The house is the result of a long quest undertaken by the painter ClaudePanier and his partner, IsabelleParisod, in search of a place conducive to creation.
Nestled in a fertile valley in the Alicante region, it offers a commanding view of centuries‑old almond and olive trees on terraced slopes. From its inception, ClaudePanier designed it as a space of tranquility and light, conducive to artistic work. After his passing, IsabelleParisod continued the project by expanding and renovating the house to provide artists with an inspiring setting in which to develop their projects.
Today, she opens these spaces to creation and exchange, thus perpetuating the original vision of a refuge dedicated to art and expression.
Located at nearly 800 meters above sea level in the Alicante region, the house overlooks an open landscape of terraced olive groves, almond trees, and majestic pines. Just a few kilometers from Torre de la Mançanas—a picturesque village renowned for its mild climate and preserved natural surroundings—it enjoys ideal tranquility for reflection and creation while remaining easily accessible from Alicante. Built of “Taperal,” a local stone characteristic of the region, the residence offers several outdoor spots for working, reading, or simply enjoying the calm.Its privileged location, both isolated from urban bustle and open to an exceptional panorama, makes it a refuge conducive to inspiration and relaxation.
The studio dedicated to the artist residency is set up at one end of the house, with an independent entrance, while remaining connected to the main house if needed. It includes a small bedroom with a double bed, a living area with a sofa‑bed and wood stove, as well as a kitchen and a bathroom. Two “casitas,” small metal-and-glass cubes installed in the garden, can serve as comfortable bedrooms immersed in nature or be transformed into 3 × 3 m studios, thus providing additional spaces to work or relax.
In addition to the “casitas,” which allow for working in nature while enjoying the comfort of an enclosed space, a 7 m² dojo has been built at the back of the garden. Sheltered from the elements, it offers a suitable location for outdoor artistic or physical practices in a peaceful, secluded atmosphere, while maintaining a direct connection with the natural environment.
Open to all artistic disciplines, our residency welcomes you for creative projects with total freedom. However, please note that while the studio space is designed to inspire your work, it remains intimate in size. Likewise, you will not find any art supplies, heavy equipment, or machinery on site. You will therefore need to bring your own tools or devise creative solutions for any technical installations.
In line with a vision that supports and encourages artistic creation, no rent will be charged to our residents. As the heir to a house that once belonged to an artist, it embodies the spirit of sharing in the face of the economic challenges that creators face.
Nevertheless, as this is private property, a contribution of €100 per month is requested. This fee ensures the sustainability of the project and allows this unique place to continue serving as an inspiring and accessible resource for artists of today and tomorrow.
Drawing inspiration from the landscape’s transformations and climatic conditions, the residency is divided into four periods, each corresponding to a season. The panorama changes throughout the year, offering unique atmospheres conducive to creation.
The residency start dates are set on October15, January15, April15, and June1. To ensure an efficient selection process, applications must be submitted with a minimum notice of three months.
The availability of the next session is announced on this website (look a little further down).
To submit your application, please send us an email that includes a photo and a detailed presentation of your project, explaining your artistic motivations. We also invite you to attach a brief biography, your artistic CV, and a description of your artistic affinities.
This will allow us to better understand your creative universe and foster dialogue through the diversity of approaches within our residency.
Photographer Yuna Mathieu-Chovet is a graduate of ÉCAL in Lausanne, where she studied with artists suchas John M. Armleder and Sylvie Fleury, for whom she was an assistant. In 2011, she moved to Belgium andthe following year created the artist run space Plagiarama, an exhibition space run by and for artists.As a photographer, Yuna Mathieu-Chovet questions the place of the photographic object, its nature andits representation within installations that blend painting and photography, traditional hanging and plasticinterventions right on the wall, blurring the boundary between the work, its subject and its support. Her workexplores abstract photography with ephemeral, elusive subjects -lights, fluids- that aims to transcend conven-tional forms and formats. She works also with film and moving images.
January 2025 she show her work as part of Photo Brussels Festival. She is 2024 laureate of FWB grant forcreation for her new project ‘Birth of shapes’ that explores the different ways natural and human patternscome to life.She did 2022 a one year residency at Contretype-Centre pour la photographie Contemporaine Brussels todevelop her ‘Unsquared’ project, which also led to a conference at ARBA-ESA: ‘Objet et représentation: ledouble statut de la photographie’ and 2023 the publication of ‘Pour une abstraction purement approximative’in La Part de l’Oeil, Revue de pensée des arts plastiques n°37.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to experience a life-altering creative journey in such a magical place. For me, that magic unfolded at Mas de Taperal in Torremanzanas, where I became the first artist-in-residence. My space—a century-old Spanish farmhouse—was warm, inviting, and bathed in natural light, the perfect haven for artistic exploration. I began by painting within the garden’s embrace, my brush guided by the colors and textures of the land. Slowly, my work expanded beyond its borders, spilling into the rolling hills and winding streets of nearby towns, each crooked alley and sunlit corner offering boundless inspiration.
At the end of a full creative day, I’d walk the familiar twenty-minute goat trail into town, gathering food for dinner while plucking rosemary, sage, and thyme growing wild along the path. The rhythm of that routine, the quiet communion with nature, became part of the art itself.Returning to the States, I felt the weight of leaving that oasis behind. The transition was difficult—until my first exhibition of the works created there reminded me just how extraordinary the experience had been. At first, I hesitated to share it, guarding the memory like a rare treasure. But in time, I found myself shouting to anyone who would listen about the dream that had come true.
A turnkey refuge that supports the development of artistic creationBy offering me the time and seclusion I needed, the residency allowed me to better structure this project, which had been in gestation for several years. Thanks to a private living and working space, as well as flexibility in the duration of the stay, the residency provided a nurturing environment for long-term work and intimacy—standing in contrast to the pressure for productivity and efficiency that too often hinders the creative process.
Rooted in a daily rhythm of walks in the open air and explorations of the surrounding region, my research process was enriched by a sensory experience focused on questions of light and space. The tranquility of the place and the beauty of the landscapes undoubtedly contributed to a greater...
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