I Finally Kinda Sorta Feel Like An Artist Now
After a wild couple of months, what with adopting a literal human being and all, I still managed to squeeze in some time for my residency at Scalehouse's Patricia Clark Studio, and all I have to show for it is...
*checks notes*
FOUR PAINTINGS!
And what a shocker, they're all skulls & skeletons...
I won't lie, sometimes it's been tough, especially when Casper's screaming at me for no discernable reason, to set my wants, and probably to some extent ego, aside and fully prioritize the new little dood over spending all day every day painting away, but I really am excited about what I've accomplished so far.
I still can't believe I get to create in that space whenever I want and I'm just so stoked (and to be honest, nervous. Thanks, fear of judgment) to release these first paintings out into the ether for someone to hopefully enjoy!
Seeing as I only get one shot to share my first paintings for the first time, I was on the verge of overthinking everything.
"Are these even any good?"
"Should they share a color palette?"
"Should they go together more?"
"Am I supposed to create work under one theme?"
"Should I wait until the end of the residency and release a whole show of work?"
Thankfully I heard my therapist's voice in my head reminding me of one of my favorite mantras: action over perfection.
Thinking things could always be better is just a narrative we tell ourselves.
Almost nothing ever lines up perfectly, I just needed to set the impostor syndrome aside and do it.
Now for those of you that found your way to this internet friendship through my illustration work, fear not!
I still love drawing with a burning passion, so while I'll certainly be splitting my time between painting & illustration, this will just be an extension of my goal to use art to encourage vulnerability, reduces stigmas, and talk about the heavier things in life while hopefully making the world even a tiny bit more fun than I found it.
I'll be sharing more pics & process vids and just overall diving into the story of each one over the coming weeks, but if you just can't wait, head to the Spring Break Surf Shack to learn more and pick up one of these original paintings!