Catharsis

Fragile March 2020 

2020 is not like any time we have ever experienced or could have imagined, even in our most dystopian dreams. Typically, my daily planner looks like a Tetris game packed tight with adventures. However, in the blink of an eye we were all suddenly grounded to a halt by a surreal pandemic laying our day and night bare of activity. 

Saves April 2020

Being stalled redirected my usual kinetic energy back into the studio. It was there that I reconnected with a plethora of clippings and images, an eclectic mix of  ephemera, that I had tucked away for a rainy day. 

State of Confusion April 2020

The need to make art rages within, and over these last six months, rather than ferreting out scenes to photograph during walkabouts I have cut, glued, doodled and montaged my way through the hours. When the newspaper headlines would make my head spin, I would take the scissors to them and reconstruct the narrative. 

Priority May 2020

This change to my process has been cathartic --- a return to the most basic to find creativity in the analog world. Although quarantined to my studio, I found it energizing to step away from my usual creative process that fed off being in the outside world and instead pivot to a laboratory-like space where I curated therapeutic think pieces that allowed me to exercise a completely different part of my intellect.

Social Distance June 2020

Darkroom Shake

The 2018-2019 school year is officially started! Today was full of familiar and new faces refreshed and returned from summer's grasp. We got things moving by waking up the darkroom and checking the enlargers and timers! Affectionately referred to as the darkroom shake!

Reflecting on the Practice

 

Last week I had the opportunity to teach a one week summer camp, aptly titled: Picture This!

The camp was open to youth ages 12 to 14 years old. There were 8 participants.

I must confess here, I have never in my 20 years of teaching worked at a summer camp, much less designed a sequence for a camp. So, needless to say, I was a little nervous, but ready for the challenge.

 

 

It was incredible. I put together a sequence of experiences in all things photo! The kids built pinhole cameras and took selfies, made photograms, developed film, learned camera settings, LOVED the light painting...and at the end of the week they were asking for another week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The young artists navigated the darkroom, the studio and the light painting stage with the confidence of old pros by the end of the week. It was delightful and inspiring to see their ideas take off and the experimentation and problem solving ensue! Their energy and engagement was uncontainable.

 

 

 

 

 

It is so satisfying to facilitate and observe the creative process! It is a craft in itself, teaching. It is the best kind of performance art out there. It is the experience of making that informs the final product and encapsulated in that is the memory of the action that created the work.

 

 

Tonight is the reception at Greater Reston Arts Center for the Art Educator's show. I am looking forward to seeing the artwork. I have tremendous respect for educators that actively make their own work as well as inspire other artists with what they know and are so skillfully able to teach.