Shifting My Focus

Shifting away from commissions to illustrative work: 

I've begun to shift my focus. In 2022 I had a conversation with another artist in my community. The conversation centered around storytelling and art. He reminded me that when people shift into new chapters of their lives they look for items that speak to them. This could look like wanting to buy a piece of art featuring a big cat because the big cat reminds you of masculinity, strength, or aggression - traits you might see in yourself or identify with. It might look like buying an elephant painting because it reminds you of mothers or nurturing or family. What is the symbolism and the story behind the art work? 

I've always loved connecting art to a story - my mother has several little "books" I made for her. For easily a decade I've dreamed of being an illustrator. In college I put together a little movie that I wrote and illustrated. The desire to create art and story has never left me. I've wanted to work, specifically, with children's books. In 2020 I started to have this wild idea that I could write and illustrate my own work and I began with a project I've yet to publish (but will). 

​Then, I began working on an art series in the fall of 2022 and turned it into a children's book which you can find here. I've got several other books planned for release this year - and I'm so very excited about them. 

So what does this mean for my art? It means that I'm not accepting commissions this year. It means that I'm focusing on illustration and creating art that pairs with story. It means that I'm changing the way that I identify on this page from being only an artist to being an author and an artist - because I've long been a writer, but now I'm an author - there's book. There are books. It means that I'm more intentional with the work that I take on. It means that I'll occasionally release a physical painting or that I'll release a series of prints based off of my work on books (I've done that for a series in Terlingua and it's very exciting). 

My illustrations, like so much of my artwork, have their own style - yet when I look at them I think of my own stylistic contributions. It doesn't matter if they're a simple illustration or one that is more complex. I see them and I can tell that I have created them. There's something about me in them. I love the way that they are connected to story and I can't wait to see where this year - and this focus - take me. 

As always, thanks for following me on this journey. Maybe I should say that more.