This was initially posted on my individual blog, but I’m posting it here as well.

My studio work has been a continuation of my 2 Hour Painting series but it has evolved a bit to fit my teaching schedule. Over the summer, I was able to go to various cities and paint in public parking spaces. This reclaiming of public space was very fun and nerve-wracking at the same time. Since then, I have set up an easel in the middle of the woods behind my house and painted objects in the forest individually rather than the entire landscape. This has been a lot of fun for me because I am able to choose the landscape without venturing too far away from my house, while also paying close attention to the time of day I am working. I have been particularly infatuated with the way the leaves and trees look when the sun is setting around 4pm or 5pm. In my paintings, I have chosen to focus on this time of day and the enchanted feeling I get when I am in the environment. This also gives me an opportunity to go outside, since most of my day is spent teaching or driving to work. (I live an hour away from work) My students think I’m the best artist in the entire world and I try not to disappoint them, so I go along with it! I tell them that they are much better than me and we work together to come up with awesome ideas that will inspire others. I am not usually inspired by fine artists, but instead the young artists around me. I feel that their imaginations inspire me more than any refined skill would, so I learn from them every day.

To me, being outside in nature is most important. The reading confused me a bit with its over-use of metaphors, but I feel everyone defines objects and things differently. I place a lot of importance on living things and often think of how life is from their perspective. I could live without my phone, car and most other ‘things.’ My grandfather had a similar outlook on life. Whenever my grandma would get worried about money, he would say “They will print more tomorrow.” (He was also a fine gambler and was known for winning cars, boats and even the house they lived in for 44 years, on bets.) The house became an epicenter of my childhood and housed many memories throughout generations. During this time, it was a thing by Ingold’s definition. My grandfather passed away eight years ago and over time the house turned into an object. We packed up the memories, sold the house and never looked back. It turns out he was the epicenter of my childhood.

A memory of my grandpa, cousins and sisters.