I’ve been using the writing portion of the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist 2024 Grant Cycle to tell my journey as an artist as well as publish updates about the grant process. This article touches on the latter.
At the beginning of March, we had an online meet-up where we went over important deadlines. We also took turns asking each other questions. Fellow grantee Antonia Lewandowski asked me “How has the grant had an impact on your artistic process?” I paused and replied, “In a way it has me working things in reverse. Normally I paint from a photograph and think of a title but in this case, after a lot of introspection, I started with the story and it’s a more vulnerable approach.” Some of us are brave enough to admit to imposter syndrome, while others seem to be cruising by so to speak. We all have different methodologies and messages to convey and I am excited to see how the final Emerging Artist Exhibition (EAE) comes together in May.
The image above shows my notes for my initial idea for the EAE. I wanted to create a new shape on the wall with the canvas, something spiral in shape. I was also dabbling with the idea of incorporating embroidery techniques into my brush strokes. As time progressed different thoughts percolated; the idea for the size of the canvas shifted to something more manageable in the time frame and the main storyline developed.
The majority of the work has been completed, yet we have time to make some edits and adjustments if needed. Another important meeting I had was with my mentor, Maureen McDole, who kindly came to my home and met my children. We used her visit as an educational experience and asked my son William (9 years old) to write a poem using one of the four paintings as his point of inspiration. He went to the studio, sat quietly for a few minutes and quickly bound back to us with a beautiful haiku:
Sunrise Sonata
Crashing waves at shore
The sun shall rise at great ease
A calming constant
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There is great anticipation for the upcoming show and I ask myself how much do we share beforehand?
