Studio, July

 

Just a few beautiful studio moments from the past week. I'm working towards a solo show next spring, and I'm very excited about using my current series as a starting point. There will be so much more pastel dust on the floor before I'm through... 

Recently I've been reading The Sleeve Should Be Illegal  - a beautiful collection of writing about the Frick collection - and there was a quote early on that really resonated. 

"Listing the absences in a picture is a losing proposition, since the category of absences is always infinite." (p.10) 

Something to meditate on, while I stare at the empty space around my still life objects. 

RECENT WORK

 

Unwrapped, 2021

chalk pastel on paper, 15x15"

Tender, 2021

oil on paper, 15x15" 

private collection

Plastic Wrap, 2021

oil on paper, 15x15"

private collection

Color Studies and and Demos

 

Color swatches and class demos... thinking through color, and getting acquainted with some recent additions to my palette. I'm especially excited about those violets. Egyptian violet is one of those colors that I have longed for in the paint aisle for at least a decade. I finally bought a tube last week, and it's even better than I'd hoped. Expect a myriad of violet-greys and grey-violets in future paintings.

Tender, 2021

oil on paper, 15x15" (framed size about 22x22")

I'm delighted to have this piece and another in an upcoming exhibition at Southside Gallery! This group show originated at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA early last year; however, the second installment of the exhibition was postponed because of COVID. With that in mind, I am especially grateful to Joseph Holzapple and the kind people at Southside Gallery for making this happen now. 

Thinking Through Things: A Still Life Invitational

Southside Gallery

Oxford, MS

Curated by Joseph Holzapple

May 2021

Studio, April

 

This south studio light is endlessly inspiring. It's such a simple yet powerful reminder of the inevitability of change and the gift of being present.

Buona Pasqua a tutti. Ti amerò sempre. 

Studio, March

 

a glimpse at a few new things cooking in the studio... 

My pastels and oils have in the past been separate bodies of work. They've always informed each other, but as yet I haven't really been able to make them speak the same language. This month I'm attempting to unify that divide, so they not only talk to each other, but with each other. 

new growth

"Nothing's lost forever. In this world, there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we've left behind, and dreaming ahead. At least I think that's so." - Tony Kushner, Angels in America

Current Exhibitions and Recent Artist Talk

 

Hi friends. It's been a minute, I know. Hope you're safe and well, whenever and wherever you're reading this. 

If you're in Chicago, check out my two-person show with Dale Knaak at Gallery 19, in partnership with Pilsen Arts & Community House. The show runs through February 26, 2021. 

I had the opportunity to talk with Dale and Tommy Reyes (of Gallery 19) about the show, our work, and our processes as observational painters. I've been a fan of Dale's work for years - I first saw his paintings at Frank Juarez' gallery when he was still in Sheboygan, so I'm especially happy that we now get to show our work together. 

You can watch the entire conversation here. 

Grey Noise: Sonic Meditation 5 
2020, chalk pastel on paper, installation approximately 30x57.5"

The work above is a commissioned piece in response to the late composer Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations, specifically Sonic Meditation 5: "Take a walk at night. Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears."

These pastels are a record of the shifting color and light on my studio walls at different times of day. I keyed the values in each piece to match the grey of the paper as closely as possible, in an effort to make the drawings disappear into silence when seen from a distance. It is only upon closer inspection - "deep listening... in every possible way to every possible thing" - that the subtle shifts in each piece emerge.

I was deeply honored to be part of this project. Katie Baker curated an incredibly thoughtful exhibition of visual art responses to Oliveros' work. The show is on view at The Welcome Project in Cincinnati through February 27th. You can tour the show from the comfort of home here. 

That's all the news that's fit to print, for now. Stay warm, stay safe, and we'll talk again soon. 

Studio, July

Distance, 2020

oil on paper, 11x11"

Plug, 2020

oil on paper, 7.5x7.5"

Reflected, 2020

oil on paper, 11x10.5"

I recently updated my website with a selection of new paintings and pastels. You can see a few of my current favorites above. Lately I've really enjoyed working on Arches oil paper; it's a great surface for quick studies as well as more resolved paintings. I've been exploring new palettes and different color combinations with each painting in an effort to expand my knowledge. Looking forward to experimenting with some more highly saturated tones and new subjects in the next paintings. 

I hope this finds you safe and well.