october 21st
moving and shifting
october reminds me the nearness of winter in which my creative practice loves to come to life.
i am trying to become more in tune with my own circadian rhythms in the 24 hour day, and then more broadly, how the four seasons where I live affect me / my art.
if i stuck to articles on the meaning of seasons, it would follow that creation and inspiration and life would be plentiful in spring and summer, while fall and winter may lead to retreat and reflection.
my years have shown the contrary.
so far in my life, the fall and winter have been my most “fruitful” seasons in making. summer especially has felt like such a drag for me. two years ago, i had a summer residency that pulled me out of the drag, and this last august i had my show. after the show, it felt natural to spend less time in the painting studio to offer myself space to process and soak in.
Read here on my Instagram how my practice is shifting for the next year
i’ve moved into a studio apartment these next few weeks that is right NEXT to my future apartment. then, in a month or two, i’ll move again. i’m so excited / ready for my own space but it has been pretty exhausting leading up to it all. i’m ready to be settled and commit more energy to the studio, as i’m longing to do.
my stained glass partner and I are working on a large comission a few times a week, hopefully knocking it out before the end of the year. it’s a large window for a community center.
i’m enjoying making my own pieces alongside the large scale work.
what i’ve been doing
I’ve had one week at the STAR Center this month, which is one of my favorite places in Jackson. They started an art program last year, offering art classes to individuals with a range of disabilities. I had the older kids this time - I brought air dry clay to play with, and we watercolor painted. They remind me the physical joys of painting - to simply move the hand along the page is enough.
I accepted a job at a church’s nursery. I have not attended church in a few years, and only wanted to if I knew that church would be affirming of the LGBTQ+ community, and I have found that here! The kids and I have an art wall now and I love seeing their drawings every week.
I have been teaching sewing lessons to the coolest person for awhile now and we’re finalizing their Halloween costume. I’m soooo excited to see it come to life!
paintings
what’s coming up
I had to cancel my October pop-up during the Art Walk, but will be popping up the first Friday of November.
I’m so excited to offer and announce my first year of hosting a pay what you can sale. I’ve been wanting to incorporate more radical ways of art being accessible and I feel like I’m at a place to do this in a way that is healthy for me, and hopefully great for you!! Right now, I am only committing to in person, but may be posting some online, I’m not sure yet.
october muses
Chris Burden’s performance “Shoot”, in which he selected a friend to shoot him in the arm in front of an audience to protest war. His message was that Americans were becoming desensitized to violence, and it feels powerful still today.
I had my aura photographed in Nashville and want to begin doing this yearly as a gift to myself. Find the shop here .
The picture doesn’t do it justice, but a local macaron and tea shop opened here in Jackson and it’s SPLENDID! Parisian cafe music is always playing as you eat on the pink tables. Find their instagram here.
I have followed Fariha Roisin and read her books for years now. Here is her latest newsletter providing history and is so carefully worded and fierce. I would encourage anyone, whether or not you are politically active on social media, to take time to educate yourself ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE of social media. Go ahead and dedicate time to this and other topics you may need to know more about. But also, it’s not about knowing everything. It’s about loving your neighbor.
Learned about JULIA BUTTERFLY HILL, who lived in a tree for two years to protest the plan for it to be cut down.
“Julia Butterfly Hill lived for 738 days, from December 1997 to December 1999, in the canopy of a giant 1500 year old redwood tree named Luna. She ended her revolutionary action when an agreement was made with Pacific Lumber Company to spare the tree and a 200 foot buffer zone surrounding the tree.” treesisters.org