The magic of names.

I've been thinking about titles this week. I have a penchant for longish titles that imply a haunting narrative.

Case in point, Diedrick Brackens, whose work I saw at the Made in LA show. Some of his...

the flame goes

heaven is a muddy riverbed

opening tombs beneath the heart (at left)

in the decadence of silence

Another case in point, Michelle Kingdom, whose poetic embroideries I saw at bG Gallery.

They had been two flowers which had opened then and there

The shadows parted and fell to their feet

A spell so exquisite

Preparing for flight (at left)

Love this. Thinking about it. xxx

In black and white.

I just found out that I'm going to have a piece in a show in Springfield Illinois. This show looks incredibly cool. It's all black and white work, and each work of art is paired with original writing, inspired by the artwork. Here's the piece I'll be showing: Seance, 9" x 12", ink and pastel on paper, 2018. I can't wait to see the written accompaniment.

Back from LA

An amazing trip to LA. So much packed into a few days. Chenhung Chen and Samuelle Richardson at the Torrance Art Museum. Made in LA at the Hammer. Patti Astor at Shockboxx. Fredrik Nilsen. Blum and Poe. Walter Maciel. The Marciano. Corey Helford. KP Projects. Launch. The Daily Show popup Trump Twitter Library. The LA Craft and Folk Art Museum. Linda Sue Price at TAG Gallery. Catherine Ruane at Coagula. Jane Szabo. Mike Collins. Robert Soffian. And of course my OG peeps, Scalls and Bun. Much love! xxx

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PS check out all these places. You won't be sorry!

Photos from Hawi.

The other day, I got to spend some time taking photos with the very talented and patient Anna Pacheco. I've been thinking about lighting and how important it is. For instance, here is the same piece with dramatic vs flat lighting:

My goal was to get decent photos of a piece that will be in the Art of Labor exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles starting in July. Here's some of what we got...loving this direction!

xx

Message in a bottle.

Hey all, I just added a shop! For now I'm selling one simple thing - small hanging pieces that I call Prayer Flags. Here are a few examples plus one piece that recently made its way to the lovely Aliza Bejarano.

Check out the shop

Messages from the Other Side. They say: Life is circular and cyclical. That your power is like a light in the dark. And sometimes the things that live in the dark will come to you. But it doesn't mean that you have to answer. And it doesn't make everything else that has been, false. It just means that there are things that live in the dark. It just means you have to be strong. . . . Find more cool messages by @joyrray . . #messages #artista #thoughts #ruminating #orjustintrospection #art #analysis #partoftheprocess

24 Likes, 2 Comments - Aliza Bejarano (@aliza_b_) on Instagram: "Messages from the Other Side. They say: Life is circular and cyclical. That your power is like a..."

What lies beneath.

This is a wild time here on the Big Island. Pele is changing the landscape daily. I drive past old lava flows (from the 1800s) and wonder what was there before, what lies beneath. A fresh blanket of gray rock covers tide pools and homes, animals and forests; I wonder if any trace continues to exist. We live our lives each day walking on a planet filled with boiling, churning magma, a force truly beyond human containment and strategies, and we only notice it when it surfaces. What other powerful forces accompany us, just out of reach of our consciousness?

LA on the mind.

I'm planning a trip to LA next week...here are just a few of the things I'm looking forward to checking out...

Torrance Art Museum - Studio System II

My brilliant and talented friends Chenhung Chen and Samuelle Richardson are participating in this residency. I can't wait to see what they're working on. Plus Chen owes me one of her fab staple drawings so I get to pick that up.

Craft & Folk Art Museum - Katherine Gray

Ever since a friend shared this link with me on Facebook I've been obsessed. I'm so glad I'll get to see this exhibit in person. I love the idea of lighting being an integral part of the piece and not just incidental to the space (part of what captivated me about Adrián Villar Rojas' show at the Geffen earlier this year...a show you were asked to inspect through your phone flashlight!)

Coagula Curatorial

I'm sad I'll miss Pure Not Proper (a four day show? what the what?) but excited there will be an opening while I'm there.

Marciano Art Foundation

The reality projector! Oh yeah. If only Cudra Clover was going with me this time.

Want to meet up? Let me know!