The last piece I worked on in February (above, in progress) feels like an appropriate backdrop for a busy traveling month with its blue motorcar theme. Vroom!
From Colorado to Chicago, IL - I’ve been making the rounds to see family and attend events while keeping art-making at the forefront of my practice. It made for a fast yet fulfilling month of studio experiments mixed with cat cuddles and coffee… lots and lots of coffee!
Gelatin plate studio printing session with lace
Peaches the cat reminds me to clean my studio
Reverse glass commission piece in progress
Lace forest materials test
Carving into “Unforgotten I, After” to finish the piece
Sticker sighting - in the wild!
Catching up on my reading with a cup of coffee at Curt’s Cafe in Evanston, IL (the scone was delicious and the featured art even better!)
Receiving a little love from Thunder the cat
A beautiful view of Mt Hood on my return flight
But the best part of my month was attending an installation event at the Boulder Public Library in Colorado, presented by an amazing group of musician-artists (one of whom I feel very lucky to know personally!)
Feb. 7 – April 3, 2026 | Main Library, Canyon Gallery
Featuring interactive instruments built from recycled materials, graphic/text scores, artistic infographics about local issues, this project from composer-performer-artists Abby Kellems, Jessie Lausé, and Gavin Kitchen enlivens recycling education through music making.
The event featured handmade instruments and art in the library’s main gallery, and a special performance and talk on recycled materials in the library’s auditorium. The performance included music composed and performed by the artists on instruments literally made from scrap materials. Their ingenuity was impressive - almost as much as their incredible ability to create unique soundscapes as well as beautiful, haunting, and enduring compositions. The crowdpleaser, “Junk Mail”, composed by Abby Kellems, was a delight for all, performed by Renova New Music - a choral group dedicated to performing music by contemporary composers.
The installation is a great reminder of how artists can engage with community in such meaningful and memorable ways - and how important it is that we support this type of work. Creativity is for everyone, and seeing scrap turned into music was inspirational for people of all ages and a testament to the power of collaboration.
I only hope I can take their energy and determination with me for inspiration into the rest of the year!
I think I’ll need more coffee!
~ Jennifer
When I started this little writing experiment in 2020, I never imagined I’d still be here six years later. While it’s been fairly irregular and unstructured most of this time (despite various attempts to corral my notes into something more directed), I’m starting this year with a few parameters to focus my efforts.
What can you expect going forward?
Look for monthly studio updates (e.g. today’s note) as a means to share the art I’m making and the scope of what an art career may look like. This will just be a little walk-through of photos I’ve captured as I go about my artist life.
Regular “Devotions” as a means to find moments of peace and creativity throughout the year (currently showing up as photographic journal notes such as “A Walk in the Woods”, but may take other forms over the course of the year.)
Occasional Excerpts from writing and poetry projects to keep myself accountable (aka on schedule) as well as share this other creative novice side of myself. (Some excerpts will be short quotes from my current writing projects, and some may be longer and include a portion of my writing - such as the original poem in “Time Waits for No One”)
Periodic Reflections on life as an artist. These posts often take the most energy for me to produce and evolve over time before finally being published. They are also where I want to learn and grow the most, seeking out more opportunities to articulate my practice in a meaningful way, to look critically at the plethora of media thrown at us, and to sort through how that shapes a creative process. With that in mind, they will show up when they are ready, I’m able, and hopefully be more in-depth and meaningful to my readers over time.
My hope is that a little structure will enable me to continue posting with the honesty and openness I’m trying to offer, while keeping me from posting paralysis (when my writing insecurities take hold and I leave a string of unpublished posts unread).
I also hope that providing a better idea of what I’m offering in this space will make a subscription more worthwhile and reliable for anyone considering such. I have a lot of unknowns in my future (I’m looking at you, Grad School applications), but wherever tomorrow takes me, I hope to keep writing and sharing my experiences as an artist with you - as well as the occasional bonus art offered to my paying subscribers. (Sign-up as a paying subscriber by March 1 to receive the next offer).
And no matter where you find/follow me, I’m now also offering a newsletter via mail (announced in my latest CollageO post).
Inspired by literary friends and, in particular, an analog newsletter approach3 - I hope you will consider signing up to receive (free to US enrollees via US Mail) a quarterly newsletter/zine launching this year. For now, I expect to send four mailed updates in 2026. I may include a mini collage or two along the way (or maybe just a few collage tidbits to add to your collection)…
(Side note: I also offer paid versions of this effort in my Studio Store as Collage, Postcard, Sticker, and Notecard Clubs. If you are a member there, you don’t need to sign up here. I will include my analog newsletter within these subscriptions.)
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.