(originally published august 19, 2022 via my Buy Me A Coffee page)

My days in Brooklyn came to an end this week, sadly. Saying Good Morning to the uncles and aunties sitting on their stoops as I pass on my commute, being surrounded by so many people who look like me and my family, the weekend block parties- it was tough to leave this burough behind. The landscape of Jersey City, at least the area I'm living in, is different in so many ways. I'll share more about it next week.

But I spent most of this last week savoring time and friendships in New York, visiting the Guggenheim Museum and coming across the life work of one of the artists who first drew me into Abstraction, Wassily Kandinsky. Many times he'd incorporate dancing, overlapping hard lines and organic shapes within his paintings. I think it was his way of marrying design and painting that really sparked my interest all those years ago (I got my degree in Graphic Design). It was a sweet experience to be taken back to my late Undergrad days and remembering the joy that ignited in me once I took my first Abstract painting class.

I recently journaled that sometimes making art is like pure poetry, and other times, probably more often than not, it's like that Micheal Scott quote. I almost want to call this one (lower left) finished, but I'm still sitting with it. And this piece (bottom right), has been driving me a bit mad, to be honest. Sometimes you have to ask yourself if saving your favorite "moments" of a painting is hindering you from seeing it, and moving forward, wholly, then you just gotta scrap it. The white space is gesso, and my attempts to do-over in part, and not full-just yet. Stay tuned.

& I shared a very short & sweet recap on TikTok this afternoon.

Thank you for riding the waves with me. Again, your thoughts and questions, etc are always welcome :) I'm grateful you're here.

-A