New Paintings for June

Awen I and Awen II, 2021, Flashe paint and ash on paper, Available - contact for pricing

Seeing Green

Nashville’s summers just explode with green. Each week, I’ve noticed more and more green unfolding into a lush landscape filled with nimble trees and chirping cardinals. The whole scene can feel like it is out of a fairytale. It didn’t take long for that same green to seep into my painting practice and I waivered away from my vibrant reds to the opposite side of the color wheel. The trees in my area drape over the streets, as if creating a protective canopy of nature, and if you catch it at the right light, the leaves begin to glow. 

Somatic healing and forest care

Over the past few months, I have been enrolled in The Guardians of the Forest course presented by Advaya. The program offers a unique online course in somatic, spiritual and practical approaches to forest care. Trees have always been a source of healing for me, yet the course has magnified this sense tremendously. I have felt an increasing awareness, empathy and understanding of our forests from the lecturers and participants. 

Simultaneously, I began diving more into neural patterning and somatic healing as another outlet to process trauma. Neural pathways mimic the trees, roots and the winding branches I was seeing around me. We all have an inner forest of wisdom, but if you water the wrong trees, the toxic and smaller trees grow into an unsustainable forest.

Tree Study I, 2021, Flashe paint with charcoal on paper, Available

Tree Study II, 2021, Flashe paint with charcoal on paper, Available

Tree Study III, 2021, Flashe paint with charcoal on paper, Sold

Neural Trees

I feel a connection to the process of retraining my brain and how those trees/neural pathways are changing, but also reinforced by external toxicity. I think that this could also be said for what is happening to our natural world. Simply by labeling it “mother” we give it a connotation of female, which we have culturally reinforced as being “submissive” -  she has to submit to us and our wills because we as people are the dominant force and what we want is more important than what she provides us. I can empathize with this and while I am trying to rebuild my mental canopy  to think differently, I want to use my art to help preserve and rebuild her’s. I think Hannah Close puts it best in her article on animism, “if we in the west wish to heal our relationship with the world, with ‘nature’, with reality, then relating to our direct immanent experience is wholly, profoundly necessary.”

I look forward to growing this series, sharing more on the process and ultimately finding my outlet for giving back to the world that provides me unlimited inspiration.

Art Spiel Interview: When the conditions all fall in place

I recently had the honor of discussing my process, artist journey and current work with Etty Yaniv, the founder of Art Spiel. Art Spiel is an online publication featuring primarily female artists who make incredible work, but are underrepresented within the artworld.

Check out the full article on their website or embedded below!

Now Offering Limited Edition Prints!

I am excited to offer limited edition prints from my Glacier drawing series and my Red Forest series to purchase directly from my website. There are three sizes available: 11"x15", 18"x24" and 22"x30". Each archival print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity and is printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper for a luxe matte finish.

Automatic II, Prints starting at $120

Originally created in 2020, both series grapple with our impact on the natural world and empathizing with the landscape, but draw inspiration from two opposing forces: fire and ice.

Untitled Space II, prints starting at $120

Both series were made during the shifts we all experienced in 2020, and it's crazy to share them now as our society shifts just as drastically, but in the other direction. My hope is that our world can rise together and help each other find another new normal with a fresh perspective.

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 Glacier Drawings

Untitled Space V, Prints starting at $120

Processing change and meditative states

My glacier drawings were originally created with white charcoal on black paper as a way to understand the glacial places I was seeing during meditation. In the wake of our climate crisis, and to further analyze my subconscious, I felt an unwavering drive to learn more about glaciers. When the icy structures melt, they buckle, heave and cry. Their cries remind me of places I have visited in my own despair, and their departure reflects the underlying theme of transience seen throughout my work.  

The black and white drawings use multiple images of glaciers combined in Photoshop and then translated on paper. By combining images, I have the power to distort and skew the perspective on things that once were and will be diving into the series deeper during my 2022 residency in Iceland. 

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Red Forest Paintings

Automatic 6, Prints starting at $120

Addressing anxiety through painting

My artistic practice shifted away from icy worlds after September’s wildfires and our cross country move. The red scenes throughout the area and media began seeping into my artmaking in the forms of red trees or landscapes, signifying the suffocation I felt overtaking us. The work addresses anxiety I felt from that environmental stress and ties it with the vulnerability I feel daily as a female in this world. 

I drew the parallel while I was running along a trail and became panic-stricken as I reimagined all the warnings of what can happen to a girl who runs alone or at night. As I realized I was projecting my fears onto the landscape, I became aware of the reality of this same landscape surrendering to the wildfires ravaging California. It raised the question: why do I instinctively feel afraid and how has that been ingrained into my gender?

View all paintings from the series.

