From Genevieve Costello

 

6th February - 28th February 2026

In my window that opens as a door in a recuperated fauteuil. There is grey layered on grey layered on grey layered on cement layered on rain. I hear men, I hear the highway, I hear the rain. It sounds grey. I think about Trélex.

In Trélex, I would get up early, my bedroom window faced east and the soleil would make an extraordinary backdrop to the Alpes, making them chiseled. I'd go to the kitchen and make a precious coffee. While I waited for the brew I'd open the kitchen window and stick out my head and look at the village houses and the sunrise again and then close the window and stretch my sides. 

I was quiet, the mornings were quiet, it was our time alone, even before the radio. My studiomate, a figurative painter from London, would sleep until later. I'd sit then, and looking up to the Jura mountains through the window at my desk, I'd write.

I'd do a good morning session, with one or two more coffees. Here in Trélex, I found plenty of focus and force. A resourcing place. Eventually it would be lunch, chats with studiomate about our dreams or the cats with the cows next door or new painting developments of a window shop in Bern she was working on. Another writing session, advance well. Efficiently. Clear. Eventually, I'd shove off my big pink slippers and slide into my knee stroking wellies and ski coat and mittens and head out the door. 

Depending on the whim of the day, it may be a big walk, 3 or 4 hours, and a stop at the village boucherie-cafe and epicerie. Depending on the day, I may depart left, or right. If the day were a Sunday, it might entail an early stroll to the next village over for a double espresso from the boulangerie-cafe-epicerie, where cyclists are to be found, or two villages over, where grannies play cards till the closing hour at 12h30.

Evenings are spent sitting in the window sill writing and looking. Writing and looking in peace. Then bed, then dreams, and then writing again :)

Advice

Coffee: If you are dependant on coffee, bring your own way to make your coffee (if you are particular, inquire in advance if it is induction stove top if you want a moka instead of a french press, otherwise french press should a safe bet)

Grocery: If you can drive, take the car the 10 minutes drive to the supermarché over the French border and stock up here, and or pass by the weekend weekly market (I did not visit but hear it is fine). This was faster and cheaper than paying the train route to get into the next Suisse city over with the expensive grocers. Also, the weekly market in this Suisse town is very expensive and taking out cash was complicated.

In village: The bouchérie and the épicerie are very lovely and if you're really stuck for food on a Sunday or Monday there is the vending machine on the side of the bouchérie, or the two cafés mentioned in the text above have epiceries with the good bits and bobs (expensive but for when you're stuck). 

Pharmacy/SOS Médecins: If you need to go to the pharmacie or to the urgences, idem for taking the car to the French SOS médecins and the French pharmacy. Cheaper (this was even with insurance). 

Phone: personally, I decided to only use my phone through the internet in the residency and did not take a phone contract to use out in the world. This worked well as I was really not doing any visits and so did not need google maps or anything. This added to the peaceful experience I was personally looking for and helped me not be on my phone all the time. 

General remarks: 

Nina is wonderful and ask her if you have any questions or needs or want to talk about your work.

I lucked out and really liked my studiomate, and upon arrival it was a bit natural and maybe isn't for everyone but we talked about how we worked and what our focuses were there etc. and at least on my end I lived this really well, was very friendly environment, and felt reassuring as I was there with a very specific goal in mind, with a certain intensity and rhythm. She had a totally different, relaxed studio approach and flow and honestly was great as a parallel and felt like a super balance. I appreciated that she felt comfortable to ask me to take photos for her, which were important for her studio work, and I felt comfortable to be in my writing intensities around her.

I stayed for 3 weeks, which was perfect and could have imagined happily staying for 4 weeks. I worked in a very determined way, really only writing and going for walks and reading in the evenings. I got done with the writing goal I had set out for myself and even more in the end. This was my personal arrangement and I felt supported in it from the residency and Nina, and felt no external pressures for any particular production!

Thank you for everything, I will love to come again!!

