Well, what the heck happened? I thought last year was quiet, but this year, I outdid myself, or so it feels. I held the usual open studio events, participated in a gallery show, and hopped on several online opportunities. But mostly, I held a steady course.

Maybe this is what a sustainable art career looks like. I solidified a lot of habits — going to the studio regularly, making art every weekday, writing about it on social media and here to clarify my own thoughts, checking in on events and artists that caught my eye. But I also figured out, a little bit better, how to listen for the joy and wonder, and follow that, in daily collage and sketch work.

Completing a minimal series was along that path, as was sticking with the pink/brown/teal palette I was drawn to. But so was exploring reusing aluminum, and filling out a gorgeous early-grade spelling book with collages on each page that spoke to each other. There are threads there to follow for next year, not to mention write up here, which is always a good sign.

Much of my community was online: on Instagram itself, trying prompts from the Paris Collage Collective, weekly video calls with SLMM artists, work-in-progress thoughts on Mastodon, and towards the end of the year, smaller group discussions with a new gang called Paint Mix. Adding that to regular studio sessions, local meetups, or visits to Pioneer Square First Thursday art walks and nearby galleries, and art conversations felt plentiful this year.

I’m delighted to have seen work here in Seattle at Foster/White, Harris Harvey, Core, Shift, AMcE, and SAM Gallery, and more. On top of that, I managed quick visits to Vancouver for the Vancouver Art Gallery, J Kostuik, Contemporary Art Gallery, and Outsiders & Others, as well as a packed weekend for the Eastside Culture Crawl in November. Midway through the year, a big adventure filled my camera with landscapes. A quiet year? Kinda full, in retrospect.

I am grateful to friends who keep my work in mind, to artists like Stan Kurth, who taught me this year through a class and critique, and for having a studio space to explore creative quirks. That includes any of you who happen upon these posts, anywhere I’m working out what my art means, and who perhaps comment or reach out. I get great benefit from trying to structure my thoughts, and I always appreciate knowing whether I’m making sense. Exploring my creative path is a wonderful privilege, one I hope we each get to try at least a bit of in our lifetimes.