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Recent Work and Finished Commissions

March has had a slow start to making work (I reflect more on this in another recent post), but I wanted to reflect on the pieces I completed and two beautiful commissions that found homes this month. I also launched a new portal for commission inquiries, which you can access at the link here, and felt inspired to share the stories behind the work and their processes. 

Custom Oil Commission

The Lanai Fountain, oil on canvas, 44” x 18”, 2021

While this painting deviates from my usual practice, I welcomed the opportunity to go back to my oil painting roots and create a custom work for two collectors in Sarasota, FL. Ruth and John have the most tranquil lanai, with the star of that being a geometric fountain surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers. I wanted to capture that lush aesthetic and the feeling of running water with paint trips streaming down throughout the piece. The work has a strong vertical to fit a specific location in their home, but I think it also reflects the narrow shape of the fountain.

Click here to inquire about a custom commission.

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Small Moon on Silk

Full Moon - Feb 2021, Flashe paint on silk, 10” x 10”, 2021

I think “Just Because” gifts are often the most thoughtful - they’re unexpected and truly show that the person was on your mind. This little full moon carried that same sentiment for a client who simply loves the moon. I worked with the gift-giver on choosing the silk pattern/color and wanted the piece to reflect on February’s Snow Moon. This moon is all about putting intentional actions in place behind your goals. It also brings in the energies of hope, change, transition and creativity.

If you would like your own silk moon, you can inquire about a commission at the link here and I will get back to you with the next steps.

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Flashe Paint Tree Study

Automatic 7, Flashe paint on paper, 22” x 30”, 2021

Going to Shelby Park in East Nashville has become one of my daily rituals and the trees throughout have a magical energy. The tree that watches over the dog park is my favorite. It has a gnarly trunk and branches that extend in all directions, yet the trunk halts to a strange tip.

I have been reading “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben and it has taken my understanding of trees to a whole new level. I make up more stories about them and view them even more as equal, but slower, beings.

Click here to see the available work from my flashe paint series.

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Blue Moon Phases

Waning Gibbous I and II, Flashe paint on silk, 10” x 10” each, 2021

Waning gibbous moon phase is all about gratitude and is a time to restore your intentions. I have been gravitating more towards these phases recently, especially when I spot them during the daytime. Each piece was painted on two layers of silk and the bottom layer’s patterns shine through when the piece is held up to light.

Read more about the silk moon process and inquire about your own custom moon.

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Oil Landscape Studies

Oil Sketches, Oil on hand dyed linen, 10” x 10” each, 2021

I wrapped up May with sketches inspired by trails throughout Tennessee and little creeks that I spot on my runs throughout the neighborhood. The linen is hand-dyed with indigo and these small pieces were a nice departure from my usual process.

If you are interested in an oil sketch, or other work, feel free to inquire through my contact page.

Balancing Moving and Making Art

March has definitely lived up to its stigma of coming in like a lion. I started the month in a different state, home and studio and while I am deeply inspired by my new surroundings, moving has definitely shaken up my studio practice and “flow”. 

Out with the old! My previous studio - now empty

My new views!

I am hard on myself when it comes to producing work or getting back into the studio and this time has been no exception. I tend to believe that I should always be creating or that I’m not making enough or working hard enough on my craft. The cycle becomes a loop and I sometimes find myself not getting anything done, because I am spending more time questioning the work than actually making. 

My natural inclination is to assume that I am a machine - with energy constantly flowing and the ability to produce no matter what the circumstances. My routine in grad school typically followed this structure: go to bed at 6AM, wake up at 9, write a paper, go to class or commute to work, make art, party, rinse and repeat. While I have calmed down over the past 3 years, I am still relearning how to take care of myself and how to manage my expectations.

Painting machine in 2015

Painting machine in 2017

Moving adds another layer of complexity to this. We moved twice in less than six months during the pandemic - once from Los Angeles to Atlanta and again from Atlanta to Nashville. While the initial move fueled several series of paintings, the second leg has been a slower burn. During March, I completed three commissions that I am proud of along with three smaller works, yet I have been more focused on adjusting to a new living space. Ideas are still brewing, but they aren’t translating as readily as I normally expect and I find myself feeling impatient more than inspired.

Recently “completed” work from March 2020

Working hard in the studio

New silk moon pieces

I think this is a common cycle for a lot of creatives, as we battle recurring imposter syndromes or our scathing inner critics. One day we are brilliant and prolific, then the next we find ourselves paralyzed by a creative block. It is hard to say whether my best work comes out in times of pure adrenaline or times of peace (I think I’ve seen both work to my benefit). Yet the further I get in my journey as an artist or human, the more I realize the importance of quieting my mind to generate new ideas even during moments when I feel blocked. This is always easier said than done, but hopefully by putting the intention out there, I can keep reminding myself of this core truth.