Tag Archives: contemporary art

Exhibitions and Other News

Summer 2024 Wrap Up & Artsy Photo Dump

This summer came and went so quickly, I wanted to do a recap. This started out as something just for myself and my personal journaling to stop and reflect, but then I thought it may be interesting to those that follow me to hear what I’ve been up to. I love sharing fascinating things related to creativity, but sometimes forget to talk about what I’ve been up to. 

This was truly an art-filled summer. I completed my first largescale mural after years of mini public arts projects. I learned a lot, and gained important experience to carry forward into future projects. I was able to integrate community participation into my design with the overarching concept being a message of inclusion, which is very important to me. The process of allowing anyone and everyone to make their mark in helping with the base coats of color made the inclusion more than just conceptual, but a reality of the artistic process.

I distributed my art and handmade wares into 4 gallery shops covering Midland (Creative 360), Saginaw (Gingerblue), and Bay City (Catworks, Studio 23). I work between these 3 cities as well as an arts educator, and they are all within 30 minutes of each other which makes replenishing sold items something I can do with ease and not a lot of arduous travel or pre-planning. Sometimes I get overly focused on “elsewhere” and while expansion is important, working close by may be what is best for my busy schedule and self care right now. 

I stretched myself and did my first live painting at a wedding. Making a photo-realistic portrait to memorialize someone’s once in a lifetime (or that’s the goal anyway!) day is a lot of pressure. I also had a very limited time, and I’m not usually a wedding person even with people I know well since these sorts of events are typically a social anxiety doozy for me. The experience ended up being a much needed bright spot in what happened to have been a very tough week. It was beautiful, vibrant, inspiring, and uplifting in all the best ways, and was another opportunity that added to my repertoire of services I can offer.

I officially expanded my online shop to not just art, but art and fun fashion and cute collectible things I like in an effort to declutter and simplify life (starting with my wardrobe!) and have a greater customer reach. As we get closer to the holidays, might I suggest you check out the shop for unique wares ;).  

I took a break from some things I consistently do in order to make room for new experiences. I chose not to participate in any art fairs until mid-September, put off any little home repair projects until Fall, didn’t book myself solid with classes or alternatively plan a bunch of trips. I gardened, journaled, did lots of reading, spent time just being outside, increased physical-activity-related hobbies, and cooked at home a lot. It may sound like a boring summer, but it was so regenerative and allowed me to get ready for a busier Fall.

Since it’s not technically Fall yet, I ended my Summer with a wonderful surprise … I was awarded 2nd Place at Studio 23’s Michigan All-State Juried Exhibition for my piece “Breathe” – and it sold the evening of the show! I get very attached to my art so it’s always satisfying yet bittersweet when one sells, but honestly I could not be more excited.

16×20″ Prismacolor Pencil and Mixed Media

What are some memorable moments from your Summer of 2024?

Standard
Art Discussion

The ABCs of Creation – F Is For Folk

An artist friend recently shared with me an article they wrote titled “The ABCs of Underground Art”. I really enjoyed it, and they encouraged me to write my own ABC’s of the type of art that I do as a fun journaling prompt to use to unwind and organize your thoughts. Those that have followed me for awhile know that I don’t typically stick to just one type of art, so to open up the limits I decided to make my “alphabet” the ABC’s of Creation. I have assigned a word to each letter, along with a video of my illustrating a cool little ACEO sized letter inspired visual to go with each word. Read, listen, or both – whatever works! 

F is for Folk. According to Merriam Webster, folk art is an expression of community life distinguished as different from self-conscious or academic expression. It is a communal language. Communal and public art is an important step in the creator’s journey. Having just closed one of the largest public arts projects of my career, the eb and flow of both learning and imparting simultaneously is magical. Thinking in terms of expressing your own unique concept while making sure it is executed in a familiar enough language that others will be able to understand and even take part in the process is another push and pull that is such a catalyst for growth. Creativity will bring people together – it must.

