Overheard

I've had a slow return to my painting routine after my body was destroyed by a parasite. But I'm fully recovered now and starting this new year with a new blog post of the progress I have made on my latest painting.

Duality, secrets, gossip and hearsay. I've been thinking about information and what we think is secret. What we say in confidence. The complicity of friends and the deceptive nature of ourselves.

 

 

Intake

I've been working more on double portraits that speak to internal conversations and struggles. Feelings of being torn in half, conflicting, neither and all. Battling voices in our heads that try to sway us in opposite directions.

Studios

Since I left home 13 years ago every apartment I have lived in has had a dedicated space for making art. I have created studios in back porches, second bedrooms and in carved out corners of living rooms. The amount of space I have had has varied over the years and now, painting in the smallest nook ever of our tiny apartment, I am producing more work than I ever have before.

Looking into other people's studios is like watching performers getting ready back stage. You get this glimpse into this very private moment, their personal space. I visited Dali's home in Spain and got a tour into his home studio and I was mesmerized by how he organized his art supplies and where he sat when he painted and how he laid out his brushes. Sadly, I have no record of so many of the spaces I have called studios but here is a little of what I dug up.

 

 

 

 

This last photo is where I currently work in Grenada. It's really our kitchen table but the entire corner of the room has been taken over and is now a dedicated work area.

Commissions

Finished up a couple commissioned pieces today. I love making my own work but I also get enthusiastic about figuring out how to paint things that are a challenge or different from what I normally paint. It's been really exciting to see how many people want art in their homes and I love being able to support myself doing what I love.

This piece is based on the painting "Walking the Beans" I made for the Chocolate exhibit at Art and Soul Gallery in September. The original painting sold but someone else reached out to me who wanted one made for themselves.

This piece was commissioned by the students of a yoga class I attend. It's a gift for our teacher who is leaving the island next month.

Black sand and drift wood

I went on an adventure with some friends to the northeast part of the island to search for beach glass, drift wood and rubbish to use as art materials. The beaches there are covered in back sand and the tides coming in from the Atlantic ocean make the water way too dangerous to swim in. Regardless they are beautiful and a treasure trove of objects have washed ashore.

Gendered

Gender, and how each individual defines and relates to it, is something I have always been interested in. While making this painting I was thinking about the duality of self identity relating to gender. Both images of Brianna were taken from the same photo shoot where she explored different roles that she felt confident and empowered in through her posture and dress. I liked the narrative that was created between the two characters once one image was imposed onto the other.

Mika

New portrait of Mika I just finished up.
18" x 24" Watercolor on Paper
I just want to keep painting BIGGER!!