Studio Journal | 7.4.26

Recent shows, plein air adventures, tiny paintings, and a renewed push toward a more intentional art practice.

It’s been a minute since my last Studio Journal, so I thought I would pop in and share a few little updates from the past couple of weeks. If you follow along with my Substack feed, some of this might be familiar, but I still felt like it was worth gathering here. Plus, there are a few new things sprinkled in to keep it interesting.

It’s a long one, so let’s get into it!

Group Exhibition

Last Friday was the opening reception for my group art exhibition at Gallery 29 in my hometown of St. Marys, Pennsylvania. This is the second group show I’ve participated in there, and it was wonderful yet again.

(That’s me on the left.)

There was a great turnout for the opening, and I was honored to be showing alongside so many incredibly talented artists. As an added bonus, I had 16 pieces in the show and sold half of them. That’s a win!

Anything that didn’t sell will be added to my shop, along with a few other new pieces, in the coming weeks.

Plein Air Adventures

Like much of the rest of the country, it’s been pretty hot here the past week or so. I’m admittedly not a fan of the heat, so I didn’t get outside as much as I would have liked. However, I did get out with some fellow painters once, and then I met up with my plein air group on Saturday.

The first painting was at a local park near my house. It was of a tree with a pond in the background. I have some issues with this one, but it’s certainly not the worst thing I’ve done. Ha. Since it’s so close to home, I would like to go back and try it again.

My favorite part, which is a little hard to see, is the cluster of small marks in the top right. They’re tiny indications of the playground equipment, and I really like how they turned out. I wouldn’t mind doing a painting of just that small section. Maybe I will!

Most recently, my plein air group went to Frick Park and painted near one of the entrances. I like this one better. I think I still need to figure out some of the values and colors, but overall, it felt like a good attempt.

Best in Show

And speaking of plein air, a couple weekends ago I participated in a plein air paint out in Wheeling, West Virginia. I submitted one piece into the show and competition. It was inspired by the sunlight hitting an area known as The Plaza in downtown Wheeling.

They held the opening reception last night, and I’m still having a hard time believing this, but my painting won Best in Show! I’m feeling incredibly humbled, grateful, and a little proud too. What a wonderful surprise.

More Minis

I started working on more of my mini paintings this past week. I’m building a series to release in November, and I’m hoping to have over 100 of them. The theme is Birds, Boats, and Blooms. The paintings are either 2.5 x 3.5 inches or 3 x 3 inches, and they are so much fun to paint.

I think I have more bloom paintings than anything else at this point. The birds and boats take a little more time and concentration because there isn’t quite as much flexibility to be loose, free, and make things up. Things need to be in the right place, or at least close enough to feel believable. So naturally, I find myself painting more flowers. I need to make a little more effort to catch up on the birds and boats.

I also recored a little timelapse painting one. I thought you might enjoy watching that.

A New Sketchbook

I have never been good at keeping up with a sketchbook practice, and it is maddening. Ha. I have about 8 to 10 sketchbooks that I’ve started and maybe one that I’ve actually finished, and it’s a hot mess inside.

I would really love to be more intentional about showing up in my sketchbooks more frequently. I think I get too much in my head about it, which I do about most things, so this is not exactly a big surprise.

All that being said, I bought another new sketchbook. Because apparently I needed one like I needed a hole in the head. (Anyone else? Ha!)

This was a sketchbook recommended by James O'Boyle here on Substack. I really like his work, and it’s giving me some inspiration for a more achievable sketchbook practice. Maybe this will be the magic sketchbook.

Following Up

In the coming weeks, I’m hoping to be a bit more intentional about showing up for my art practice, especially in the little ways. I talked about this recently in another post, and while I have been taking baby steps, I think I’m ready for a few leaps too.

Also, a quick related follow-up. I started using an app called Jomo to help cut back on phone time, and so far, it’s actually working. I’m still learning my way around it, but I like that I can set limits, block certain apps during specific hours, and make it a little harder to mindlessly open things out of habit. My phone has similar settings built in, but they were way too easy to ignore. This feels a bit more intentional.

I’m hoping it will open up a little more time and attention for art. That’s the goal, at least.

That’s a Wrap

And I think that’s all I have for you in this Studio Journal. I really enjoy writing and sharing these, and I hope you enjoy them too.

If you made it this far, first, congrats. Second, if you have any questions, ideas, or things you’d like me to write more about, I’d love to know. Maybe there’s something you see me doing that you’d like me to explain or explore a little more. I’m sometimes very good at overlooking the obvious, so any feedback or ideas are always helpful.

Thanks in advance!