Monday, December 19, 2011

the misunderstanding of clouds





A few images from the exhibition at Hous Projects. The show will be up until January 14, 2012.

Friday, December 9, 2011

milking the status quo


During an art discussion I participated in last week with a few local artists, we talked about the definition of success. What does it mean to be a successful artist? How does one qualify as such? Is it money, exhibitions, education, gallery representation?

Throughout my time at graduate school the route of success was quite specific; get as many shows as possible at the very best galleries, take risks in your work, while maintaining the status quo. Seems like quite a conundrum to me. How can you take risks when you are given such boundaries? What if I don't want to create installations?

There is also a status quo in the role as a mom; feed your baby organic, make sure they have adequate naps, study vaccinations carefully, never allow passive learning, breast feed for at least a year (the list continues). Neither the status quo of mothering nor that of the contemporary art world remind us to ask what is best for us.

In about two weeks I will have nursed my daughter for an entire year. For some women this might seem as an easy feat, but for me it was quite a struggle. (If I could count how many hours I have sat locked in that rocking chair) And yet, even as I approach a year I have asked myself if that is enough and, should I go on? How far can the status quo go? What is enough? How often do moms ask if they have done enough for themselves?

There are many different routes to success as an artist. Just as there are in being a mother. I have begun weaning Ila to milk; I have done enough. And I have to ask; can I get a milkshake with that?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

the misunderstanding of clouds


Clouds are forms that are in perpetual transformation. Each is a metamorphosis of another. Similarly, the work shown in an exhibition the misunderstanding of clouds is constructed through a revision and restructuring of past paintings and billboard material. The constant transformation of discarded materials is meant to symbolize the cycle of clouds.

The exhibition opens December 8th at Hous Projects in New York City. www.housprojects.com

Thursday, December 1, 2011

air born


The moment my daughter took her first breath is one I will never forget. She was born into air.

With wind gusts of up to 70 mph in Salt Lake City and the valley drenched in smog, I thought today might be the perfect opportunity to speak about air. Our air does all sorts of things; it brings in weather, it pollinates, it allows us to breathe. Air is also completely taken for granted. We live in it, for it and with it every second of our lives. What's not to love about air? We couldn't love, let alone LIVE, without it. Which makes it a really important thing for us to consider protecting.

The valley of Salt Lake City was missing this morning. It had sunk beneath pollution, a reminder of what we pump into our air heating our home, driving our car, mining for goods; habitual tasks.

It is so easy to get caught in the everyday. Much of the time we just want to get to tomorrow and forget about what we have today, taking those things for granted like the air we breathe. Since having my daughter, I like to consider what needs to be taken care of today so that she can have it tomorrow.

My most recent body of work begins a study of air - clouds, weather, pollution. The Misunderstanding of Clouds, opens December 8th in New York, NY.