Studio Update: Week of 1/28/24- 2/3/24

This week consisted of a lot of traveling for me. I traveled out of state twice for different reasons and it left very little time for studio work. By Friday, I was feeling somewhat disappointed and frustrated with how little I was able to accomplish in the studio. I have so much that I am looking forward to making so sometimes when life gets in the way, having to reset expectations can be hard!

Friday was the opening reception for the Santa Barbara Clay National, which I had shipped a piece out for recently. I unfortunately had to miss the reception as I didn't have the time or the budget to fly out to California, but I was excited to be a part of the show in spirit and was very happy to see any snippets of the show posted online. By Friday night, I was notified that I had won first place in the show. This was such a surreal and affirming experience because it is by far the biggest show I have been a part of to date, and I was showing with some people that I have admired nationally for quite a while.

I have ended the week with reflecting on my experience as an artist and how much I have changed since coming to this post bacc program. The first year of the program, I had taken a step back from applying to shows because, frankly, I was not fully satisfied with the work I was making. Part of this, for sure, was a lack of confidence, but I think I really needed to give myself the space to explore without the expectation of showing my work to a large group of people. I also would have crumbled with any show denial at this point. That time was really developmental for me. Near the end of the last year, I really started to find my stride as an artist and I am now continually making work that feels good to show off, because I know I have taken the time to refine the esthetic that I want. I have also gained a lot of confidence in my work because of this, and from being around so many inspiring artists in my cohort. This year has been a big one for me so far and I feel like I have the confidence to continue moving forward with intention. Anyways, all that to say, I'm proud of myself and I'm excited about what's coming.

Important Dates to keep in mind: DirtBags will have our last NCECA fundraising sale at Canary Club in Louisville on 2/11 from 2-9pm.

Image 1: Exhibition flyer

Image 2: Close up of my piece, titled " Play to Lose"

Image 3: 1st place and 2nd place winners