We finally got to the original reason for our trip on our last day in the Grand Est – visiting our friend Judith and her husband Mark during Judith’s artist residency in the tiny town of Orquevaux.

I had spent a lot of time looking at maps and checking train schedules to determine the best location to enable us to visit them. It had to provide a good base for other touring and be largely accessible by train, as we didn’t want to rent a car. Avid readers of our blog (I’m looking at you, mom and Rob) will know that I chose Nancy as that base.

As it turned out, Judith and Mark’s schedule was so compressed we almost didn’t make it to Orquevaux, but I’m so glad we did.

The village is home to about 70 people, with the Chateau d’Orquevaux bringing about 30 new temporary residents for each session. There’s nothing to do there except create, which is why it’s a perfect setting for artists.

After yet another train ride, this time to the village of Neufchâteau, near Joan of Arc’s birthplace, we were picked up by our friends for the 30-minute drive to Orquevaux.

Judith is a sculptor and installation artist whose work is informed by both the science of the human body and by the ecosystem we inhabit. The piece she created at Orquevaux, “Forest Spirit”, was constructed entirely from the estate’s foliage and given a home in the “Enchanted Forest” on the grounds of the chateau.

It looks like it sprung from this very spot, and indeed it will remain here until it’s reclaimed by Mother Earth. We humans made our contribution by tying tokens to the form and instilling each token with an intention. One of the things I love about Judith’s work is how she bridges the worlds of nature and humanity and expands our appreciation of the former.

For anyone curious about Judith’s work, check out her website. Or, come visit us!