New paintings have been added to the gallery! Check out the latest series, Slump, and let me know what you think.Last week was the opening reception to the show, and I think that it went very well. I had a great time chatting with everyone that stopped through, and I appreciate all of the support so far. It definitely makes me happy to have this work out there, but what's interested me more is the response to it. For someone, be it a friend, acquaintance or stranger, to feel prompted to share even a sliver of what's beneath their surface because of my work is truly a rewarding thing. I definitely do not take moments like that for granted.Check out this video created by my friend, Jesse McCloskey, of White Opus to get a taste of what the show is about - straight from me! I'm still getting used to being on-camera so forgive any awkwardness, but thankfully Jesse made me look good.
New Series - Slump
Next week will be the opening reception of my next series, Slump. I'm definitely excited to get this work out because I've been sitting on the idea for a while. Because of the subject matter, I anticipate that this will be a relatively short series. Like my Hemorrhage series from last year, the Slump series is deeply personal. I've been experiencing a great amount of burnout from it, to be honest. But I just deal with it because it's a part of the process. I suppose the details about all of that will be for a different blog post.Slump is about the anti-climaxes, the turning points in life that are marked by the lower periods one faces. When people are in an upswing, or when we only see people in good moments, it's so easy to assume that things were always that way or will continue on that trend. We hardly ever see or think about what must have come before, or if there is currently anything deeper going on behind the scenes. I explore this idea by sharing pieces from my own slumps in life. Each painting from the series is paired with an excerpt from my journals, during raw moments of tremendous anguish and insecurity. By offering up this level of transparency, my goal is to put a spotlight on the fact that we all have things that we work through in our own way. Perhaps it's all the same. I also intend for this series to serve as a reminder that the slumps are temporary. In a way, slumps are opportunities for growth, and we can't reach or appreciate the upswings without them. I think it's important to remember that it's not just the positive and more obvious occurrences that push us forward, it's also the lower points. We shouldn't so easily dismiss them or hide them, as those are some of the moments that helped mold who we are today. With this series I am exposing a piece of what that is for me.The full series will be posted next week, so stay tuned for that! For those in the Reno area, join me for the opening reception on June 4th at Neapolitan Gallery. The show will be up for the month of June, so be sure to stop through at some point if you miss the reception!