droopy fences and chainlinked lace

The artist life is funny. Two months ago while being interviewed for a magazine article, I apologized for having zero shows on the horizon for them to promote. I told my friend (the interviewer) that I was just making the artwork, and anything on top of that was a bonus.

This week I've had two openings, both with new work that has never been shown before. Both are group shows that I'm excited to be involved in. 

A month ago, I made a commitment to another artist friend to always be in my studio Friday mornings. We call each other in the morning before starting. It's been a huge gift to have the accountability and the reminder that this is worth spending time on. 

I'm churning out linoprints from drawings I made in Belfast. I'm not a printmaker so I don't feel tied to traditional forms of printing and displaying. I love the strong, graphic quality of the black line. I'm experimenting with abstracting lace doilies. The connection between lace patterns, some of which look more like maps or droopy chainlink fences, and the repetition of the barriers, are working for me. I might need a chiropractor eventually from the labor but its worth it.