About: Studio Work

2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021

The First 5 Years

2016

November: My first “studio” was a table I set up in a FROG (Finished Room Above Garage), at a rented house in Raleigh, NC.

December: Starting out I aspired to create murals and paint canvases but first I started with graphite and marker on paper then acrylic paint on canvas sheets to create concept art for a future mural.

2017

January – July: Transitioned to small – 11" x 14”, 10" x 10”, and 12" x 12” – canvases & canvas boards because that is what was used in the workshops I attended. (“windmill”, “Sweet Red”, “A Splash of Color”, “Lake Johnson, plein air”, “13 Cane”, “The Brighter Side, versions 1 and 2”, “Lies”, “Coming up Daisies”, “Confetti”, “Hidden Message”, “Encaustic”, “Colorful Reflections”).

July – September: Continued painting a 24” x 30” canvas – I started but didn’t finish it during a Luminous Painting workshop in April, and then brought it to an Intuitive Painting Workshop in July to paint over. After the Intuitive Painting workshop, I brought it and a 24” x 24” canvas back to my studio to finish. I set the 24”x 24” canvas aside and first worked on the 24” x 30” (“Epiphany”).

September – October: Even while working on “Epiphany”, I continued working on more smaller canvases. I completed a set of five 12” x 12” timed abstract paintings (“Becoming Unravelled”, “Quick Decision”, “Lawn Party”, “Abstract Geometry”, “Neon Light”) then I turned my attention to the 24” x 24” canvas from the Intuitive Painting workshop (“The Voices in my Head”), painted a 16” x 20’ mixed-media piece (“Altered Perceptions”), and did some face painting in my studio for Halloween events after taking some body painting workshops.

November – December: My studio time was spent exploring other mediums and ways of making art on new materials while I took a 7-week eClass “Creative Revolution” by Flora Bowley. (“untitled” works).

December: Began my 3rd and 4th 24” x 24” Intuitive Paintings after taking another 2-day workshop at DAG.

2018

January: Finished the 3rd Intuitive Painting (“Tranquil-a-Sea”) January 11th, just in time to drop off at VAE as a donation for their February Charity Gala & Art Auction. Then I worked on my biggest painting yet, a 36” x 72” painting to serve as the background for the Triangle Artworks SMASH event (January 31st). As a volunteer for the Triangle Emerging Art Leaders (TEAL) planning committee, I worked the TEAL station at the SMASH event where attendees of the event were invited to infuse the canvas with their intentions or whatever they were inspired to add at that moment.

February – May: My focus was outside the studio. I kept busy with art activities, events, meetups, networking, volunteering, and the like. I also painted my first public mural.

May - June: Returned to my studio work in with my 4th Intuitive Painting “Go with the Flow”, some ink wash studies after first trying the medium at an art meetup in Zebulon, and the abstract background for my 5th (“Artemis”) and 6thIntuitive Painting.

July: Continued body painting workshops and began my first oil painting (“self-portrait”) in Zebulon. In my own studio, I began working on the first painting in a new series: “Figuratively Speaking” inspired by years of life drawing sessions using charcoal on newsprint or other paper. My first painting in that series, a 30” x 40” palette knife painting titled “RAW energy”, was created specifically for my first RAW showcase where I was a featured Indie artist. Then I completed a couple of studies and a small 10” x 10” painting “Cooling Down” in the same series. Next, I painted a 30” x 40” abstract “Wave of Inspiration” for the same showcase.

August – October: Began a series of set of 30 miniatures for the Figuratively Speaking series. Midway through that month I had to start packing up the studio for a move to my new residence in Pittsboro. It had an unfinished room upstairs that was meant to be my future art studio. In the interim, I set up in a spare room down the hall and began working on something new – a costume for a model I would paint for the Fantasy Showcase at SPARKcon. I worked on the costume elements and the miniature paintings through October.

October: Worked on design concepts for the body painting and costume for SPARKcon, and a sidewalk mural I would be painting in downtown Raleigh November 2018 and interviewed my first subject for a new series (working title “Voices”) inspired by my 3rd Intuitive Painting (“The Voices in my Head”).

November: Was filled with non-studio work - I painted my mural (Flo’) on Salisbury Street in Raleigh, NC, had my art in 3 exhibits, applied to a few calls for art and a fellowship, added more to my website.

