Doris Charest hasn鈥檛 painted much this year.

The St. Albert, Alta. resident 鈥� briefly transplanted to the Okanagan for a residency at Coldstream鈥檚 Mackie Lake House 鈥� moved studios in January and has slowly unpacked her gear. Just days into her residency the experimental, mixed-media artist found herself turning to traditional techniques. She unexpectedly realized the process would be one of re-learning and commented, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a good surprise.鈥�

What has the experience of packing up a studio 鈥攐nly to pick up painting in a brand new environment 鈥� been like?

鈥淵ou鈥檙e naturally a collector. You move through phases,鈥� said Charest, adding she鈥檚 鈥渕oving through phases, but quicker.鈥� She鈥檚 exploring the act of painting all over again, and coming to conclusions that once took years to arrive at.

Charest 鈥� who names JMW Turner and Georgia O鈥橩eeffe as some of her major influences 鈥� has more than 10n solo art exhibitions to her name. She has also participated in art residencies all over the world. But the opportunity offered at Mackie Lake House is a little different 鈥� it鈥檚 a setting for intense creation in an isolated environment for about three weeks, before that work is exhibited at the Vernon Public Art Gallery.

The program is conducted as a partnership between the two organizations 鈥� Mackie Lake House and the Vernon Public Art Gallery (VPAG) 鈥� and has been running for more than a decade.

鈥淭he VPAG鈥檚 partnership with the Mackie Lake House benefits artists in various stages of their artistic career,鈥� said curator Lubos Culen. 鈥淭hey can create artwork in the historic house and then exhibit it in a professional setting at the Vernon Public Art Gallery.鈥�

Charest鈥檚 exhibition, A Visual Journey, opens on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Vernon Public Art Gallery. Admission is by donation and light bites and drinks will be served. The event runs from 6-8 p.m., and the work will remain on view until Dec. 20.