March Studio News

Hello my friends! Are you as happy to have Spring roll in as I am? Even with my move to The South, winter is still the dreariest time of year for me. Warm breezes and flowering trees have been just the thing to get me feeling the flow of life again. The pollen here in NC, though. Wow. We’ve had a chartreuse carpet of the stuff thicker than any snowfall I’ve seen here.

The Painting Part

I’ve been feeling a very strong pull to work more abstractly and have spent the past few weeks working completely abstractly, both in my 100 Day Project (see The First 30 Days ) and my regular painting routine where I’ve been practicing intuitive process painting. What’s the draw? (pun intended) I’ve been noodling on that while I work. I’m not quite sure yet, but it feels like a desire to cut to the chase, take off the make-up, dig to the core of a thing. The dictionary says that to abstract something is to remove or take away from it. I’m going to explore that for a bit and see where it gets me.

The Reward Part

I sold a couple paintings this month, which always feels like a big reward for me because while I love to create, and that is very often enough, I also love to connect and share what I do with other humans. Sharing with another person, being seen and understood, is a validation that just feels really damn good. It also lets me buy more art supplies. So a big Thank You to my patrons.

The Recognition Part

I had the new experience of being interviewed by a local media outlet, which felt very awkward to me at first, but the very talented writer Kate Carey was able to make some sense of what I had to say and made a really lovely story about me that you can read here. I really thought I had neatened up my studio, but the pictures prove otherwise! Oh, well.

The Really Exciting Part

I was notified this week that I have been accepted into a two week art residency at Chateau Orquevaux in the Champagne region of France. I was also awarded the Denis Diderot A-i-R Grant to help cover the costs, which is a huge boon. This won’t happen until next winter, but sure gives me something to look forward to. Bit of a dream come true, traveling to the beautiful French countryside to do nothing but paint, live in a lovely 18th century chateau, eat fresh croissants every morning and enjoy fabulous meals with a dozen other artists from around the world. Yeah, pinch me.

The Thank You Very Much Part

And I do mean this sincerely. I appreciate the support and encouragement you give me. I am grateful that you take the time to read, comment, connect with me, and share your thoughts and perspectives.