the studio is everywhere :: upward collapse, limited edition prints, how to make space & a reading list
Here we are! It’s April. I will start the newsletter with drawings from a new mini-series called upward collapse. The drawings are analog and digital and reflect the mantra: “the studio is everywhere”. In a busy month of travel the studio was a hotel room, the rental car, my basement, a kitchen table, and the bathtub.
I traveled with a little box of essential paint colors, scissors, the iPad, colored pencils and a few of my favorite brushes.
:: UPWARD COLLAPSE ::
:: MAKING SPACE ::
Q1 was a big season of shows and putting art (and myself) out into the world. It was beautiful, magical and completely exhausting. There is so much energy and excitement and build-up and then a sharp drop. After the frenzy there is a silence that to me is unsettling. I’m trying to embrace it and listen to the creative whisperings that emerge.
How do I really listen to what is drawing me forward creatively and make the space to actually do it?! SOS! Naturally I turned to the IG hive-mind to hear how they’re making space for things that excite them. The answers resonated with me and many other folks so I’m sharing an edited version of those answers below.
letting myself off the hook. my house can be messy, the project can go undone for a bit.
setting boundaries on the things that don’t excite me
letting go of sadness and regret
reaching out to people i’d like to hang out with
prioritizing activities in my schedule that excite me so that they move from plans to habits
accepting who i am over who i want to be so that i can explore interests more authentically
not being co-dependent
saying no to a gig to make space to practice for something bigger
waking up between 4-5am
portable watercolors by my work desk
How are you making space for activities that excite and energize you?
:: WRITING ::
Showing up pretty much everyday to make art is rhythmic, practiced and comes naturally to me, but writing… not so much. This year I’m committing to more writing. I’m taking a poetry class on zoom through the room project!
To be a better writer, to feel more ready to write, to know more about what it is that I want to write, I’ve learned that I need to READ MORE. I feel most enthused by book recommendations that come from people I know. My IG community shared excellent recommendations and I’m including an edited list of those books below - in no particular order.
:: READING LIST ::
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Weather by Jenny Offill
Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi
The Searcher by Tana French
A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD by Sari Solden and Michelle Frank
Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir
Art on My Mind by bell hooks
Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone by Sarah Jaffee
Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering by Thich Nhat Hanh
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
:: to hold on, to be held ::
Thank you to those who were able to join me in Richmond for the opening of to hold on, to be held. I was so grateful to see your familiar faces!
Now through May 8 you can view to hold on, to be held at the Quirk Gallery. All work is available for purchase through the gallery.
Nastassja and I wanted this show and this space to feel warm and comfortable, to match the ways that we felt held and at home with our grandparents and extended family. The wall color was inspired by Nastassja’s grandmother’s wallpaper. Our playlist included artists our parents and grandparents grew up listening to. After a very long season of being apart, at times alone, and only viewing work through screens, we wanted this show to offer our audiences and guests a tender embrace.
Stay a night or two at the Quirk Hotel and enjoy their beautiful lobby full of art and pink furniture! Enjoy the murals in the elevator and whimsical wall paper. Their rooftop bar had not yet opened during my stay but will open soon and I’ve heard wonderful things about the view.
:: between seasons ::
between seasons is up at Cedar North now through the spring. It is a painting show that honors the convergence of winter and spring - seasons of mourning and celebration. It opened on the spring equinox and I enjoyed a beautiful long weekend in Cedar, MI. Thank you to my generous hosts! After a busy month of packing work, traveling, exploring new spaces, I was grateful to return to Cedar North. K and I visited around this time last year. If you live in SE Michigan it’s an easy ~4 hour drive. I highly recommend Cedar North for a getaway trip. To schedule time to see the show and purchase work please reach out to Chris at cedarnorthtc@gmail.com. Prices range from $700 to $2,800.
Thank you for reading and supporting my work!