Unapology #4 – 2013 recap and onward to 2014

I have spent the last year and a half since leaving the MFA program in New Orleans working as a visual artist on Pirates Alley at the center of the French Quarter.  Here I am able to hang my paintings on the fence and sell to anyone walking by.  My work has been bought by people from all over the world and found its way into many happy homes.  

While my focus during my MFA program was a series of paintings of rivers I decided to put that body of work on hold until 2014 as I began creating a series of paintings of  skeletons showing off their hearts that I call my Beautiful Bodies.  As part of my transition to New Orleans I began a practice as a massage therapist and this focus on the body started to be reflected in my arts practice.  I like this series because it gives me space to contemplate the parts that we all have in common underneath our skin, our bones and our hearts.  I also feel it offers the viewer a reminder to focus on their heart and open to a deeper understanding of empathy.  For myself this practice has an undertone of connecting with my ancestors and bring their energy into my daily life.  

Its a delight to watch people walk by my display and start smiling as they connect with my work.  People tell me they enjoy the simplicity and clarity of both my designs and message.  Working outside in the middle of a heavy tourist zone can be draining and crazy but moments where my work brings both delight to people and money to my pockets make it so worth it.  

Coming up for me next year are a few exciting things.  The album I recorded during my time as an MFA, How To Heal A Broken Heart, is being released on tape through my friends tape and vinyl label Campers Rules Records (www.campersrule.com).  Im also going to start working of my river paintings, officially called Portraits of Rivers, where I will continue filling in maps of rivers with my own colorful creations in an attempt to raise awareness about the health and life of the river systems of our planet.