Redrawing the map
Charting a course forward, reflecting on speed and the need to come back to myself. Reflections on a special commission.
The afterglow
On the first weekend of December, we held our Open Studios & Holiday Market event at my studio building, NW Marine Artworks. I am so grateful for the friends and community that showed up to support me and all the makers who rely on this time of year to sustain their practices and small businesses.
It can be vulnerable to open up the studio for such a large event, but time and again I am heartened by the generosity and genuine curiosity of visitors. Thank you to everyone who came out, introduced themselves, and signed up for my journal — I truly appreciate you.
Again, what is this?
For my new subscribers, this journal is a bi-monthly publication. I share news and events featuring my work as well as reflections on process, influences, and projects. I share other people’s art, music, and literature. Sometimes I publish more, sometimes less. Read my introduction to this newsletter in my previous post, This newsletter is really a journal.
Back to the practice
The entire month of November dragged and simultaneously passed by in a haze. The Portland Public School system shut down for almost the entire month, leaving 45,000 children (including mine) suddenly without instruction or a plan. While we supported the teachers’ strike for better conditions for themselves and all the students, it was hard on all of us. Thankfully the teachers were able to negotiate a (somewhat) better contract by the end of the month, but much work remains to be done to address our underfunded system going forward. It is no coincidence that strikes are occurring in so many sectors of society right now - collective action is the only way to make progress. To be continued.
As the strike kicked off, I was deep into a commission to create 24 small artworks for a U.S. government official to gift other world leaders. I can only say so much about the project, that it was an honor and also a mad dash to create and frame the work they requested on a tight timeline amidst the challenges of the strike and family responsibilities. I could not do any of it without a supportive partner.
Burning the midnight oil in my studio, I felt both the rush of adrenaline and complete immersion in my element. Through this opportunity, I was given the gift of making in a focused way I haven’t given myself permission to in some time. I’ve been tangled up in project management, admin, presentations, and installation responsibilities for public art for months, in fact years. I’m finding fulfillment and release as these projects culminate through 2024, providing much-needed perspective on what I have accomplished while opening up greater space to generate work in the studio, paint, and bring my practice back into balance.
Charting a new course
This year has been full of revelations and reclaiming my agency. I’ve been