Now showing at Over Easy Cafe

Yep, that's right. from now until the end of November, some of my prints and drawings are on display at Over Easy Cafe in downtown Asheville. Go check it out!

Ripple effect

On the heels of an amazing Ladies of Letterpress Conference, my life quite expectedly moved into it's usual mode, Fast Forward. I'm teaching again on the beautiful campus of Warren Wilson College, starting with an introductory class on paper making followed by a class on book arts. I'm also back to setting up my new-ish studio. I can't quite call it new anymore, since I moved in a full 3 months ago, but needless to say I haven't put my full effort into settling in. There are just a few more things to move in (i.e., the flat file that still sits in the middle of my living room floor), but I promise it'll be all dressed up and ready for its Grand Opening / Studio Open House in November. (more on that later)

But back to right now, I'm giddy with seeing my artwork on display at CNN.com! I was contacted by them over the summer about creating a work of art to commemorate 9/11, as we are now approaching the 10th anniversary of this tragic event. They asked that I respond to the event with the theme "Ripple" in mind. I decided to make a drawing with an image that I used recently in another drawing, the banjo boy playing next to gravestones, and to show a flutter of papers coming down towards him from the east.

As my statement on the site says, "One of the images that really stuck with me from September 11 was the fluttering of papers that flew out from the twin towers. I imagined very personal histories on each of those sheets of paper, from financial statements to family wills, day planners or even a saved birthday card. As the country learned more about the people lost in this tragic event, I sensed the wind carrying these personal stories, and the grief, across the nation. I think we all felt the papery debris fluttering down on us, no matter how far we were from ground zero."

I hope that this image will bring back the bittersweetness of the event; a tragedy that broke us down but brought us back together again, stronger and more resilient than ever.

Digital prints of this drawing are now available in my shop, and $3 of every purchase will be donated to the National Military Family Association.

New work at Blue Spiral 1

I am so thrilled to be in an upcoming show at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Storyline. This show includes 6 other regional artists who all work in a narrative style, and also intertwine text with images. I'm impressed by their work, and feel incredibly honored to be in such good company. The show will be up July 1 through September 30, with an opening reception this Thursday, June 30 from 5-8pm.

Some of my new drawings that will be shown there include No More Snow, inspired by Iron and Wine's song 'Radio War,'

and Carrot Flowers, inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel's 'King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1.'