I feel like my show is fully coming together, sans finishing one last painting. Before the Tragedy has been sitting with a burgundy red/purple underpaint that is still drying. I think because it’s been so cold, it’s just taking eons to dry.
I thought maybe I could still paint the layer of titanium buff mixed with the highly toxic Grumbacher white sketching paint, but not yet. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll check it today to see if I get paint all over my fingers after touching it.
Before the Tragedy, in progress, 2026. Oil on gessoboard, 20 x 24 inches.
I also finalized my discussion panel for June 6th. Other than myself and Margot Anderson, the founder of the Laurel Foundation, Holly M. from LACMA (the Director of Adult Public), and writer Phil Anderson, I also got Matias Viegener—a writer, artist, and critic who works solo and collaboratively in the fields of writing, visual art, and social practice, and he also teaches at CalArts. So that’s five of us, and I hope it’s not too many.
I also made a flyer for the event and put it up on my website. Read if you dare.
In the last few days, I’ve applied for a bunch of artist grants: a few microgrants to help cover panel members’ honoraria and a couple for my art practice, like the Pollock-Krasner and the DAG Foundation. Then there’s the Harpo Foundation, which opens soon. Hopefully, these links could be of some assistance to other artists reading this. I’m also considering applying for Creative Capital and the Hopper Prize, but both are a little problematic for me…
Creative Capital requires a sort of grand project proposal that I’m not sure I can put together to impress anyone, and the Hopper Prize is expensive to apply to, especially given the small amount of funding it awards. So, both of those are on the back burner for the time being. If I can think up the perfect project for Creative Capital, I’ll apply, but trying to think of something I’d really like to do right now has been difficult for me as of late. Any kind of thinking of anything kinda hurts my brainhead.
Recently, Hannah purchased some professional photo lights so we can try to take better pictures of my paintings. I’m hoping this will work because it would be more cost-effective in the long run instead of paying professionals all the time. I have my doubts (not doubts about Hannah – she is a really good photographer), but taking pictures of artwork is a specialized art in and of itself. It’s not like fine art photography. However, we’re going to give it a try and see what happens.