I’m about to send out my latest newsletter tomorrow morning, so if you’re not on the list, get on it! I’m about to have a huge sale for the holidays. Don’t you want to know about it?

I wish that I could’ve spilled the news about something that’s coming up at the end of December, but I’m not allowed to say anything yet. I hate that! But I must hold back on it for another month and a half. I’ll say that it’s been a long time coming, though, and I’m thrilled.

Saturday, I had an amazing 2nd studio visit with Compound Yucca Valley. All three of the partners came over, and we pow-wowed about my upcoming show next year. They gave me a more locked-down date, and we discussed more about the work I’ll be showing, plus the theme of the exhibit. They really love my work, which made me feel wonderful!

It looks like I’m getting a three-month exhibit beginning in November of 2024. I’ll also be doing some collaborations with artist Margeaux Walter, which will be displayed in the back outdoor bays during the show.

Later this month, I’m going to be applying for a couple of artist residencies for the very last time. Unfortunately, I’ve been trying for both Yaddo and Macdowell for roughly twenty years, and one cannot apply to either of these but once every two years. I applied for Macdowell for the last time in 2022. Now, Yaddo’s application opens this month, and I’ll be submitting part of my Discarded Snapshot series.

The other one will be the real longshot: Skowhegan. I’ve only applied there two other times. I know that’s not many, but it’s harder to get into that program than it is to get into Harvard! I don’t even know why I’m trying. It’s because, once every blue moon, they accept a self-taught artist. Maybe they are more likely to accept one of color, but you never know. I actually don’t know how it works. Maybe it goes by visuals only. Maybe it’s strictly by merit. In any case, I figure that trying is better than not trying at all.

The reason this will be the last year in my life I’m going to do this is because of my age and my health. I just can’t foresee doing anything like this later in life. I already struggle walking any real distances. I do my best to hide and pretend I can deal with it, but it’s pretty difficult. My health is not the best. My legs seem to be getting worse, and I’m not the greatest with traveling. Plus, these things seem to be primarily for younger artists, especially for new MFAers.

So that will be that.

It might sound like I have given up, but I have accomplished many, many things in my life. I don’t feel too bad about it. I feel like I have been gifted almost everything I have set my sights on at one point or another. Statistics aren’t something that constantly go up and up and up. The tide ebbs and flows.

I’ve had big successes, big sales, big studios, major galleries and collections, been in museums, and received large grants and awards at different intervals in my career. I even had a taste of rock stardom. I’ve had years when I was super productive and years when I made less. Honestly, none of the great things that have happened to me made me any more confident, which is too bad. It’s all very fleeting. But, in hindsight, I’m satisfied.

For the next year, I’ll be focused on this show in Yucca Valley because I’m excited to work with such lovely people. It’s a non-profit space that provides outreach and an art space for the community. We will be thinking up a correlating program to go with this show that addresses healing. I’m pretty excited—nervous about doing the public facets of the exhibit, but it will be important.

I just have to think up a title for this thing. Not at all a bad “problem” to have.