least six or seven residencies in all over the past fifteen years and each has been vastly different from the other. The very first was awarded to me by the University of New South Wales, College of Fine Art (COFA) at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris in 1997.  It was an experience of a lifetime for me. I did most of the preliminary work for my MFA whilst there and enjoyed the friendships and working experiences I had with artists from as far apart as South America, China, France as well as new friends from Australia. It was also a great opportunity to travel and to enjoy visits to galleries such as Monet's garden. The two other residencies that have had a great impact on my practice and development as an artist took place at the Vermont Studio Centre (2002) and the prestigious Leighton Studios at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada (2005). I found the Vermont Studio Centre residency one of great camaraderie. My friends and colleagues were again varied and the religious differences were marked so we celebrated Jewish events and well as Protestant and Buddhist. There were also opportunities to have consultations and critiquing sessions with well-known American artists, which was extremely useful and interesting. I have long loved American abstract expressionism and whilst I was there the work I made was abstract, on large pieces of canvas pinned to the wall. Many artists made impromptu sculptures or paintings from the ice