Beginning of June Check-in
Even though it hasn’t been a full two weeks since my last check-in, it’s been a whirlwind of activity in and out of the studio. Yesterday, I did a live painting at Local Color’s Roll Up Activity Hub during Viva Calle in San Jose. I had a lot of fun painting outdoors, and a lot of people seemed to really like the design I created. I managed to only sunburn the lower half of my right arm after painting under the sun for 5+ hours, so I’d call it an overall success!
What I’ve been working on:
I’ve come to a point where I feel comfortable about how my painting for my group exhibition at the New Museum Los Gatos looks. I have a title for the painting, which is usually one of the last steps of a painting, so I think I can call it finished. I’ve also started writing up some sort of narrative about the inspiration for and process of creating this piece; the museum wants me to write a blog post for them about the artwork, so that will probably be its final form.
I’m taking a scheduled pause in the commissioned painting as it’s out for its first review with the client. I like to schedule two review points in the commission process to make sure the client is aligned with the artistic vision, since it’s an investment on both of our parts and I want to make sure I’m creating something that fits them.
Since I’ve reached a stopping point or pause in the two main paintings that I’ve been focused on this past month, I’ve had some time to return to the Olympic painting I started a couple of months ago. I’ve made a decent amount of progress. I hope to get close to finishing this painting before I leave for my trip to China this weekend because I have a couple of upcoming projects that I’m excited about…
What’s upcoming:
I was accepted into a juried show at the Sanchez Art Center (the same gallery that my painting Nestle was accepted into for their Left Coast Annual Show). The show is called 50|50 where artists create 50 works of art in 50 days! It’s the 17th year the gallery is hosting this annual show where artists create 50 small works (6" x 6") over the course of 50 days. Each artist chooses a theme for all 50 pieces, and my theme was Transitional Horizons: Moments Between Day, Night, and Self. The concept is that I’ll paint 50 coastal sunrise/sunset paintings, much like the mini series of paintings that I started earlier this year. The first day of the 50 day period begins Monday, June 23 and ends Monday, Aug 11, 2025, so this is a major project that I’ll be starting upon my return from China for the next few months.
Additionally, I was asked by Local Color to participate in the 31 Skulls annual fundraiser. I am one of 31 local artists who were asked to design and paint a ceramic skull that the non-profit auctions in a fundraiser to support the organization. I picked up my skull the same day I picked up my 5’x5’ canvas that I prepped for their Roll Up event. I already have design ideas and hope to make significant progress before my trip. The auction is held in October around Halloween (hence skulls), but I need to finish the sculpture by August 1.
So I have two big projects confirmed and a couple of potential projects in the works that aren’t confirmed that may be coming up this year. It really feels like things are picking up where I have consistent work outside of the paintings and collections I personally come up with. I’m really excited to see how I continue to progress with my art. I can feel my painting skills improving; it doesn’t take me as long to complete my paintings and each new painting looks better than the last one. I’ve also learned new skills in designing artwork digitally in Procreate for both commissions and bigger outdoor pieces. It’s also really interesting to see the new opportunities that come my way. I applied to the Sanchez Art Center’s 50|50 show in 2023 and the Left Coast Annual Show in 2024 and didn’t get into either, but I’ve gotten into both of them this year. Which may be a product of having different jurors for the shows each year, but I also think that my painting and sense of creative direction has improved.
I’m looking forward to my trip to China. I’ll be spending two weeks there. I hope to rest, spend time with family, eat a lot of food, and be a general tourist. I’m looking forward to feeling refreshed upon my return, so until then, I hope you have a great rest of your June. Thanks for reading!
