Updates

I’m embarrassed to realize how long it’s been since my last post. I’ve had so many moments that I’ve meant to write about but I haven’t devoted the time to my blog as I should and relegating my content to Instagram.

Studio

My art sanctum with current works in process and completed paintings.

I finally got an art studio! In October, I took the plunge and decided to rent a dedicated art studio that happens to be within walking distance of my home. I’ve been circling the field for a while when it came to making the decision but listening to my seminar speakers during my residency convinced me that it was time to pull the trigger. If I had known how much of a shift it would create in my art-making practice, I would’ve done it so much sooner.

Having this playroom, this sanctum, as I like to call it, really makes me do the deep work of making art without the distractions of my apartment. Just the other day I spent five hours working straight and I couldn’t believe how quickly the time passed and I finished the day with such a feeling of accomplishment.

In addition to being a dedicated workspace, it’s been a wonderful base of operations to connect with other artists. I recently had my first visitor, another fellow artist, and we spent over two hours discussing our work and ways to advance our practices (I really hate using the word “career”—it feels so corporate when art-making is more of a vocation). Once I finish prepping for my residency group exhibition, I plan on hosting an open studio in the spring/summer so I can show my work in person and connect on a more deeper level with my visitors.

Collage Love

When I was a kid, I was never really patient with cutting things out and pasting them together. I used to think it wasn’t as fun as painting because using scissors and glue felt like too much work. Thank god I outgrew that and am embracing a medium I haven’t touched in over 20 years.

It started when I started cutting up some of sketches and reassembling them as small collages. My first one was called Witness (which I recently sold). After that I started going through some of my reject paintings that had tossed aside and trying to recycle discarded material instead of just pitching it. Eyes figure heavily in my recent works for a dual purpose: to witness current events as they unfold and as a way of making the viewer feeling seen. Witnesses are safeguards against denialism and erasure.

It was unexpectedly therapeutic to cut up old paintings to make room for something new; it’s a reminder of the futility of attachment and celebrate the process of creating something new out of destruction. Cutting shapes out of paper is also very calming and mediative because I’m forced to really focus on cutting along the lines that I’ve drawn and arranging and re-arranging my cut-outs into a composition. I’m enjoying the deep work of visual problem solving.

I’ve made two large-scale collages so far for my group show. The first one, A Drive of Dragons, took me over a month to create. I spent of a lot of time getting the placement right and then later incorporating bronze metallic paper to allow the multicolored wings and eyes to pop more. It was also the first time I took one of my Proginoskes’ pieces go all the way to the edge of the canvas.

A Drive of Dragons, 36”x24” paper on board.

As of this writing, I’m finishing up the second, that I’ve named Multitudes Within a Singularity. It’s smaller, 30”x30” but pushed the layering aspect of it more. I really love how using collages makes Proginoskes feel more real and voluminous and the way some of the eyes hides behind some of the wings.

Close-up of Multitudes Within a Singularity.

ARTworks Group Exhibition

Our JCAL residecy concludes with a group exhibition that kicks off on March 16th at Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning and is on display for two months. The bulk of my time has been spent making art for that show. Our theme focuses on evolution, so each of us will be showing older works along with our most recent pieces. I’m looking forward to showing the works that reflect my pivot from my digital collage work to my recent collections of paintings and collages.

Speaking of which, it’s time for me to get back to work. Looking forward to sharing more thoughts, sooner rather than later.