Sketching from our apartment lounge.
We're in the final days of our studio renovation adventure! The whole place is getting painted, new tile and baseboards - just a general facelift to make better use of the South Florida natural light.
And so, to avoid the incredible amount of dust, noise and all sorts of crazy machines that live in our space now, I've been working out of the 'business lounge' in our building. The first day was spent mostly going back and forth with the building about the wi-fi connection, but after ironing all that out it's been a nice quiet space to get a bit of work done. (But NO eating, as I informed by a smartly dressed member of management.... whoops).
As we near the end of the renovations, I've just about finished everything I can possibly do on a laptop and am positively itching to get back to my paints and canvases.
Seriously, the next time I am strapped for ideas of things to paint, I'll just lock up all my canvases. Not being able to paint has been a huge source of inspiration for when I'm able to work again.
<Ignore that croissant, I certainly wouldn't eat up here.>
Only a few more days until we can get back into the studio and normal life can resume!
Tuesday at the Perez Art Museum Miami
I decided to pop down the Perez Art Museum Miami this afternoon. It had been awhile since I been in (new exhibits, etc) and, I needed a quiet spot to work on my upcoming article for the inaugural issue of the MakersMovement Artzine, due out in January.
With my twofold goal in mind, I spent the first part of my visit exploring the new exhibit(s) and chatting with a few of the guards that I recognized from previous days at the museum.
The current rotating exhibit, Poetics of Relation consists of multiple international artists, tackling ideas of disapora, migration and colonialism and how the ebb and flow of peoples (willing and unwilling) affect culture, history and the landscape of the effected countries.
It was impossible not to be moved by the work presented. Most notably (imho) by the HUGE, text-based sculptural work by Xaviera Simmons, The Lushness Of, written in the three languages of Miami; english, spanish and creole.
“To confess a fascincation with distant thumerstorms even on the ocean in the same way the light of one moment is never the same as the light of the preceeding moment during the first strong wind at dawn....”
Moving through this exhibition was a journey of discovery. Just past the wall, lay Ledelle Moe's statuary pieces; Memorial Collapse V.
Like a crumbling temple, or the remnants of some ancient statue long forgotten in the jungle, these large heads allude to the permanence and impermanence of culture, society and civilization. I was also immediately reminded of a certain Sci-fi movie, where the protagonist finds himself on a beach, finding a symbol of his culture toppled, and buried in the sand :) (Guess what movie I'm thinking of???)
After touring the rest of the museum, I took a little lunchbreak on the terrace to work on my article. It was a beautiful day, at the tail end of some of reaaaaaally hot and muggy weather, so it was fantastic just to be able to be outside a bit.
I've still got a good bit to go on the Zine article, but am super excited to have a solid start. I can't wait until it's available for purchase - I'll definitely include a link for anyone curious!
Until then <3
Miami Sunset
Occasionally I get questions about my color choices, wondering how I pick what I pick. I usually explain that I try to take my palettes from nature, finding my inspiration in the sea, clouds and flowers.
And these sunsets. These. Are. Everything.
Studio Friend
It was incredibly stormy today, but the breeze was perfect - so I opened all the windows in the studio as I worked. I can't get over the fresh smells carried in by the wind, that sense that summer is almost upon us. I'm feeling my palette start to brighten accordingly, it is after all the season of new things, growing things and new brightness.
And the storm brought in a little friend.
After roughly a half hour I was able to get the little guy back outside and on his way. And I went back to work.