New art: "Was It Something I Said?"

Hey, I'm back! And I brought some new artwork with me.

This collage put me through the emotional wringer, even though the concept came fairly quickly. Remember the inspiration for this collage? 

Looking at this picture is like trying to watch three TV screens at once. Remembering that moment, I'm pretty sure my mom was just chilly and impatient to get back into the warm car. But now I also see uncertainty in her face.

She grew up surrounded by other African Americans in the (segregated) South. You could tell because when she said the letter R, it had two syllables.

I grew up in a southern California neighborhood that had only three other black families. All of them lived on the other side of the street -- the side without a view of the city. (I later learned this was a discriminatory realtor trick my mom recognized, and she insisted on the view.)

When I moved to Seattle, my accent didn't set me apart, but I did feel an isolation similar to hers. It's called "the Seattle Freeze," and I couldn't find a way into a social circle until another California transplant made it her mission to bring me in from the cold.

My friend reassured me I wasn't coming on too strong when trying to meet new people. It was just... Seattle.  That's why I titled this piece "Was It Something I Said?"

This collage is for those who've faced a frosty group and struggled to find a place for themselves.

Work-in-progress: More than a thousand words

I already know the title for the piece I'm working on, but the art itself is taking shape more slowly than I expected.

The inspiration is a photo I took as a kid during an extremely rare moment of snowfall in the L.A. suburbs. It must have been around 1981, and I was so excited to take a picture of my mom in it before the snow melted. Then our neighbor had a great idea: drive a few blocks further up the mountain, where the snow hadn't yet disappeared, and take a picture. 

The snowflakes vanished about five minutes later. But I remember this moment more for the other stories I see in my mothers face.

More on that next time.

"Like Mother": closing reception

All right, you've convinced me. You have one more chance to see the amazing artwork on display in "Like Mother" at SPACE at Magnuson Gallery.

No, really: The show closes this weekend. I'd like to invite you to the exhibit's closing reception. Details:

Visitors to the show have remarked on how much the themes resonate with them, from funny to poignant to wistful and everything in between. The Stranger recommends our show as well. Go, darling, go: you'll be so glad you went. I say this because a mother knows these things. (And because two of my pieces are in the show, but never mind that.) Go!