July 21st
Hello, friends!! There’s so much to cover, because there’s a lot going on the next few months. You’d think I’d be a little more flexible with change after my upbringing, but it is still one of my biggest struggles. Even when I know something may be for the best, or it is something I want, change can be wildly triggering for me. I’m treating myself as gently as I can through the process.
AUGUST
I will have a show up in Crystal’s Zen and Juice Bar here in Jackson. Crystal and I have bonded over painting, particularly our nude drawings/paintings. We have acknowledged there aren’t many places where we live that feel safe enough to display this kind of work. She has kindly offered for some of my nude work to hang up in her space.
The themes of these works will revolve around fire / candle motifs and the nude body.
In the August / September window, I am planning to begin moving out of my downtown studio space. It has been a wonderful portal for me. The first place that ever really felt “mine” and mine alone. Where I’m at right now, I’ve decided to move into a friend’s house who lives outside of the downtown area on some land. There’s water, abundant grass and plants, and holy air.
I am trying to be aware of this change and how it could be triggering for me, even though it’s something I want. I will be reminding myself it is okay to ask for help, and it is a blessing to have built community that will show up for me.
SEPTEMBER
I don’t have a date or time for this upcoming announcement but I will be Bethel University’s visiting artist for the Fall Semester this year. It will include a gallery show, gallery talk and reception, and speaking with the art students.
My mind tells me that I don’t have anything to share that will be valuable, or that people will think (fill in the blank) of me… but this will be a good chance to DO THE THING despite my thoughts or anxieties. My insecurities can exist alongside the willingness to try and do this.
OCTOBER
I also do not have a date or time for this one (haha :) I am mostly waiting on other people to give me the dates.) I will be part of a group show at the NED in Jackson, TN. Wendy Kim and I had a show together “Ebb and Flow” about two years ago and this will be the continuation of that show, and we have added another artist who is one of Wendy’s students. The idea of an intergenerational show excites me! More to come!
WHAT IVE BEEN UP TO
Once I got back from Penland, I had a week back in Jackson before going to New Orleans for a weekend. It was funded by two older friends who thought it was tragic I had never been to NOLA! It filled up all my senses in a magical way, though overstimulating at times. There was always something making me smile.
The place itself made me consider how most of the West views death, and how we are so afraid of it. This is something I think of often but the contrast was stark being in New Orleans. There were constant reminders of our mortality : the massive gravestones about ground, skeletons in art, voodoo shops filled with tools to communicate with the spirit realm or those who have passed on, and tours to see all the haunted places. Death was not something to be feared, but rather a universal experience we all can become more familiar with.
MY RECENT FIGURATIVE EXPLORATIONS
Since Penland, the figure has been on my mind. I used to obsessively use the figure when I was in school years ago. I keep wanting to compartmentalize my work as figurative or abstract and keep both bodies of work. I think I will, in the sense that I don’t see myself choosing only one form or style of expression. But I also want to be open to seeing how the two could interact and communicate with one another.
I have also been playing with chalk pastels which have opened up a whole new source of work for me! I’ve been flooded with ideas, and am honestly overwhelmed with how little time I feel I have for all of the ideas that are coming. I have to trust my process.
My friend suggested working with the chalk pastels in a larger scale and that’s when things really clicked for me.
While the shows lined up for this year will be focusing on my paintings, I am in the middle of making plans to have a show of these new chalk pastel drawings for 2025. I can’t wait.
Me and another local artist hosted a night for Palestine in my downtown studio. We brought candles, poetry, postcards to write, and beads for jewelry. This will be a recurring event so if you are interested, contact me personally for the August event. I will not be posting the details publicly but don’t hesitate to reach out!!
STAINED GLASS UPDATE
Jacob and I will be installing our year long window project THIS WEEK! We are both nervous but ready. Both of us are looking forward to building an inventory and learning our personal styles after such a large commission.
We did finally get some colored glass paint and I thoroughly enjoyed these explorations.
Seeing how my work translates into another medium feels like learning another language - vulnerable, new, eye opening, exciting…
MUSES
As far as my muses for this month, I have one main one throughout all my changes and travels and it’s FIONA APPLE!!!!
So far, The Idler Wheel has been my favorite album. I can hear emotion in her voice and I feel it all over me.
That’s all for now, folks! Thanks if you’ve made it this far :)
❤️❤️❤️