Standard
Artist Bio

The ABCs of Creation – E Is For Equalize

An artist friend recently shared with me an article they wrote titled “The ABCs of Underground Art”. I really enjoyed it, and they encouraged me to write my own ABC’s of the type of art that I do as a fun journaling prompt to use to unwind and organize your thoughts. Those that have followed me for awhile know that I don’t typically stick to just one type of art, so to open up the limits I decided to make my “alphabet” the ABC’s of Creation. I have assigned a word to each letter, along with a video of my illustrating a cool little ACEO sized letter inspired visual to go with each word. Read, listen, or both – whatever works! 

E is for Equalize. Creating is a great equalizer in my opinion, because there are so many different ways to go at it even with certain limitations. I work with students with disabilities, some of whom have a lot of trouble with fine motor skills or dexterity. Large, overarching strokes, wobbly lines, lopsided sculpting … Some people try to achieve these peculiarities on purpose!  There is a way to make qualities you may view as imperfections part of your signature look. How cool is it that when creating, we can take something that is typically viewed as a difficulty and transform it into something that enhances our end result.

Above are just a snapshot of the beautiful works of art my students have created over the years. I strongly believe that beginning my career as an instructor with the Express Yourself Artshop inclusive program in my hometown (as someone who wasn’t even planning to become an art instructor at that point!) made me a better teacher.

(Psst! We do have a Redbubble Shop as well, if you want to show some love.)

Standard
Artist Bio

The ABCs of Creation – D Is For Dreams

An artist friend recently shared with me an article they wrote titled “The ABCs of Underground Art”. I really enjoyed it, and they encouraged me to write my own ABC’s of the type of art that I do as a fun journaling prompt to use to unwind and organize your thoughts. Those that have followed me for awhile know that I don’t typically stick to just one type of art, so to open up the limits I decided to make my “alphabet” the ABC’s of Creation. I have assigned a word to each letter, along with a video of my illustrating a cool little ACEO sized letter inspired visual to go with each word. Read, listen, or both – whatever works! 

D is for Dream. Creating allows us to show others things they could never see in real life. It transports us. The art I appreciate the most takes ideas from reality but uses innovation to present it in a new way. This is the kind of art that makes creation valuable; we can’t just look out the window and see what it is showing us. Not to say realistic things like landscapes can’t show us a new reality, Look at Van Gogh! Creating invites us into the mind of someone else, a place we can’t usually go.

Standard
New Work

‘Patience’ : Mixed Media Surrealism

Chugging along rather slowly, I’ve finished the 4th installment of my current Fruits Of The Spirit series, Patience. This is an apt theme, as this series is one of the slowest yet, and I am not used to working slow! Sometimes it really irks me that I’m over halfway through 2024 and have just this month been finishing up some of my started pieces, being used to finishing 15-20 new artworks a year sometimes. This comes with the territory of working larger, and accepting more opportunities outside of my studio like public art and murals, live painting at events, and vendor markets. The 2 works below were started way back in 2021!

Patience is a loaded concept for me, and a lot of reflection went into this piece as there were a number off different directions it could take.

I’m told I have a lot of patience with “difficult” people, and that I have unconditional patience with my students when I’m teaching. I’ve found my particular flavor of patience through working with individuals with disabilities and mental health issues in some of the art programs I teach through, but for most of my life I would not describe myself as a patient person. Though typically considered advanced academically, I was perpetually late to the party where anything else was concerned growing up, or at least it felt that way. Whether completely accurate or partially a perception based on comparison to my friends or peers, this cultivated a lot of internalized anger; last to learn how to ride a bike, last to get invited to parties or social gatherings, last to go on a date, last to see their favorite band live, last to land a ‘real’ job, last to … I know this is a relatable feeling for many, but to the individual in the moment it feels like life is just passing by. When these typical milestones that may seem insignificant individually keep cumulatively falling by the wayside, it chips away at your self worth – especially when you don’t know why you can’t just ‘get it together’. I always find it funny that when I catch up with people I haven’t seen in a long time, they are amazed by all the things I HAVE done, because I sure don’t see it that way. Sometimes when we don’t reach all those wonderful but pretty bland, typical milestones we end up feeling so singled out that we miss all the unique, interesting milestones we have reached. 