 

        

        

From Uzma Sultan

7th January - 28th February 2026

Arriving in cute little Trélex, laced in snow seemed like a novelty. 

I had been on the waiting list since pre-covid time, so when I got the chance this time, I took it at the start of a new year. 

While being amongst awe inspiring nature was amazing, it gave with an insight and a taste for Swiss rural life. 

Nina was very generous and forthcoming to welcome me. Not only, is this a very unique residency with the views of spectacular nature, but it was also quite a cosy nurturing environment & experience for me. It was nice to see some familiar names for the first 100 artists at Trélex. 

It's easy access to Geneva so I could go to Art Geneva at the end of January. 

Although, you are paired with another artist that may be there on a writing project, I gathered most who come to this Residency want to be left on their own. So, unless you arrive with another artist friend, you must get used to being by yourself. 

Trélex is very small and you may take a walk around the village in just 15 minutes. There is a small farmhouse with animals like cows, a lot of cats, and a goat. Some other houses had lamb and hens or roosters and a field with donkeys. Near the station there are horses and dear me it was inspiring to see jet black horses on white snow! 

Only one downside would be that food etc. supermarkets are very pricey! I always knew Switzerland was expensive, but I hadn’t realized just how much. So, if you have a special diet, it's best to bring some with you if possible.  

From Camille Stassen

1st - 30th November 2025

I spent one month in Trélex, free to create — or not to create, if I wished. That, for a start, felt wonderful. No productivity pressure!

Working away from my usual environment, with no expectations of results, was liberating.
It gave me the time to breathe and to reconsider my approach to my practice, allowing me to reconnect with the joy of making that first drew me into the art world.

Nina’s energy and warmth, along with the now well-established rhythm of artists coming and going, made settling in wonderfully smooth and helped me feel at home right away.

France is only ten minutes away by car and is an easy option for groceries and other errands. The Jura mountains and Lake Léman are also close by, offering beautiful hikes and refreshing swims. The work studio has a wide variety of materials available for use.

If you have the opportunity to join this residency, I highly recommend it; it will likely nourish both your practice and your mind.

From Jeni Johnson

15th - 28th September 2025

Trélex has been the most wonderful residency. If you are thinking of coming here- do it! 

It has been a joy to work in Nina's beautiful home, to spend time in the studio, and to be held by the extraordinary landscape. The mountains, the woods, and the village quickly became part of my daily rhythm.

During my time here, I experienced a real shift in my work. I began discovering my Altar Ego- a deeper, more embodied strand of my practice that has been slowly emerging for some time.  I had the space here to explore it more fully through painting, filming, and walking in the woods. Nina's input has been invaluable to this process. Our conversations about art, life and ideas offered gentle guidance and a refreshing perspective. One afternoon, while looking through images together, she pointed out a gap between how much of myself I allowed into the painted space. She said to me 'this is where we go big or we go home.' A comment that has stayed with me and encouraged me to expand the scale of my thinking. 

Life at Trélex had its own rhythm. My days often began early with the little red train to Nyon for a swim in the lake, before heading back up the hill and the train to the studio. The cow bells, the mountains, the bright blue skies all became part of my work. There were also the small unexpected moments, like meeting another artist on a walk up the mountain, that made my time here feel very special.

Thank you Nina for creating and sustaining this residency. It has been fertile ground and I leave with deep gratitude.  

From Jana Flynn

11th August - 29th August 2025

Cow bells, summer mountain storms, masking tape and a very shy hedgehog

My daughter, Simone, and I arrived at Trélex with no set agenda. Only her doll dress-making kit, open minds, and a small suitcase of materials. What followed was a joyful, intuitive process of exploring, creating, and simply being together.

I didn’t find Trélex by accident. Back in 2018, when my daughter was still a toddler, I began searching for artist residencies that welcomed children. Again and again, I came across language like “no children allowed” or “we cannot accommodate families.” Each rejection felt like a fairly clear reminder of how often the art world overlooks parent artists.

