Happy New Year

Remembering and Intentions

I always have a hard time taking the time to remember and take stock yet it’s something I really want to do. This is the time of year to do that, to reflect a little before plowing forward into whatever is coming next. So in this ‘stack we’ll do a little bit of both, remembering and getting a glimplse of things to come.

It blows my mind that Baby Hawk is that little at the beginning of the video below and that he literally runs off camera in the last. It’s totally cliche but it also can’t be overstated how much a little person grows and learns and changes in these early months. We were all that little, every single one of us. It’s kind of amazing.

This year juggling quite a bit more than usual, I did not get as many paintings completed as normal but I am still impressed with all that I did accomplish. I made art EVERY SINGLE DAY this year. Whether it was a sketch of Hawk while he slept, worked on a piece I was painting, crocheted, or worked on a Parrot Tarot card, I made sure to do some artistic gesture every day. It was part of The Vision Train’s collective yearlong art making project called Daily Visions 2023. If you are on Instagram look up the hashtag #DailyVisions2023 to see all the incredible work artists from all over the globe have done. The Vision Train was started by Amanda Sage during the first week of COVID lockdowns and was and still is a non top zoom call that artists can log in to 24 hours a day and find fellow artists to jam with, paint with, talk to and commune with. It is a project very near and dear to my heart and one I have been utterly committed to since its inception almost 4 years ago. I plan on continuing my Daily Vision practice into this year as I have gotten so much out of it.

Sketching my baby daily has been an incredible practice in it of itself. Not only am I getting daily life drawing practice, which for any artist is invaluable, but I get to witness and really pay attention to all of my sons little details. As he’s grown and his face has changed in proprtion slightly, I recognize thoe changes in the strokes of my pen on the paper. It’s been a beautiful tactile record keeping of moments that are incredibly fleeting. I have over 3 small notebooks filled with studies of his features and it is my intention to continue this as long as I can.

I finished two very large paintings this year, Rainbow Body, which opens that video and Cherubim, which closes it. If you missed that post, you can read it HERE. I went for quality over quantity this year as my heart really does lie in painting larger works. the two other paintings I didn’t get a chance to start in 2023 year will be the first on the list for 2024. More on that below.

Parrot Tarot is moving slowly, every so determined, towards its finish line. Dare I say that my goal for 2024 is to finish the cards?! Yes! Can I get the accompanying book finished as well? We’ll see. I am hoping so.

I finished this piece below that I wrote about last ‘stack on New Year’s Eve. I am tentatively calling it “Solstice.” I decided the only sensible thing was to have the Sphinx laying on a pile of old bones. The feel is definitely some kind of strange encounter out in the middle of nowhere that you may or may not ever return from. Which is appropriate. Can you open yourself enough to take in the wisdom of the riddle she asks you? Or will you be too nervous and just add yourself to that pile under her paws? Only fate will tell.

My intention for this coming year, and really my intention always, is to add more Beauty to the world. Beauty is one of the essences of life itself and it is an honor and a privilege to be able to create works of art that breathe more Beingness into the cosmos. I’ll do an entire post on Beauty one day soon.

I want to share a little glimpse of what is to come.

This is a print of the original hand sewn into opulent woven ribbon and posh fabrics. I used to make these Thangka-inspired paintings many years ago. They were incredibly popular, so much so that I literally only have one in my collection that I refused to sell. I will be offering one of a kind, hand sewn Thangka prints of my Thoth Tarot paintings as well as original small altar Thangka pieces. I’m very excited to begin work on these. This piece is already sold but if you would like to put your name on the list for one either of the High Priestess or the Lust card, please let me know. They are size variable but about 20” x 25” and will be $500 each. I also hope to paint the Star card this year as well.

And lastly, a start to this piece that I am very excited about. MerMama and MerBaby will be wrapped up in nebula seaweed floating on the cosmic ocean. I am looking forward to bringing this vision to life.

I am excited for this coming year despite the stormy astrology that’s being forcasted. If you aren’t already an astro-nerd, here’s my favorite podcast on the subject and this 4 hour long deep dive into next year is not to be missed: Get your Astro-Nerd on HERE

And with that, I am wishing you all a beautiful start to the New Year. May this year bring you what your heart desires the most. I will be visiting family over the next couple of weeks so my regular posting schedule may be a bit wonky.