Spring has come to Wisconsin! At last, at last. And still, ever so slow. Seeing all the green things emerging feels like reconnecting with old friends. In the spirit of all the tender green things unfurling and stretching to the light, I’m opening up my studio from 6-9 PM this Friday. I’m sharing portraits made during a recent 30-day sprint of daily portraits and some other odd studio experiments.
If you’re not in Green Bay but would like a personal tour of the work, let me know: I’d love to Facetime you around the studio and tell you all about what I’m doing. (For example, have I told you yet about the Fake Boyfriend trope in romance novels and how it helped me understand my work better? It totally did!)
Art-making is often solitary. At its best, time in the studio is euphoric and inspiring. At its worst (my most tired/hungry/doubtful), I wonder what the hell I’m doing and whether or not any of this matters. What do gouache portraits have to offer in the face of all the suffering and hurt in the world? Why bother honing my craft when a machine might make it faster, better, and cheaper? For me, the answers to these questions lie not only in the output– though that is important– but in what happens along the way when we work by hand. I think we need art– in all its forms– like we need water.
So, if you’re free this Friday, please join me for drinks, snacks, and discussions about why all this matters and to whom and what do we do next. All are welcome. Bring your friends and family. My studio is on the 6th floor of the Bellin Building, 130 E. Walnut St, Green Bay, WI 54301.
