To Be Continued, Fall 2025
“What do a few colorful tiny books, playing cards, and motherhood have in common?” If the collection of work in this series reads a little like a riddle, I hope that this artist statement serves as an answer.
The first half of this year was quietly busy- a lot of it was spent working, mostly behind the scenes, on projects that will launch later this year or early next year. In June, my family and I closed on a new home, which means we will be moving soon, and since I work from home, it also means that we will be moving studios! Exciting, yes, but also terrifying for someone like me, who avoids change as much as I can! With that transition on the horizon, I found myself thinking carefully about how I wanted to spend my limited summer studio time.
To backtrack a bit- a little over three years ago, I shared with Catherine, my studio manager, that one of my goals was to spend more time in my studio, creating original artwork. We sat down together, and planned out designated “studio time” in my schedule. Just like any other change, this change made me so nervous at first- I had gone from creating wedding work and portraiture to creating work for brands, and now, I was supposed to make art just for the sake of making art? Again, exciting, but also a little terrifying.
Over time, I realized that “studio time” meant giving myself permission to experiment, to play with new media and techniques, to research, and to learn. The original artwork featured in each collection we launch is the product of that studio time. Three years ago, we launched what I consider my first original artwork collection- “PLAY”- and that launch remains one of my favorite things I’ve gotten to experience in this job. Since then, we’ve released more than ten additional collections of original pieces.
But with each collection, ideas inevitably get left behind- half-finished sketches, notes, and ideas that I didn’t have time to fully explore. Which brings me to earlier this summer, when I realized I had filled three entire sketchbooks with unused ideas. So I took this summer as an opportunity to reflect on the past couple of years in this studio while continuing to experiment with different media and techniques.
The whimsical repurposing of playing cards and vintage books, alongside the Delft-tile-inspired illustrations of everyday moments, feel like significant markers not only of where I am as an artist right now, but also of where I’m heading next (hence “To Be Continued!”)
Thank you, as always, for being here- whether you’re new here or you’ve been following along since 2014, I am beyond grateful that you’re along for the ride! To be continued (because, the best is truly yet to come!).
