Inspiration

Outcome

11 x 14"
acrylic and colored pencil on black paper

photo from YWCA website

If I could write poetry, I'd write a poem about my love affair with swimming.

Fleshy figure exposé

I go to the downtown YWCA, a beautiful old building.

The perfect ending to any day

The pool is in the basement.

White tiled pool, ceiling, and walls

It's beautiful.

The crystal clear aqua beckons. It calls.

I'm usually the only one there, except for the lifeguard. It used to be a little awkward.

Easing in, warmth outside and out.

I'm not great, but I'm getting better.

Makes me want to cheer, makes me want to shout.

I awkwardly try to sync my body movements and breathing.

The closest I'll ever feel to flying.

My thoughts are healthy.

And the furthest I'll feel from dying.

My heart at rest.

That's kind of extreme

but you know what I mean.

I've asked friends to donate their used and unwanted magazines to me. I have a mountain to look through and it feels like Christmas.

I've been collecting images from magazines for a while, and now I'm sifting through them to see if I can make something of them.

Something I want to do more in my studio is quick drawings and paintings to loosen my mind and hand. When I paint on larger canvases, it's easy for me to tighten up and forget the intrinsic energy of painting.

Some of these drawing will be terrible, but that's part of the fun. Hopefully as I share them, it will be entertaining at the very least.

Above is the first stop on this journey, based on a photograph in Vogue. I was drawn to the image initially because, while the woman's outfit is minimalistic, there are lots of sheens and textures to the fabrics. The intermingling of simplicity and complexity, if you will- a juxtaposition for which I have an affinity.

The cream paper is 11x15" and I used black textile paint, colored pencil, charcoal, and acrylic. I'll be using a lot of leftover paint from other paintings for these and inexpensive surfaces I have lying around or find.

If you're reading this and have some magazines or materials you'd like to share, bring them to my studio (or I can pick them up). We can make some drawings together or I can make one for y-o-u.

I knew he wrote a song called Beth/Rest.
I listened to the album, but didn't hear it the first few times. Does that happen to you?
Then it hit me. Damn, that last song is good.
Weeks later, I realized the title of it.

Though often agonizing, a slow processing brain has its benefits.
Joy seeps gradually into my life; I'm constantly surprised.
And everything strikes me when it's meant to.

This song is mine, in all it's cheesiness, sincerity, and glory.
I couldn't tell you what he's saying
but that makes sense.

Last week was the East Tennessee Community Design Center's 100 Block Party Fundraiser.

I donated the piece above to their auction. It's a photograph of the former Flynn Paint Building, located on the corner of Summit Hill and 11th Street, in a window from Knox Heritage Salvage.

I used to be obsessed with this building. Obsessed is an understatement. I'd drive out of my way to pass it, daydream about owning it. I wrote business plans for how I'd use it and contacted the owner to see if he'd sell it.

But I had no money to offer him. It sat for a few years until he converted it into a bar. And he desecrated the building in the process. I lament the way it looks now. People say, "At least it's saved." They don't understand. I was in love.

I've made several pieces about it since then. A muse never dies even when it dies.

I had a great time in Nashville at the RAW Art Show last Thursday. A large contingent of my college friends now live there, so the fact that I was able to celebrate my birthday the day before with them and have them at this show was more than I could ask for.

My work at the top left and bottom

The set-up and preparation for the show was pretty intense. I showed up at Mercy Lounge around 4pm to hang my work. I met those coordinating the show and we worked out where my pieces would fit best. There were about seven other artists to accommodate, and there had to be adequate space for each of us.

Three of my paintings on the left

I can't overstate this. I'm extremely thankful my friend Cody was there to help me with the hanging system, a series of chains hanging from a horizontal chain. He stood on the ladder and moved the chains no less than 100 times as we painstakingly made it look as straight and well-balanced as possible.

I had to have a few mason jar paintings

In the midst of hanging, I had to change clothes, have photos of me taken outside and inside with my work, and was also interviewed on camera for promotional purposes.

With my friend Laura

This may not seem like a big deal, but I'm extremely camera shy, and moments before a show, you can multiply that quality exponentially.

On top of this, they also broke the news that they wanted me to stand in front of the crowd during the show with a painting in hand and answer a few questions. When they saw the look on my face, they told me I didn't have to. I took a deep breath and told them I'd hold a painting up there for them as long as I didn't have to say anything. Perfect they said.

Robert and Micah

Thankfully, none of the other artists that went up there with me wanted to speak either. So we held up our work for a solid ten seconds, smiled, and went back to being our introverted selves. Ahhhh.

With Robert

Even though I was being pushed out of my comfort zone, most everything went smoothly. Several friends of mine showed up which made me feel at ease. The show started at 8pm, there was music, drinks, and lots of people filtering through. I had a great time.

With friends Rachel and her husband Buddy

I also wore a new dress, courtesy of my mom for my birthday, which was greatly appreciated. I mention this only because I gave up clothes buying this year (Remember?), but since my mother offered to purchase, and I was desperate for something that fit and was pretty, I obliged. Thanks, mama (even though I'm pretty sure you don't read my blog)!

Good friends sorority pose when you ask them to. With Audrey and Andrea

Ben makes sense of my work for a crowd

It was fun to be a part of this show, to share my work alongside multiple artists, designers, musicians, and even a comedian. The show definitely spoiled me, to see so many people show up, to pay for a ticket and not even be offered free wine and food... sigh... I love so much about Knoxville, but the art scene is becoming one of those things less and less.

With fellow Knoxvillian, artist, and now model, Steph Untz

I feel more motivated to show in other cities and am excited to all ready have a show lined up at Fido's in Nashville in October. I'm entering pseudo-hibernation mode to make some new work I've been mulling over for a few months.

If you have any thoughts on places I could exhibit, please let me know. I'd greatly appreciate it.

a ridiculously good cry

red-faced clarity 

and disbelief

swimming somewhere beautiful

dinner out

a margarita or three

dusk riverside walk

heading home

this song for the first time

Here are more photos of Mirror Field, the second sculpture I helped with at Bonnaroo.

Mirror Field was designed by Lisa and Jason Brown who were assisted by Russ Porter, Beth Meadows, Dean Yasko, Carolyn Bendel, Katie Dirnbauer, Kevin Varney, and John Carpenter.