Happy belated New Year, though we’re only 61 days in, so I’m not THAT late ; )

After a rough end to 2018, I am happy to report that 2019 is off to a promising start. I’ve got some artwork in exhibits in Chicago (coming soon) and Evanston (an extended stay), a lot of work in progress, and as of later this month I will be starting a new job!

I will be working full-time as an art instructor for the residents of Misericordia! I was not looking but when I saw the posting for this job online I knew I had to pursue it wholeheartedly. My art and work life has always been cyclical, and for most of my professional life I have had a separate full-time or part-time job while maintaining my art practice in my studio. The last few years I worked in my studio full-time and taught at the Oak Park Art League, but after last year I felt big changes on the horizon, and here they are! I am so excited and honored to teach at Misericordia and eagerly look forward to getting started later this month!

Meanwhile, I’ve got a couple of artwork happenings around the area in March. First, my show, Lore, at Gather, has been extended through the end of the month. If you find yourself downtown Evanston stop by 602 Davis Street to check it out. It is mostly the same work I had in my show at the Oak Park Public Library last April, but with a couple of pieces I finished later in the year.

The second happening is for the launch party for an exciting new business a couple of my friends have started, called Curated Home + Office, in which they match businesses and individuals with regional and local art. Their launch party will be next Sunday at Relic Furniture Gallery in Chicago, from 3-5:00 pm. I will have a piece at the launch exhibition, among pieces by a dozen or so other artists.

I’ve also got quite a bit of work in progress; a huge painting (48″ x 36″) I started back in 2017 (here it is in every iteration since day one), and then four little paintings (8″ x 8″) in the begining of a series of ancestry-inspired work. I started them last January when I was visiting my parents in PA for a couple of weeks.

 I’m calling this one, “Forget Me Not.” It is acrylic, collage, image transfer, and oil pastel on canvas. 

Here are bits and pieces of the small family history pieces so far:

Lastly, though I’ve stopped teaching regular classes at the Oak Park Art League, I hope to offer workshops and private classes in mixed media and watercolor once I get settled in at Misericordia. THANK YOU to people who have taken my classes at OPAL over the years, and to those who supported the program there. I miss you already and hope to see you soon. XO

Alaska! And upcoming classes

Alaska! And upcoming classes

Summer started early with a visit with my mom in the Philadelphia area for the first ten days of June, then the last two weeks of June we traveled to visit my brother and family in Anchorage, Alaska! It was such a special trip, starting with the unbelievable luck we...

Sketchbook Workshops and the 100 Day Project

Sketchbook Workshops and the 100 Day Project

Two fun things going on at the moment - First, I am teaching two Mixed Media Accordion Sketchbook Workshops at the Oak Park Art League, one this coming Sunday, February 25, from 10:00-2:00, and the other a few Sundays later on March 10. The first one sold out and...

Artwork at CrossFunction in Oak Park

Artwork at CrossFunction in Oak Park

I dropped off eight paintings today at the lovely Art Deco Arcade building at 1033 South Boulevard in Oak Park today, and they will be up in the main lobby for the next couple of months. This location really is beautiful to take in, from the Prairie Style building...

Season of Reflection & Gratitude

Season of Reflection & Gratitude

Happy New Year! If you know me you already know the loss endured by my family in 2022, and while that really does define how I will remember the year, it has still been a year worth celebrating. Like every year, there were adventures, successes, failures, gifts, and...