December: Started painting wearables with Angelus acrylic leather paints. My first commission was a jean jacket.

2019

January - April: Returned to my 5th intuitive painting (“Artemis”) along with the underpainting for the 6th, did more work on the business side, started a word map for the 1st painting in my series “Soul Searching” (Formerly “Voices”), and had my first live painting gig on location.

May: Had a few more live painting gigs on location, finished (“Soul Searching: JLW”), and worked on the 5th(“Artemis”) and 6th (“Friends of All Kinds: Feather, Fur, Fang, Fin, and Flower”) intuitive paintings.

June: Began deconstructing and adding to the Warrior Goddess costume I made for STRUT: A Runway Exhibit of Extreme Ornament that took place June 22, 2019. I finished “Artemis” June 21st.

July - September: Continued working on the 6th (“Friends of All Kinds: Feather, Fur, Fang, Fin, and Flower”) Intuitive painting and began the underpainting for the 7th, created my first sticker from my original paintings (“Epiphany”).

October: Worked on daily assignments for a 30-day online class via Monthly with TenHun. The end result of that class was an acrylic painting on wood panel “Turning Adventure into Adversity” and preliminary sketches for a future mural.

November: Painted one wall in my studio white to use as a backdrop for photographing my finished art pieces to enter into exhibits, calls for art, post on my website, and someday make prints from. Created a digital replica of my painting “Artemis” for a die-cut sticker. Started painting another version of my original wood panel painting from the Monthly online class with TenHun. Then created 3 digital replicas of my art “Artemis” & “Turning Adventure into Adversity” for stickers (“Thalo”, “Wyld”, and “Adventure”).

December: Created more digital reproductions from my art (“untitled: Intuitive Painting #6” & “Queen ~b” a sketch I made during the TenHun class) for stickers (“Googley Eyes” & Queen ~b”)

2020

January: Finished the 2nd wood panel painting (“Turning Adversity into Adventure. Version 1 - Wyld. Free. Adventure”). I also started the mark making phase of more intuitive paintings, painted a background for a 30” x 40” canvas, and a homemade super hero costume for SMASH.

February: Started working on concept art to paint a 3-dimensional object – a tushy stool – for a silent auction at the Colonoscopy Gala at CAM Raleigh on the 28th. Worked on a few more digital reproductions of my art (Flo’, “Unnamed – Intuitive Paintings #6 & #7) for stickers.

March: Painted the second painting in the “Soul Searching” series (“Soul Searching: TLG”).

April: Was dedicated to online learning with SkillShare.

May - July: Had my art put on face masks to be sold via Zazzle. Began a new project to broaden my skillset and use up supplies I had on hand, an old supply of cheap craft paints from my studio closet and rocks from my garden. I called them “Quarantine Creations” because I was creating them to pass the time during quarantine.

July - August: I began studies on canvas using acrylic markers to prepare for a mural on stairway risers to resemble faux tiles. I digitized the tiles and arranged them to reference prior to painting, then painted the stairwell leading up to my studio. I also painted the walls in the stairwell and upstairs hall to match the new “faux tile” mural and prepare for a new mural.

September: Started out with a return to personal development via SkillShare, YouTube, and Audible. I created a digital reproduction of my mural from Imurj “Ladies Night” for a new die-cut sticker. Then I created digital concept art for a new mural (“Queen ~b & Smokey Fox”), sketched the wall, and began painting the background.

October: I finished the background and painted in the first character “Smokey Fox” for the “Queen ~ & Smokey Fox” mural in the hall outside my studio, began another mural on location in Benson, painted a tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

November: Finished the mural in Benson, was commissioned to paint a graduation cap, did a couple small personal projects (a zentangle card for TenHun and a plein air sketch of Videri in Raleigh). Started the base layer for the “Queen ~b” character on my studio hall mural.

December: Finished the “Queen ~b & Smokey Fox” mural. Did some window paintings. Conceptualized a new future mural for an entryway door. Hung a personal exhibit in the hallway outside my studio for future open studio events.

2021

January: Started conceptualizing a new mural for a bathroom ceiling, painted cloud studies for that mural. Then began uploading my art and photography to fineartamerica so patrons of my art could make prints of my original paintings and fine art photography.