone is the space in which I’m working. I’ve been in my current space for seven years, and it’s only in the last year that I feel the space has finally settled into something effective. Just like my creative path, the space that houses it is always getting tweaked so I can be more productive and less distracted.

When my practice starts to feel too routine, or I start to feel inspiration waning, I start looking for an artist residency.

I am comfortable with my choice to pursue an artist’s life, so don’t read this as a complaint, but there aren’t a lot of perks to the work. Job satisfaction is high, but my boss (me) can be a bit of a jerk, so morale fluctuates. I work—a lot; this past Saturday I was carving a wood block until midnight. The money usually isn’t great (for more information about the average salary of creatives in the Columbia Basin, have a look at this study, commissioned in 2023 by the West Kootenay Regional Arts Council), although, like any small business, I do have the ability to deduct some life expenses if there is a creative component. I have, however, discovered one amazing perk that only artists have access to: residencies.

Description of photo 1 — A seaside scene on Malcolm Island during my stay at the Sointula Art Shed Residency. I was drawn to this old, weathered boat shed on Rough Bay. It became a bit of a muse over the time there and resulted in a photo, a sketch, a watercolour and a full-sized piece, “Beautiful Day in Rough Bay,” all done at the residency. Photo: Michael Hepher

Description of photo 2 — Interestingly, the big painting sold before I even left the island, and even before it was finished, to a local family who fell in love with it on sight during an open studio day.
Painting: Michael Hepher

When my practice starts to feel too routine, or I start to feel inspiration waning, I start looking for an artist residency. When I come back from a residency, most people ask, “How was that art retreat thing you were at?”—so clearly the concept bears a bit of explanation.

That’s because residencies are emphatically not retreats, as artists typically take advantage of residencies to work—a lot. An art retreat would be something I would go to short term to learn a specific skill with a group of other creatives. Residencies are designed to help artists learn more about their individual practice or create a body of work.

. . . residencies are emphatically not retreats, as artists typically take advantage of residencies to work—a lot.

Here I am on the beach, a block from the residency in Sointula. It was my nightly habit to walk down to watch the sunset and listen to the whales in the bay: sometimes humpbacks, occasionally orcas, and also porpoises and otters. I would occasionally bring my mandolin down and play it, too. Photo: Michael Hepher

There are quite a few different kinds of residencies, but they tend to have a few things in common:

They get artists away from their homes and studios.
They have a defined time period.
They provide a place to live and work.

That might sound like a free vacation, but that’s often not the case. Most residencies have a cost associated with them that can vary from under $1,000 per month for a semi-rural, low-key spot, to $3,500 for a two-week stint at a castle in France with a fine wine cellar—transportation not included. There are residencies that include stipends and travel allowances, but they are hotly contested and difficult to get into.

Many residencies, such as the Sointula Art Shed Residency that I visited in July 2025, are solo and self-guided private residencies. Others, like my recent (April 2026) trip to the Similkameen Artist Residency, are communal, with up to five artists living and working in the same building during their stay.

Most of the time, the artists are required to feed themselves, but often there are shared meals, studio visits or enrichment trips. In general, artists are encouraged to work in private or semi-private spaces at their own pace, which is any time they are not eating or sleeping. Some residencies require a community engagement component, such as an open studio, artist talk or workshop, while others leave that optional.

Residencies are designed to help artists learn more about their individual practice or create a body of work.

You may wonder why, if I’ve spent all this time at home curating my studio space to be perfect for my practice, do I need to go away to work even harder at my art?

In my next article I’ll give you the answer, plus tips on Columbia Basin residencies—or how to create your own.

To find more about me (Michael Hepher), check out the links below. I’d love to hear from you!