In my last blog post I talked about changes, seasonal and creative. I’d like to talk about creative change a little bit more.
Often, artists have definable periods in their works. Think loosely along the lines of Picasso and his blue period, Goya and his black paintings and you’ll get the idea. In my creative career, I feel as though I’ve stepped into one such definable period. Recently, I’ve been seeking the freedom and authentic creativity of my youth and bringing it together with a lifetime of experience to revisit my earliest creative works. Looking at the stuff I did as a teenager feels like looking back on different lifetimes, but it still feels like a full circle moment at the same time. Looking inward and painting an idea has been more challenging and intense than I had expected, but above all, it’s been so much fun and deeply satisfying. My landscapes have always had a meditative quality for me, creatively speaking, and this was a pivot from that.
What started simply as a creative exercise ended up being something so much bigger, and an unexpected consequence has been shifting my perspective and making me reevaluate and question ideas that I have long taken for granted. In my paintings, this has resulted in a very different body of work from the landscapes I made a name with. I’ve shared some of these works on my social media, and until recently only thought of them as experiments, or mentally stored them in a “just for me”, or “just playing around” category. But I’ve been wondering if there is something here, and so have decided to pursue this direction with a little more intent.
With this in mind, I’d like to announce some changes to my website that reflect this new direction. I am now presenting my newest body of work along with some of my more experimental stuff from previous years on my website. Landscapes and the Yukon will always be a source of inspiration and a part of my work, but now I intend to give a little more time and weight to another side of my creativity that I have only really rediscovered. I hope this will be a step towards bridging two creative worlds, and I hope you’ll follow along on this adventure.
In line with this, I’d also like to announce my participation in this year’s Art San Diego this upcoming November. Art San Diego is one of the biggest art fairs on the west coast and I look forward to publicly debuting my new body of work at that time. It’s a big step, and a daunting one; but I am very excited at the potential for new experiences and opportunities that come with such a pivot.
In summary, things are happening, and I am excited about the future. Change is often uncomfortable, and I am incredibly fortunate that mine has been the best-case scenario of gradual, welcome, and semi-planned. There are still moments of doubt, but that isn’t a good reason to not try something new.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my new work, and I hope you’ll stay dialed in for updates on the projects of the summer.