My first art show where I won an award was my college showcase senior year at CMU (Grand prize, baby!). I took to the streets /slash/ internet and asked people what their most obscure goal was, and then illustrated the results and made them into a book. Deep down, I knew that there was no such thing as a “typical” timeline and that we define our own milestones, and I think that’s why that concept so appealed to me.

Patience is knowing that seed you hold can become a forest. Patience is deeply integrated within faith, and there are many times when I think that both patience and faith are just the goofiest things ever. But then I feel a cool shade overhead and suddenly realize that my tiny seed has become a tall, strong tree and I didn’t even notice it was growing. I think my younger self thought certain things would have happened in my life by now that haven’t, BUT I also think my younger self never thought other things would have happened by now that did. 

If you want to see some of the process, a closeups of the actual piece, and hear the symbolism behind the different elements of “Patience” please check out the video below.

Standard
Art Discussion

The ABCs of Creation – C Is For Craft

An artist friend recently shared with me an article they wrote titled “The ABCs of Underground Art”. I really enjoyed it, and they encouraged me to write my own ABC’s of the type of art that I do as a fun journaling prompt to use to unwind and organize your thoughts. Those that have followed me for awhile know that I don’t typically stick to just one type of art, so to open up the limits I decided to make my “alphabet” the ABC’s of Creation. I have assigned a word to each letter, along with a video of my illustrating a cool little ACEO sized letter inspired visual to go with each word. Read, listen, or both – whatever works! 

C is for craft. Another word for creating something is to craft this or that object. This may be an unpopular opinion in the art world, but I get frustrated when I am pulled into conversations about “art vs. craft”, what pursuits are fine art and what is “just” crafting. I sure can’t make a quilt. Why should that be considered a lesser skill, especially with the amount of math and attention to detail that is involved? I love when gallery artists give the middle finger to what is supposed to be sophisticated materials, and add glitter, beads, paper ephemera, buttons, and other craft supplies into their work. Without craft, we are excluding an entire discipline that could teach us new ways to approach our art.

Above is a closeup from one of the piece’s in an inspiring Mark Messersmith exhibit I was lucky enough to catch last Fall while visiting family in Ohio – I’m detecting some GLITTER!

Standard
Art Discussion

AI Is Making Surrealism Boring

I’ll be honest, I do digital art when I have to for some logo commissions and such but I love traditional art, and I love traditional animation. I once had an art student who was very into Disney, and they would bring in printouts of digitally remastered screenshots and point out all the errors, circling them in red pen on one copy and then drawing over a 2nd copy to fix the colors, textures, etc. and restore them closer to the original, thus “fixing” it. That was their relaxing art therapy – and you know, I get it. That being said anyone who knows me can guess ahead of time I’m probably not going to be into AI visuals. Whether you like the look of AI art, or find it to be a soulless disaster, the fact of the matter is there are some questionable ways AI is trained to create “art” that definitely looks like stealing from other artists unless you are using the programs just as an idea generator or a “base” which you then digitally draw on top of and make your own.

The other concern which should be valid whether you enjoy AI or not is the fact that there are many people that already, even with AI generated images still in their wonky stage, cannot tell when something isn’t real. This could be problematic where things like news and current events are concerned, and AI has already been used to make fake photos of celebrities. I can typically tell pretty easily as I’m a highly detailed, visual thinking person. For those who have a more difficult time discerning, some suggestions I’d start with as far as what to look for are:

  • “Snapchat Filter Face” – Everything is unrealistically smooth with a “glow” that doesn’t seem to be coming from any light source. Eyes often look like they are plastic, and seem glazed and overly glossy.
  • Bizarre details such as clothing that doesn’t make sense (a floating collar above a scoop neck T-shirt for example), nonsensical background details such as a home kitchen with 3 ovens instead of cupboards and counter space, misspelled words, objects that don’t belong in the context of the scene, things that are out of proportion scale wise.
  • Lack of clarity – Disappearing edges or fogginess in the background, and conflicting light sources.

