Summer in the Studio: A Mid-Year Check-In

There is paint on my table right now that I do not fully understand yet. That is a good sign.

Two things are pulling at me this summer. Galaxies and bugs. Which is a sentence I did not expect to write, but here we are. The galaxy work is new territory for me, deep space rendered in watercolor and gouache, pushing further than I usually go with light and scale. The bug work started with a bumblebee and a ladybug that people responded to more than I thought they would, so I am following both threads and seeing where they go.

I am also working larger. Bigger paper, more room to breathe. It is uncomfortable in exactly the way that means it is working.

Six months in, and I want to be honest: this year has been a lot.

I have done more markets and festivals than any year before. Ma and Pa Festival, Goats and Greens, NCMA Market, Feminist First Friday, Mother's Day Tea Party Market. I have set up and broken down more times than I can count, and here is the thing I did not expect: I love it. I am an introvert. I come home completely hollowed out...and I still love it. There is something about watching a stranger really stop and look at your work, listening to how it makes them feel. It has not gotten old.

I also showed in four exhibitions so far this year. "Portal" sold on opening night at The Halle in Apex. I still do not know what to do with myself.

The second half of the year has exploring more art specific fairs and festivals, more painting, more exploring, more learning, and whatever the galaxies and bugs turn into. I am genuinely excited to find out.

If you have been following along -- at a market, at a show, online -- thank you. You make the breakdown and the setup and the exhausted drive home worth it.

More soon.

-- San