I made a promise then: when the time came, I’d seek out a space that embraced the full complexity of being both a parent and an artist. Trélex stood out immediately. It’s one of the very few residencies that not only allows, but genuinely welcomes children as part of the creative ecosystem. That kind of openness is rare and, in its quiet way, radical.

In New York City, I work as a creative director, guiding projects, managing artists, and shaping institutional vision. While the work is creative, it’s also structured, strategic, and outcome-driven. So to step into a space where I could be spontaneous, messy, and creatively free, especially alongside an 8-year-old was a profound shift.

There was something transformative about letting go of control and entering a shared, unplanned process. Our ideas were loose, materials improvised. “Success” was measured in play, wonder, and collaboration. We quickly found a rhythm. Among many creative directions, we gravitated toward stop motion animation, not as a finished project, but as a sandbox for our imaginations. There were messes, distractions, and tangents but also deep connection and joy. I was reminded that real collaboration isn’t about equal skill or vision, but about trust, openness, and meeting each other where we are.

Here are a few of our highlights:

-Sasha. Simone’s favorite resident was Sasha, the enormous, sweet-tempered dog who quietly watched over the house. Simone adored her, though Sasha mostly kept to herself.

-Cowbells. Trélex is deeply quiet in a way you can’t quite describe. On still days, the only sound is the soft echo of cowbells, no traffic, no hum,just birds, breeze, and the steady rhythm of chimes.

- Mountain Storms. The August heat built up warm days inside the old house, nudging us outside to explore. At night, mountain lightning storms lit up the sky an exhilarating spectacle for two city dwellers.

- The tiny hedgehog. One afternoon in the garden, we spotted a small, spiky creature. Nina gently picked it up, it was a hedgehog, curled into a perfect little ball. No harm was done. 🙂

For us, Trélex was more than a residency, it was a space that held without pressure or expectation. It gave us time, quiet, and the rare gift of creative possibility. I reconnected with parts of myself that often get lost in the pace of daily work, my ability to build, to improvise, to play. I remembered that creativity doesn’t always need a goal; sometimes, wonder is enough.

And for my daughter, I believe this experience offered something even more, a sense of confidence, curiosity, and connection that will live within her for years to come.

Our adventure was beyond my wildest dreams.

Enjoy future artists!!

Always,

Jana/Simone

From Esther Molloy

10th - 24th July

I felt very privileged to be at the Art Residency in Trélex, in Switzerland for 2 weeks.  I did wait 2 years on the waiting list to get there, probably like many others.  I appreciated Nina's hospitality, trust and guidance in running the residency.  It was nice to meet my fellow artist Sallie and learn many things from her about her wood block work/prints and about the country she lives in, which I have never been too.

I have only recently come back into art & creative work in my senior years after being a busy mum, wife, working as a Registered nurse and then becoming a trainee lawyer and studying law from the year 2000.  

I have studied botanical art from 2017 to 2020 at art classes and water colour painting since coming back into the art world and being able to be creative on a very part time basis. 

I have been unable to work regularly on my art due to intense caring responsibilities of looking after my husband and my son at home for the past 20 years.  I was very frustrated that I could not produce much artwork or even attend classes or go back to work during the years I was caring, but on the other hand I was pleased I could care for my family, it was very hard work but very rewarding. 

Unfortunately they have now all passed away, my husband in 2019, my mum in 2023 and my son this year March 2025, so I am now dealing with grief and I am at a crossroads in my life, of much more time to myself and what to do in the future and when? so I had a lot of thinking to do at Trelex.  It came at the right time for me. 

When I arrived at the Residency I had not painted for 6 months, I was not feeling inspired too either, although I had many projects I wanted to work on and I bought them with me.  I am pleased to say at Trélex, it was wonderful to get to work immediately the day after I arrived, to see an empty desk to put my work on, I did not do this at home, but I now keep my work out on the table at home, I suppose its about finding the right spot, with the right amount of comfort and light.  

