A predominantly self-taught Canberra artist has taken up two opportunities in France to build on her skills.

Melissa Hammond was one of 23 artists accepted into the Château d’Orquevaux Art Residency and was awarded a partial scholarship.

The chateau is an international residency for artists and writers, where participants are provided with a private studio.

The residency is self-guided but the chateau also hosts artist presentations and a literature night and encourages communal activities.

“I hosted an evening on invisible disability awareness to test my art ideas on how to boost awareness with my cohort. (It was) an amazing opportunity!” Hammond said.

“Having my own studio for the first time in my life, I found when I had the four walls and the space, this new artistic language came out of me that hadn’t come before.”

She was also one of eight artists worldwide to receive a placement at the prestigious art school Studio Escalier in Paris, working out of Montmartre and the Louvre Museum.

Studio Escalier is a private studio art school and international art colony in France.

“The course was designed to be in class for the first half of the day in Montmartre and then you head to the Louvre for the rest of the day drawing the sculptures or paintings.”

“The professors gave us a list of galleries and exhibitions to check out in our free time that complemented our studies.”

Hammond said there were artworks in the Louvre that resonated with her advocacy work.

“We had these one-on-one critique sessions – he (a teacher) said pick your piece you want to work and be critiqued on in the Louvre – I chose strong female role models,” she said.

Hammond is also planning to enter the Archibald Prize, a prestigious portraiture award, as well as the Sir John Sulman Prize, awarded for the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project by an Australian artist.

“I’m thinking of doing a self-portrait of me or the Sulman Prize which is tied more to my work with an empty chair and sunflowers because the sunflower is the international sign for invisible disabilities,” Hammond said.

“I found with that investment I thought I’ve got to give this a go.

“It would be like a full-circle moment if I was to be accepted into the Archibald. I studied with the French masters then my work would be on display for a wider audience.”

She is also hoping to curate an exhibition of her work in the future.

As an advocate for people living with an invisible disability, Hammond said she felt the need to enter bigger competitions to create more awareness.

Her journey to becoming an artist was by accident – literally – she was involved in a car accident in 2015.

Art was no longer a dream to come home to for Melissa, it became a necessity to survive.

She made the transition to becoming a professional artist in 2020. Since then, she has exhibited in Australia, London and France, earning a number of awards.

The ACT Government sponsored her for the residency and art school in France.

Hammond was also one of 25 in Australia, and the only Canberran, to receive Creative Australia’s MATCH Lab grant matching donations up to $10k.

She is asking for help to reach her fundraising target of $15,000 to assist with some of the costs associated with attending the residency and school, with a cut-off date of 31 March.

Donations can be made at artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn00000F7uxhMAB/a-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-in-france.

Hammond said any additional funds raised above the target would go towards exhibiting her works from overseas in Canberra.

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