a lot of things in the works, but not sure where to begin or what to share at the moment… I’ll just start with what is for sure.
This month’s illustration is done! I wanted to do a cake-themed piece right off the rip since it is appropriate for the brand, and also I thought it would more generally thematic for the month of January - typically a time for refocusing, discipline, and eliminating undesirable vices - alcohol, sugar, drugs, etc. I thought I would help out and use this imagery to remind everyone that while typically sweets look more appealing than this painting, the general off-putting-ness of it is much closer to how it actually affects our bodies. This isn’t the place or my real desire to be an alarmist dietary evangelist, but but definition, refined sugar is a drug. Anyway…
I’m really happy with how it turned out, and while the process of trying to visualize the cake in Blender took way too long, for a lot of simple, avoidable rookie reasons, it proved to me with overwhelming success that this workflow is solid, and will keep me churning out work at a level I am proud of, at the rate I’ve needed for a while now. Which is good because:
I just got picked for a residency at my local art space/gallery, Redux! Woo! Seriously, so I glad I finished this piece lightyears faster than I thought I would, because I will be non-stop making drawings all the way through February for Redux. I’m still going to do the piece for February, and every single month for that matter as scheduled (I ain’t no punk!) but it is just going to be a bit tighter that I was planning. I actually forgot I applied and sent a proposal last year since it was months ago in the summer.
I am sure they will announce it soon, but in short, it will be a visual exploration of identity through portraiture. I moved to Charleston in March 2022, and immediately made more friends and connections than at any other time of my life, and it seemed like every random person I met knew each other. It is a small town in many ways, but not SO small that it would be obvious that so many social networks here overlap so much…
I’ll be doing portraits of a large majority of the people I’ve met here in Charleston and the plan is to have as many of those people as possible actually come into the studio and do some painting of their own, as a reflection and analogy of the sense of community and discovery I felt arriving here. The plan is also to hand draw 30+ people, copy and print a bunch of times and have those 30+ people draw and paint on someone else’s or their own portrait…so unsure of a lot of things - can I do it on time? Will people be into it? Will I be able even get reference photos taken of these folks soon enough?? All valid questions, but I’ve recently really started taking it to heart that I jjust need to START, to DO, and REACH. Failure, falling short, ignorance, lacking, missed chances; these are all part of succeeding, and I’m ready to start failing my way there.
Never really had a gallery show before so I am stoked to really try something unique and push myself. That is what this year is going to be about, and the pace that January is going at, and the things I have planned are making me feel like it’s going to be a whirlwind, and over in the blink of an eye. That feeling might also be the consequence of having my whole year calendar tacked to the wall in front of me…
As far as the monthly illustrations go, I am trying to check a few boxes with each one, and something I want to do is try to be a little more relevant or time-appropriate or just generally seasonal with the work that I am doing. That being said, I will just tell you that next month’s piece is going to be Valentine’s-themed and I’m really happy with it already, just have to push through and bring it all together. I don’t really have an idea for March though, so let me know what you guys think. St. Patty’s would be the holiday of the month, but not sure I want to paint anything like that. I might just go a little tangential and do something with snakes, gold, tiny mischievous leprachaun-esque creatures, or some combination, or none of that. Or I’ll just use a green color-palette… Again, I’m pretty open if anybody has something they’d like to see.