Rested and ready for 2019

Thanks to the generosity of my in-laws, we got out of Dodge for a few days.

The holiday madness wasn’t too bad this year, but I find it difficult to switch gears from family to career even when the opportunity’s there. Finally I took a hint, set aside the five-year-plan stress and refocused on the present. We celebrated my in-laws’ 25th wedding anniversary in a nice sunny spot on the beach.

And it helped: although we’re back to gray skies, I’m still fairly relaxed from the sun and art journaling. Now I’m looking forward to the next stop on the “Like Mother…” traveling exhibit, which opens at the end of this month. In the meantime, I’ll ask the art world experts I know to help me chart my course forward.

In training for an Art Marathon

Getting down to the wire this weekend, as I prep for my first (art) marathon.

Friends of mine have participated before in this fundraiser for the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA Seattle), but they have lots more experience creating work in front of a live audience. Me, on the other hand… I’m usually holed up in the studio muttering to myself as I work. So it’s a bit of a personal challenge. I’m honored to be working alongside 19 other artists, including painters Braden Duncan and Jazz Brown as well as kinetic sculptor Casey Curran.

But wait — there’s more! You’re invited to stop by and watch the paint fly on September 20th. This way, you get a special preview of the brand-new artworks to be auctioned off at the gala on September 22nd.

I’ve sketched out ideas, but details always change in the process — come see!

Next step for my "Evolution"

When a Good Thing happens in my life, sometimes I like to hug it close for a day or two before I share it. That's why I took a day to savor this news: one of my collages is going to live in a Seattle city art collection!

"Waterfront Evolution" was purchased for the Seattle Public Utilities Collection, through a program of the city's Office of Arts & Culture. The collage joins a collection that includes work by emerging and established artists like Mary Ann Peters, Kara Walker, Barbara Earl Thomas and Dale Chihuly.

Artworks in this collection are portable so they can rotate throughout municipal buildings. So there's a good chance you'll see my giraffes in a waiting room, or while you're paying a bill, or in a meeting room. Not sure yet where the collage will go first, but I figure there must be a calendar or tracking system that'll tell me. And that bit of info I'll share right away!