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
Shetland!
I got to spend the first couple of weeks in October in Shetland! I had never been there in early Autumn and it had been nine years since I traveled there with my mom. I wasn't sure I would ever get to go with her again, since normally she goes for a few weeks every...
Favorite Things and Upcoming Workshops
"Favorite Things" sketch collage by residents of Misericordia This is a 36" x 48" collage of a bunch of resident drawings, sketches and paper I collected over a three month period in my art room. All of it is fun and sweet, but I love the variety of animals, food,...
The Big 5-O
I turned 50 on Tuesday! Last Saturday my friends in Oak Park/Forest Park had a little gathering and outing to Goldyburgers to see a favorite band, which was pretty perfect considering a) how I was feeling - the beginnings of a cold taking shape, and b) I like a...
It’s been a big week!
First, the winter tennis league I joined at the gym turned out to be a lot of fun, and our team made it to the semi-finals last week, where my partners and I won both matches (ladies doubles and mixed doubles), and we're moving on to the championship on May 3 and 4!...
Holidays
The holiday season is usually one of my favorite times of year - the cozy, the gratitude, the lights and colors, the giving. This year has been different. 2018 was a challenging year in general, so it didn't really surprise me that I wouldn't feel especially festive...
Thanksgiving
I was away on a vacation in California last week and had the great fortune of visiting friends and family I haven't seen in quite a few years. It was exactly what I hoped it would be, relaxing and reconnecting with the people and places I love there. When I was there...
Summer! & Show Coming Up at Oak Park Village Hall
One of my favorite things about summer is the lake by our house. I can walk over put my kayak into the water anytime I feel like, and going for a paddle is a great way to wake up in the morning or unwind after a long day. It won't be long before it's too cold and the...
“Neighborhoods” Concertina Sketchbook
Last year I was introduced to the Concertina Sketchbook by a fellow artist, Karen Stamper, who conducts workshops working exclusively with them. It is a foldout accordion book with just the right number of pages to do a satisfying project or study a particular thing...
My Studio. Also a work in continual progress …
This is my basement studio! It has been well over a year in the making. It started off with bright yellow and green walls, a leak in a corner, and not a lot of light. This Spring it got nice fresh white walls and peg board across two of them so I can paint vertically...
Counter Coffee, Garden Walk, & Going Home Again
I've got twenty paintings up at Counter Coffee, at 7324 W. Madison Street, Forest Park, until the end of June. It's a great independent coffee shop with a very inviting atmosphere and locally sourced food and dairy. They are right in the middle of downtown Forest Park...