I am thrilled, relieved, grateful, inspired, and overjoyed--this year has been exceedingly full and exciting in so many ways and it looks like this year is primed to unfold in kind.
I have not updated this baby in awhile because I've been blissfully nestled in a seemingly endless array of deadlines, from holiday gift typewriter-drawing commissions, to web illustrations and too many
crochet projects--fortunately for my blog, my wrists are now protesting my use of them, forcing me to take a hiatus from drawing.
 |
| I keep getting asked to draw beautiful women--yes, please! Will release full image after Christmas presents are received... |
So in the meantime I'll torture myself with these images of projects I can't wait to finish or begin:
 |
| I would totally date a grid. |
Here's a snap of some freshly scored Rives BFK that I can't wait to dig into. This is intended for my upcoming show at Café Lulu in my hometown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in April 2016. I've got a huge space to fill and plan to make twelve to fifteen 30 x 44" drawings for this show--at this point mainly using permanent marker and other usual suspects of drawing materials. |
 |
| A recovering chromaphobe's in-progress self portrait. |
I cannot believe I am finally basking in the magic that is working in color! The idea of creating a four-color CMYK typewriter-drawing was floating around in my head for awhile, but the problem stopping me was locating a yellow ribbon. Thanks to
Ace Typewriter I have blue, purple, and standard black and red, but it appears that yellow may not exist--if anyone has leads, let me know! Luckily, my brilliant friend Jessica Poor suggested using Saral yellow transfer paper:
 |
| Photocopy of separated yellow layer on top of yellow transfer pape fastened to quality paper allowing the typewriter to transfer marks indirectly. |
 |
That pretty blue ribbon--it looks ultramarine but types a stunning cerulean. Tiny view before the cyan layer is added to the completed magenta (well, red) and yellow layer.
|
This is why I refer to myself as a closet-printmaker. All of my drawings are attempts to make drawings that look or act like prints. Is typewriter drawing just a masochist's monotype?
* * *
In more leisurely news, I've had the immense pleasure of discovering the
Portland Correspondence Coop held every third Tuesday at the
IPRC--it's a wonderful community of awesome creative people who meet and make mail art, often involving some kind of mail art exchange with a monthly theme, jovial conversation and a rotating cast of typewriters brought in to test-drive by expert/enthusiast
Ethan Jewett of
PDX Typewriters. Its free, open to the public and highly recommended--stay tuned via
instagram, too!
The PDXCC has reminded me about how great mail art and old fashioned correspondence is in general--I mean, I use a manual typewriter to draw, I should be using it the right way, too.
In my early twenties, I had a solid penpal situation with my dear pal
Emily--of which the peak of correspondence took place when we lived on the same street (and still used USPS!)--as well as romantically bombarding potential suitors and my friend
Michael, who I met in Milwaukee but was instrumental in and an unforgettable help when I moved to Portland.
 |
| Klaus Nomi Elvis stamp |
 |
| Drawing frivolous things--a forgotten pleasure |
 |
| Reverse side of a wedding gift waiting to be sent. Color! |
Anyway, I'm really excited to have begun a mail-art back-and-forth with
Brendan Larsen, one of my favorite drawers I've found on
Instagram. Also, I look forward to rekindling the practice of sending unexpected appreciative mail to loved ones as well as some good old typewritten-letter correspondence with
Colin Smith and future fun drawing collabo with the talented
Quinn Amacher. Anyone else?
* * *
Lastly, I'm excited to announce that my typewriter-drawing,
Carissa, is featured in the winter issue of
PictureSentence and that the creators of the publication, Robert and Margaret Tomlinson, have invited me to share some of my work in a drawing show Robert is curating at the Western College of Oregon in February 2016.
Also in February, I look forward to a joint exhibition with the incredibly talented Stephanie Yoo* at
Darling Press! Brooklyn transplants, she and her loverman
Hunter have been super supportive in
sharing my work with others and attending my shows (and letting me draw them!). I wouldn't have met them if it wasn't for my amazing cousin and prolific musician
Lorna--who now also, along with her wonderful partner
Keith, share this beautiful city with us. I'm so spoiled.
That said, I want to express my gratitude for the unending ways my pals and colleagues have offered their undeniable emotional, logistical, creative, brilliant, kind-hearted, and continuous support. Thanks so much for attending my many shows and events this year, and I can't wait to share the details of 2016's already mounting list of shows! Looking forward to the future! XO
*CORRECTION: The show at Darling Press will be a solo show after all, but Stephanie Yoo and I will have a joint show sometime later this year.