I think people escaping into AI also bothers me because it is just such a poor substitute for the real thing, and we could have the real thing! We could have good design. We could have fun, joy, and whimsy in the spaces we live and work in. We have in the past. We’d rather play house with imaginary designs of rainbow colored kitchens or striking gothic black and eggplant living rooms than actually utilize engaging design in the spaces we inhabit. We can make anything we want to live in, and white and beige boxes are really it? (I studied interior design in college, and am NOT practicing for many of these reasons, so I’m extra salty about this particular AI vein). Similarly, we can learn to bake, crochet and sculpt, and it’s a lot more satisfying for the soul than pressing a button. I resent the fact that AI is making creativity blasé.

AI looks like a dream because of the missing details, skewed text and numerals, hazy edges, ambiguity, and even the nonsense. You’d think I’d love it as I’ve always been into surrealism and dream inspired media. I do love the below images (the creator openly expressed that Midjourney was used, which I appreciate. ).

Still, the human mind is an important element that’s missing. A big part of surrealism is psychology, opening your mind to the unconscious, and freeing oneself of social standards and social norms. AI is the exact opposite. It trains on immense amounts of existing images as well as popular opinion based ratings, making it a culmination of what is trendy, and often stereotypical. There is something to be said for using art to show us something we can’t see in real life as a means of visually communicating a real life emotion, struggle, or life experience. (Left, some of my works in progress. Right, one of my favorites from Remidios Varo, ‘Woman Leaving The Psychoanalyst’.)

AI does create some interesting opportunities for allowing those with dexterity issues from injury or disability to create visual art. Of course, I think of my students with disabilities that I teach on a weekly basis that work with these issues to still create handmade visual art just in a completely different way, and have to wonder if that isn’t still more satisfying. We actually have a 3D printer and I can’t get them to touch it! They want to get their hands in the paint and pastels.

Technology can be a great tool to help us innovate. In my opinion, it’s not being used well if it creates more sameness and overwrites creativity.

Standard
Art Discussion, New Work

New Art Discussion : Belonging

I had the opportunity end of last year to create a largescale piece of art for an animal themed show at one of the galleries where I teach. When the call was made, I already had a canvas prepped and had been planning to do something centered around a jungle scene anyway. I decided to take the original idea further and come up with a concept that would fit the upcoming exhibit. From the beginning I’d wanted to represent all of my “big cats” in the jungle scene as female, and have the piece exude an essence of feminine strength, power, and courage. In the end, I had a lot of trouble coming up with a title when suddenly the word “Belonging” popped into my head and just wouldn’t leave.

So, I ended 2023 completing a piece about strength and courage, and in the first half of 2024 I had two people lend me the same book within the same week, The Gifts Of Imperfection by Brene Brown. I supposed that meant I should probably read it! Within the first 30 pages, I learned the important fact that I am actually courageous, a quality I may see in the characters in my art but that was never, ever a word I would have thought to apply to myself. The introductory chapter explains the root of the word courage in the original latin as deriving from cor, meaning heart – courage originally meant ‘to speak one’s mind by telling one’s heart’. As the chapter went on to delve deeper into that concept, I came to the realization that I have been courageous all along and just didn’t know it because I was defining courage by cinema standards.

I have often joked with people that I don’t do small talk, I only do big talk. I love being around people, but I have anxiety and some sensory issues (the main reason why I never thought the word courageous could ever apply to me by default), and so my social reserves get depleted quicker than maybe the average person. I need regular intervals of alone time to recharge. I’m not going to waste my precious reserve talking about whether it’s sunny or cloudy outside when you could just look out the window or stick your hand out the door and feel it. I don’t feel like describing the minutia of what I did all day, or answering any questions that only require one word like “fine”. I’m not opposed to being friendly and polite, but for the most part I don’t understand spending energy in conversation that adds nothing edifying to either person’s life. At times, this tendency has backfired. Some people don’t want to hear about the interesting dream you had last night and what you think it means, or to be asked what was the most fascinating thing they’ve thought about today, what was the most surprising thing they’ve seen this week – and that’s ok. Some people are uncomfortable hearing about anything that isn’t sunshine and rainbows, and seeing the raw emotions of the people around them. That’s where the courage part comes in I suppose, going deeper you risk rejection and ridicule.

