Upcoming Solo Show - Material Experiments
I’ve been a little quiet here lately, as I’ve been busy making work for my first show of 2023!
Material Experiments will open on January 7th at Cahoots in Ann Arbor. I’ll be giving a brief talk on the process and work in the collection at 12 pm, with the possibility of a Q + A session afterwards.
About the Work: The work selected for Material Experiments is a combination of some familiar pieces and brand new work. The common thread is experiments. I’ve always been more interested in the making of the cookie dough than the cookie, and this collection echos that. Each piece examines a relationship with material, asks/answers questions about marks and stands as little monuments to process.
About the Space: Cahoots is a tech co-working space + cafe here in Ann Arbor, in the old Kleinschmidt insurance building (seriously cool facade). I was so excited to be asked to show work here, the interior oozes innovation and the cafe offerings are always delicious.
About the Show: The opening talk will start at noon on January 7th. Come early and grab a drink from the cafe! Parking in the area isn’t too bad, there’s a garage at 4th and Washington (just down the street) and occasionally street parking once you turn off Huron.
Drop me a note if you’re planning on coming, I’d love to see you there!
New Show Announcement!
New Show! (And this time it’s local!)
Very happy to announce a new 3 month long show, coming in January to Cahoots here in Ann Arbor.
The plans for the work are still coming together, but I’m very excited to share some new ideas I’ve been playing with recently. We’ll have a reception (still deciding opening or closing, and when!) so I’ll have an update with all of that ready soon.
The interior of this space is just SO warm and cozy. It’s like being in a hug. Exactly where I want to be in January. The current artist is Nina Shahin, and that work is just amazing. Go see it if you can!
I’ll do a preview for my email list as per usual, so make sure you’re on it by signing up here!
Looking forward to seeing you in January.
First Open Studio Weekend
This weekend I opened the middle garage door, put out some signs, hung some new work, laid out some snacks and held the first open studio in the new space.
I kept it on the smaller end of attendance, just to make sure logistically I wouldn’t be bothering the neighbors too much. The alleyway can get a bit tight, so I wanted to make sure we could easily all fit inside if necessary.
It was such a great event. I met so many neighbors, saw some friends I haven’t seen since the early days of the pandemic, and a few pieces even found new homes. I love having people into the space, it’s always so great to hear what they see in the paintings, or how they interpret the work. Those conversations are my absolute favorite.
This was also the second event that showcased the new collage pieces. (The first one being the Rostrum 312 show ) so I was eager to hear the responses to the new work.
This was also the first time the Glyph collection was shown together. (All except the pieces mounted on paper) At the end of the weekend these will be boxed up and shipped down to Jenner McGinn Studios, where they will be a part of a pop-up at the end of the month.
Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by, next time I’ll get the word out a little far-er and wide-er, but this was a good run-through for a larger event. Chewy even made an appearance at the end of Friday night (see the chairs keeping him in the studio). I’m so grateful for this little art community, thank you so much and always for your support.
Switching Spaces in the Studio
When I had my parents into the studio for the first time after the construction was complete my dad asked why I hadn’t set up the painting space to be upstairs, you know, with all that natural light. At the time I wanted more space to spread out, I was working on multiple projects all with the same general deadline and needed a big space to let everything dry. After 6 months of working on the bottom floor and bringing visitors past all that mess to see the ‘gallery’ upstairs - I decided my dad was in fact, correct as always.
So I started swapping the spaces.
I budgeted 3 days for the full swap, like someone who had never moved around a studio before. 1.5 months later (thanks covid!) it was done.
The biggest additions were two new walls to display work on in the new ‘gallery’ area downstairs. Built by my husband and our good friend, these can be shimmied about on their casters and repositioned to change up the flow, or give me different sized areas for photographing work. I’m so thrilled with these.
Painting upstairs is a dream. Yes, it’s a bit smaller but it’s so much easier to manage the space mentally. I can move around the tables to separate different projects and it’s so perfectly bright up there.
I’ll be having my first open studio in the fall - stay tuned for more info!
Movement, Texture and Meandering; Oxbow I
I started Oxbow I (I anticipate more of these to come) as an exploration into marks made in wet paint, dragging textures and more build-up than I usually work with. A dalliance, a meandering.
As I worked on this painting I thought about water cutting through land, doubling back, eroding and going forward again. I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere.
The river cuts the path based on sediment - not to create something ‘beautiful’. For Oxbow I, I let my arm take easy paths, make easy movements and drag/dig into the wet paint.
I think all the flying we’ve been doing has started to affect my work.
