Happy New Year!

As you prepare to say good-bye to one decade, and hello to another, I hope you enjoy taking a look at what I've been up to recently. The following are a selection of images from the First Year MFA Exhibition. I tried to include some of my classmate's work that I thought would translate well at this scale (sorry to those I didn't include!).


Here's the roll call.


At the opening reception.


By Erin Dunn.


By Gabbe Grodin.


By Tom Raggio.


By Alan Prazniak.


By Eileen Behnke.


By Summer Baldwin.


By Erik Schoonebeek.


By Liv Aanrud.

It's been quite exciting as I've dug into grad school. After having my first year review, and several interesting studio visits with visiting artists such as James Hyde and Sarah Oppenheimer, I've been understanding what I make in new ways. This process is helping me gain perspective and focus as I explore new ways of working and plan my next projects. Here are a few of my most recent paintings:


Night Park Study, oil on canvas, 45" x 12"


Tree at Night, oil on panel, 16" x 12"


Dark Road, oil on canvas, 36" x 24"


Studies after a painting by Albert Pinkham Ryder.


Sketches & works on paper temporarily propped up in my studio.

My professor Marc Handelman organized a day of artist talks/studio visits. Here are a few photos from that day.

Studio visit with Marc Handelman.


Studio visit with Jessica Dickinson.


Studio visit with Dana Schutz.

In addition to studio visits with my class, Tyson & I went into the city recently to see some great exhibits at the Met, including the Samurai exhibit with lots of expertly crafted blades; Georgia O'Keeffe at the Whitney; David Hockney at Pace; and Gerhardt Richter at Marian Goodman.

Besides visiting NYC on a frequent basis for art, Tyson and I have also been visiting with Amy & Kevin ( Laundromat ) and recently we went to a Holiday Party hosted by Ethan and Leah. Such great times!!!


Images from the train ride from NYC back to Highland Park.


NJ...


More NJ...


And I couldn't resist taking pictures of our first real snow!!! This is just outside our apartment the evening the storm hit.


And the morning after!


White cloud blanketed in whiteness.


Tyson throwing snow at me.


Snow in the forest.


Vultures feeding on something in the snow...deer maybe?


The river partly frozen.


Happy Holidays!


Lobstie making a snow angel...


Our Christmas swag, doubling as a wall-mounted tree.

In conclusion, we've had a lot of fun celebrating the holidays with my classmates (we recently had a progressive party that included three different hosts and locations), as well as friends in the area. But it is difficult being so far away from family and friends in California--the holidays just aren't the same without you guys back home. We will be coming back for a short visit in mid-January right before the spring semester begins for me. Tyson will be staying on in California for 6 months for his residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts, and I will be returning for a busy semester of school as well as teaching a painting class (water media) through the extension program at Mason Gross. So, a lot of interesting new paths for exploration for both Tyson and I!

Until the next time, wishing you and yours all the best for what the New Year holds,
XO