Title of painting: Love Knows, 2018
Acrylic, acrylic gouache, pastel, newspaper, canvas thread + barbed wire on raw cotton canvas
Approximately: 18in x 40in

Inspired by the poem -Kingdom Waits- by Alex Lane

Advent: Week 2

This is the 2nd of 4 works within the Advent collaboration between poet, Alex Lane + me. We were commission by a community in Raleigh, NC, to create companion pieces for them to add to their journey through the season of Advent.

The Creative Process:

Alex weaves together words informed by the Advent story.
I then sit with her words— soak them in + create a piece inspired by her poem, the Advent narratives of the community + my own.
The final painting is at home with the Southeast Raleigh Table for the community to engage upclose; along with this video Alex has created utilizing photographs I took of my creative process for each piece.

It is a privilege to be able to share this piece of art with you.

It is a pleasure to share the 1st of 4 artistic collaboration works for Advent 2018; created by poet, Alex Lane + myself for the SouthEast Raleigh Table in North Carolina.


On Sunday at 3pm for the next 3 weeks, a new video of a poem + my abstract painting response to Alex's poem will debut on my LAR Art Studio Instagram.

The paintings are on unprimed unstretched canvas; raw, flexible + unbound. Each one is an intuitive emotive visual reflection upon the poem by Alex, the narratives of the community for Advent, + my own story.

The next painting, “Creation Waits,” will debut this Sunday.

Week 4 was all about putting in the hours to complete the painting I had been commissioned to paint for The American Church in Paris.  Most of my week was received working in the studio alone, exploring the wilderness within, as I hand stitched fragments from 3 paintings I created during my time here.

However, I was intentional about having hours I experienced outside of the studio to connect with people in the community, listen to live music at local cafes + buy fresh flowers. I also got to share a few good meals with new + old friends, dream + imagine. I made my way to the Picasso Museum to engage the work of Pablo Picasso. And, I was even interviewed on the ACP radio show about my work/time in Paris. 
 
I'd love to promise myself that when I get home my days will mirror the rhythms of my days the past couple of weeks, but I'm not sure how the pace + work life balance I've embraced here will get to follow me back to Houston. 
What I do know is something happened to me here-- both as an artist + a human. 

I have one more week of my artistic sojourn in Europe, and will be making my way to Basel, Switzerland to explore a country I've never been to, see the exhibits of Sam Gilliam + Theaster Gates at Kuntsmuseum Basel, as well as get some rest + reflect before I board a plane at the end of the week bound for home.

I look forward to the photos I will create there, but for now here are some of the highlights from my time in Paris last week. 

Week 3 was all about practicing presence, vulnerability + finally feeling a bit less like a "tourist." 

I found myself on the metro more + navigating my way around without my Google Maps. 
I had early studio mornings, diving fully into the creative process of birthing this new work, so that I could truly be present to evening walks, time around the table, enjoying the gift that is jazz + picnics along the Seine River with friends + so many others.  

Paris makes me want to be a better artist in the studio, yes-- but more than that, I'm finding myself longing to create a healthier work/life rhythm when I get back to Houston. In a sense, Paris makes me want to be a better artist of my days as well. 

Here are just a few of the moments of encountering beauty I allowed myself to savor this week.