{ PAPERIE } : Reflection on the Black House Show //

The Opening Reception of my solo show { PAPERIE } happened one week ago in my adopted home town of Blacksburg, a small, rural, mountain town located in southwestern Virginia. I am a process person. Rarely can I take in information and quickly process it. I have to take the experience away and chew it on it. This experience was no different. I am truly humbled by the family and friends that came to view my new body of work. Work that took me over 6 months to create. A body of work that I feel is my most compelling to date. A body of work that will continue to evolve as I bring the book to the wall, continue to push my artistic boundaries and challenge what people think can be done with paper.

"PSYCHEDELIA" This is my second 16 Blocks installation and was inspired by the late Rex Ray.

"WANTING" is a 22 x 11" collage made with upcycled and reclaimed paper, acrylic paint, oil pastels and gel pens.

"BROKEN" is a 22 x 11" collage made with upcycled and reclaimed paper, acrylic paint, oil pastels and gel pens.

"MOUNTAIN SUNRISE I" is a 16 x 20" collage on wood panel made with handmade and handpainted papers, acrylic paint and ink sprays. This is an older work from 2014 that was inspired by the Appalachian Mountains that surround me. I have lived here for 10 years and am still awed by their beauty,

"WONDER" is an altered book spread featuring the lyrics of Loudon Wainwright III's 'Therapy'

"ROOTS" is an altered book that I decided to display for the first time at this show. It is made from reclaimed papers, acrylic paints, oil pastels and gel pens.

"MOUNTAIN SUNSRISE II" is a 16 x 20" collage on wood panel made from handmade and handpainted papers, acrylic paint and spray ink. This piece is part of a collection from 2014 and my most favorite from the collection.

"SUCKER PUNCH" is a 12 x 12" paper collage on wood board with acrylic paints, oil pastels and gel pens.

"MONSTER" is a 10 x 10" paper collage on wood board featuring my handpainted papers including rust prints and fern discharge on black Bristol board. The next 4 pieces are part of a series I plan on continuing to add to over the next two years. It is inspired by Larry Bell's 'Fractions.'

"MELTING AWAY" is a 10 x 10" paper collage on wood board.

"ALONE" is a 10 x 10" paper collage on wood

"INVISIBLE" is a 10x 10" paper collage on wood using one of several favorite color combinations red and purple!

"GUARDIANS" (SOLD) is a series of 12, 4 x 4 x 1" canvas blocks made using found paper collages, tissue paper, acrylic paints and gel pens. They were inspired by the work of Roxanne Coble, my favorite contemporary mixed media artist. The following images are from the collection.

Several of my pieces were unable to be hung due to mature content. After the show is over, I will be taking pictures of the pieces that were created as a series as well as continuing to add pieces.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON LATELY? WHO ARE YOUR SOURES OF INSPIRATION? I would love to hear all about them!

{ GRATITUDE } :: An Extension of my *Discipline* //

In my last post, I talked about why I decided to make 'Discipline' my Power Word for 2017. It started in the end of 2016, when I decided to resume my long standing practice of morning journaling. I knew that this morning ritual was key to finding answers I am seeking. Long before the new year began, I put pen to paper and began writing. Some days it is easy to pound out the pages, some days it seems to take me awhile to get the words out. This isn't book writing here, either, this is 'stream of consciousness, no body is going to read this but me' writing...nonetheless, it can be a challenge. One morning, I was writing and noticed that I was being very hard on myself. Berating myself in my journal about all that I was NOT accomplishing on any given day in regards to my art biz. So I made the conscious decision to add something to my journal...a nightly entry of what I accomplished that day. No matter how big or small the task is, it goes on the page. I have recently started to add what made me happy, laugh or feel joyous on that day as well.

What is this daily (and now nightly) practice doing for me...specifically my wonky mental health in the long winter months?

LOADS.

I never noticed how much I laugh on any one given day. My daughter is HILARIOUS. She hits the ground running every morning and it can take me awhile to catch up but when I do, we have these lovely quiet mornings together that I cherish. She sees me writing and grabs her little 'dairy' and sits at the table with me. We share a meal together and get ready for our day. This is truly a blessing.

My mind has been blown by the positive feedback my new approach to art is receiving. I will still make books (that is my true Soul Work) but I wanted to expand my artistic chops so I challenged myself to make one new paper collage per day. (You can check out a few of them right here or you can see them all on my Instagram feed).

Beyond that, now my day does not feel like it is one long to-do list that never seems to get done. I can SEE what I am accomplishing and it encourages me to KEEP GOING.

Do you have a daily practice that keeps you focused, moving forward and assisting you in living a life of gratitude? I would love to hear all about it!