I am an open book and always have been. I honestly think I don’t know how to be un-authentic so I don’t always even have a choice, it’s just how I work! Over the last 5 years especially I have been candid with people in my life about the inevitable beauty of life, and the accompanying chaos. Through virtual communication like this and other means I’ve shared my experiences even with those I don’t know that well. I don’t shy away from letting others know how I am doing, including when I am struggling. I have been open and honest about what I need when I’m not getting it, about the tough choices I’ve made that everyone might not like, about how my relationships are going. I’ve learned to be mindful, and to allow my openness to be paired with purpose and deliberation after some communication missteps. At the end of the day though, my sharing something uncomfortable that I’ve experienced can help others going through similar things, and also open the eyes of people who may never have given that experience a thought so that they can look at situations around them with compassion and curiosity, not judgement and condemnation. Reaching out and saying, I am struggling because I have been working so hard and still don’t feel like I belong anywhere is the only way there will be any hope of someone else reaching back and saying, ‘hey, I may know a place where you would!’.

I believe that is why that word “Belonging” was stuck in my mind after I stepped back and looked at my finished painting. I don’t think you can make a true connection with anyone if you aren’t willing to show all the parts of you. Belonging takes courage.

At the opening reception, a fellow artist came up to me and shared that her child had looked at my painting and said ‘That girl looks like she would play with me’. Sometimes our art knows what it wants to say before we do.

Standard
Artist Bio

Breaking Free Of False Dichotomies

It’s interesting to see how this blog has changed since its early stages, the one constant being a celebration of creativity and self expression. At the start I was focused on sharing current artists I’d discovered, and easy lesson plan ideas. Now, I find more of the focus to be on the journey of living this life as a creative person, mental health, and authenticity. I like that what I share has evolved to become more relatable to all folks, not just artists.

I don’t think I ever realized growing up that life would literally be just constant change. I was the kid growing up that wanted to know everything that was going to happen the next day, and had to be warned well in advance if any part of the “itinerary” happened to change, no matter how miniscule. As I am confronted with another unavoidable period of uncomfortable change, sometimes I wonder why I don’t seem to fit into any of the categories laid out before me, like a multiple choice exam where all of the answers appear to be wrong and there is no “none of the above” option.

As a woman, we hear the term “having it all” a lot. This all means that you have kids, a husband, family, maybe a pet, AND a career. That’s it. That’s what all means … 2 things. Yes those are two BIG DEAL things that take up a lot of time and energy, but still, that’s all we get is 2 choices? That’s absolutely crazy to me. I’ve known for a long time I didn’t want my own kids (though I sure do enjoy when I get to visit my new-ish niece!). At the moment, my career is a bit up in the air and I’m finding that I may not have the ‘boss babe’ personality or the workaholic drive I assumed I must have since I didn’t want kids. Doesn’t everyone get one or the other? I’ve discovered what I thought was career ambition was just hyperfocus tendencies in general directed towards an area of interest. If that interest is missing, then poof the vigilance is unfortunately gone. I get a lot of anxiety when my entire schedule and life’s structure is beholden to the whim of some other entity, and when I was working as a non-profit Program Coordinator though I liked being able to tell people I run something ;), I ended up super burned out on a regular basis. So, if I’m not a career woman and not an aspiring wife and mother am I nothing at all? [Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure men face a lot of these either/or black and white fallacies as well but I’m not going to presume to speak about something I’ve not experienced. If you’re a guy that wants to share an example you’ve run up against, feel free to share in the comments!]

Life is rarely clear, but I find it interesting that I can often find clues even within my own art. I see 2 mature ladies created in 2017 and 2020 that are confident, joyful, and at peace, on their own, within themselves. I identify with them, and think that could be me one day. I see a woman whose tears are butterfly wings (The original is currently hanging at Studio 23!), created in 2019 during one of my toughest periods of significant change, pain and evolution hand in hand. I even noticed the concept sketch for my newest installment in my current series, titled “Patience”. Seeds to a great tree are in hand, as the figure imagines what may one day be.

I’m finding that in order to successfully manage change, growth, and any sort of patience I can’t try to look at myself through the generic lens our society tries to use to discern who belongs where, or I just end up seeing myself distorted and confused like looking in a funhouse mirror.

If the answers don’t fit, sometimes I have to use a giant purple crayon to write in a new one, or at least that is how I like to imagine it.

Standard