"Dreamers"
Incredibly excited to be a part of the @gallerynucleus "Defying Gravity" show this year!
I absolutely love Wicked and the point at which Elphaba and Glinda's paths diverge in the end always makes me a bit emotional. I wanted to imagine these two good friends (two *best* friends) dreaming of a different future for themselves and for Oz.
The show runs until the end of this week (3/15) -- definitely check it out if you're a fan too!
"The Wood": I've been rereading all of my favorite @naominovik books recently, and found myself incredibly inspired by the mood and imagery in Uprooted. I love the malicious wood (Naomi does the theme of haunted, generational rage *so* well) and the metaphor of being taken and trapped inside.
Fittingly, this piece is a part of @nannygoatgallery 's "Roots" exhibition, opening tonight -- thanks Emily & Paul for having me! 🎉
12x16", acrylic and colored pencil on hot press paper
What a year! At the beginning of the year, I told myself I really wanted to focus and take art & illustration seriously, and upon reflecting I'm really happy where I ended up.
I switched entirely to working traditionally, and I've really loved the direction it's taken my art and how it's challenged my (life) mentality in life on perfectionism and rigidity to a pre-planned path.
I also went to #illuxcon for the first time, and had the most incredible time meeting new friends and role models, tabling and seeing reactions to my art, and getting inspired; I made and sold prints (so fun and fancy to sign them limited edition); had my first gallery shows that I could attend in-person (thank you @moderneden@metalhausgallery !); and got published in @infected_by_art !
I'm really looking forward to a few new shows next year at @nannygoatgallery@gallerynucleus , and continuing to challenge myself on different themes and topics (perhaps even painting something that is not only reflections, lilies, and closed or covered eyes?! 😂).
Thank you as always for following and supporting. Happy new year! ❤️
#artvsartist2024 #artvsartist
"Don't Look": This was originally inspired by the feeling of watching a suspense or horror movie, but it feels like an apt metaphor for the world nowadays...
As always, I've been experimenting with some new media -- embracing the messy look of brushstrokes and textures where I'd previously tried to get as clean of a look as possible. I also tried out illustration board for the first time as opposed to my trusty watercolor paper. We'll see where this leads!
9x12", acrylic and gouache on illustration board
I had the most incredible and unforgettable experience at my first @ix_imagine_this this weekend. It was surreal getting to meet so many art friends and role models in person and showcase my art. Thank you all so much for the love, words of wisdom and encouragement, and endless inspiration. ❤️
Now back to the drawing board!
📷: @dave.seeley (thank you!)
Hello from Pennsylvania! I’ll be at @ix_imagine_this for the next few days and tabling at the showcase — this is my first time at this show and I’m so excited to meet many of you there! Please say hi! ☺️
"Dream Diversion": this originally started off as a MtG prompt from the mentorship I took with @winonanelsonart@smarterartschool few months ago, but I decided to make it my own! I continue to be enamored with the kind of textures you can get from splashing around traditional media and moody, floaty themes.
This piece is available at @wowxwow_art "Silent Soliloquies" exhibit which opens today -- I love that this exhibit theme perfectly represents the emotions I like to paint. Go check out the other amazing artists as well!
I'm taking a bit of a summer break right now, but hoping to get back into it in time for my mentorship with @papercrake and Illuxcon this fall. Hope to see some of you there!
"Lily" - I originally started working on this as a bit of a relaxing palette cleanser between pieces, but I ended up pushing it so much farther than I expected and now it's one of my favorites that I've done.
I fell in love with the random experimental textures, and tried out some different coloring techniques on the face that I'm really enjoying too. I'm beefing up my portfolio for book cover work, so that was on my mind while I was working on the composition too!
The original was snapped up immediately, but I'll probably do a limited edition run of prints, stay tuned and let me know if you're interested.
11x14", gouache and colored pencil on hot press
I'm so excited to be in @moderneden 's annual portrait exhibit this year, opening this weekend (6/15-7/4)!
I'm particularly happy because 1) this year's theme is "Myth", which feels perfect for me because I've always loved folklore and mythology, and 2) the gallery has been one of my dream galleries in SF, and I can actually visit and tell friends and family about it! There are so many incredible artists and pieces in it, if you'd like to see the show, see @moderneden for more details.
I obviously wanted to draw Medusa (what artist doesn't?), and it was really interesting researching her history and symbology. Traditionally, she's considered a grotesque monster, but has transformed to represent feminine power and strength. So here's my interpretation of her as a modern badass, daring you to look at her. (:
I also really enjoyed experimenting with more crunchy traditional textures, inspired by auditing @papercrake 's class.
Swipe 👉 for close ups of delicious textures and details.
"Gaze"
10x14", acrylic and colored pencil on hot press
The #foliosociety competition long list came out today, which reminded me that I never posted this piece I worked on a few months ago! I didn't expect to place, and it's really fun to look through the entries and see how different artists approached the same story.
"The Truth": based off of @neilhimself 's "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains". I really enjoyed experimenting with very wet media for this piece, letting the bleeding pigments dictate the mood. Also, I love drawing gnarled trees -- expect more of that in the future.
Gouache and watercolor, 11x14"
"The World Is Dangerous": I'm super excited to be in @metalhausgallery 's #Evoke show this year! All of the artists painted on large round tondos, and it was a really fun way to experiment and challenge myself since I usually paint on a much smaller scale on paper.
The theme of the show was to evoke an emotion -- and in this case, I obviously wanted to do anxiety as those metaphors inspire a lot of my art. In this case, safety paranoia anxiety crossed with the "danger sense" skill in table top gaming to represent the feeling of internal sirens blaring at all times.
#Evoke was at the SF Art Market Fair last weekend, and opens tonight (for the rest of May) if you'd like to check it out in person!
24" diameter, acrylic on birch panel