At Trélex, I usually worked from 10 -1 pm, stopping for lunch, with having a disability, it means my focus is limited  and fatigue can easily set in, but this may improve with time, having said that I produced 5 paintings, one collage and a cut out map in the 2 weeks I was there. This is compared to one painting every 4 months at home.  It was lovely to be so prolific in my work and having the time to sit and do it.  It gave me a wonderful sense of achievement.

I was thrilled with this progress and it has inspired me to work at the minimum of two mornings per week now I am at home and I am considering entering an amateur art exhibition, this is my next goal.  Also since I have returned home, I am exploring art exhibitions, art clubs and have joined free classes through out the next year, which is run by the local council.  The classes are on a Saturday and give me taster sessions of silk painting, book binding, mono printing, relief painting and trying new mediums.  I am keen to learn how to paint with pastels, oils, ink, gold leaf, charcoal and graphite pen in the future and explore this creative world more. 

In the afternoons at Trélex,  I would relax and sit by Nina's new pool, which was lovely and very therapeutic for me, I would take work with me to do by the pool, read a book, sit in solitude which is what I needed or even swim !  It was wonderful to see the cornfields in the distance swaying in the warm summer breeze and watching them grow.  It also made me realise I have been having too many holidays, doing too much walking or moving around and visiting cultural areas, as opposed to just sitting, relaxing and doing nothing, I've realised it is good for my soul and mind to do this, in future I will make that a priority on holidays with a little less cultural input and probably more artwork on holiday.

About every 4th day, I would have a complete day off, go shopping for food, browsing around and have a meal.  Nyon, is a lovely town with individual shops and nice cafes/ restaurants, it is a short train ride away from Trelex on the red train, situated on the huge Lake Geneva.  I enjoyed sitting by the Lake having a picnic lunch and visiting the museum for more inspiration or just taking photographs for the next painting.  

On another outing I went to Geneva and visited the United Nations building and went on a tour, I forgot my passport but they let me in with my ticket !  I felt very at home there.  After I completed my Masters degree in International human rights law in 2014, I wanted to apply to work at the United Nations in Geneva or in New York, but I couldn't, due to my caring responsibilities.  Whilst I was there, there was a Convention of Indigenous persons who came from all over the world, a little lady from Bolivia in traditional dress with her bowler hat on and a chieftain from the south pacific islands with his feather headdress, they filled the foyer with their flamboyant outfits and headgear, I wanted to stay and listen but I could not.

I would love to return to Trelex, I was inspired by the peace & companionship of painting alongside other artists, the time to be creative and talk about our love of art and visiting Switzerland for the first time.  

Thanks to Nina, Rebecca and Sallie. 

This is my collage on a Japanese theme, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing called ‘ Travelling to Asia in the old days.’

This is cut out work of an old map of Madrid. I saw an artist work of cutouts of musical manuscripts and maps at a leicester art fair. She is called Alison folland from Loughborough UK. I was inspired to do this. I was very therapeutic. It may go into a collage.

Trélex painting work stations.

I went to Japan in  October 2024. An amazing place. The paper packaging was in a gift store in Kyoto train station. It had wasabi’s peanuts in it. They were very nice. I loved the intricate detail of this Japanese commercial artist, who designed the picture on the packaging.

This is another Christmas card. It belong to my mother. My sister Anne posted decided to post them out for Christmas 2023. I loved the night scene & the snow. It is St chads church in Shrewsbury.

This is a Christmas card to me & Ben with lottery tickets inside. From Rebecca. We didn’t win. But I loved the picture of the old pub which is still in Wapping, London. So I painted it. Maybe one day we will go there for a meal.

This was a serving mat at our last meal in Corfu , May 2024. So I kept it and promised myself I would paint the octopus. I loved the style of it and flow of it.

Queen charlottes summer palace, palace gardens, Prague. Finished painting in Switzerland. 🇨🇭