Today is just a something day.

Image: Yellow Leaf

Today I went to the Ann Arbor, Matthaei Botanical Gardens to pick up artwork that was in a show there. I took the time to visit the gardens to find some inspiration and take reference photographs.

I bought some Gwen Frostic prints of insects in the gift shop. I will share in my stories tomorrow, as I know my fellow bug enthusiasts will enjoy.

Now, I am just painting moons in my studio.

Why the moon? Because the moon is something that we all share. No matter where you are in the world, we all live under the same moon. Ever beautiful, like a jewel in the sky, uniting us.

I started painting simple references to moons with my insects, to give the paintings movement and imply environment. In my mind, the insects are all striving to reach one place, the source of light. Striving for the light is something I think a lot about, when painting. To me, all of my insects are either moving towards or away from this light. You decide.

Last year I made a collection of solitary moons, and I can’t seem to stop painting them! Like I said yesterday, it is one of the things I need in my studio at all times. The moon is part of my story, and it is part of yours too.

Fu…dge. Here I am, on my second day, already at a loss for words. So, I will just tell you about my day, which consisted of mostly filling out applications for summer art fairs. Boring, tedious, and nerve wracking because, well, now we wait. No matter what stage you are at as an artist, it is a life filled with highs and lows. And the rejections fricking sting.

I also started a few small paintings of moons. I realized today that I sold every moon I made in 2018. (oops. there is still one!) It is important for me to always have a painting of a moon, a luna moth, a morpho butterfly, and a portrait of my grandmother in my studio at all time. I don’t know why, it just is.

Thank you for all your comments and words of encouragement on Instagram yesterday. It really means a lot!

So, here we go. This is daunting, because writing is not my forte. You might have guessed, I am more into communicating visually than verbally. But, if I only learned one thing from last years #the100dayproject, it would be, if you want to get better at something, do it for 100 days.

This is more of a personal goal. There isn’t a project planned at the end or anything. I just want to get better at writing. Specifically, writing about my process, and work, and life. Something every artist should do, because it is important to know what goes on behind the paint. This is also one of my biggest fears, because I have serious issues, and anxiety about sharing about myself! I am always the quietest one in the room, and this is absolutely terrifying for me. I have decided to face my fear, anyway! Day 1 of, #my100daysofwritingsomething