ACROSS THE POND! Happy to report I have a small & cheery selection of works on display at the new COS flagship store at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, London. The space looks divine and if you’re lucky enough to be enjoying London now through mid-November, please pop in for me to say hello to them. Thank you to my Uprise Art team for making this happen. Cheers!
The only thing I love as much as making artwork, is collecting and spinning vinyl records as my alter ego Mira Mira. I am super lucky to be thriving in both arenas over the last 3 years and I most of the time I am able to make ends meet. I've set up a Patreon page to help my DJ collection grow and to compensate the hours of loving labor I put into my DJ career. I am eager to try out this platform for creatives to directly reach and monetize their contributions.
HOW IT WORKS
Each patron signs up at whatever price point meets their budget (can be as little as $1 a month!) and in return will unlock special all vinyl mixtapes with complete song lists they can download for keeps. I created one this weekend with vinyl collected from my recent visit to Mexico City and it's the perfect summer mix for your road trip cross country or your trip to the pool.
Thank you for your support!
Happy to announce that this summer I will have new work on view at the LINE Hotel's Austin location!
Taking inspirtation from the beautifual and tranquil landmark of Austin's Town Lake, I contributed more than 100 original pieces to their guest rooms in 2017 and for this summer I return with a handful of new works to exhibit in their new East Lobby Gallery until the end of August.
I rarely get the pleasure of showing work in my hometown, so it's a real treat to get the chance to showcase works fresh out of the studio onto the walls of such a luxurious venue. If you live in Austin (or are planning a visit) pop into their spot to catch a delicious coffee at Alfred or a cocktail on their rooftop bar P6, really all their amenties are A++.
Working with the hotel has been a dream and I am 100% behind their efforts to make their swanky spot the go-to hang out for Austinites and foreign travelers alike. Their emphasis on placekeeping and amplifying local talent is a refreshing stance for an out-of-town hotel chain and I really appreciate it as a native to the city.
If you are curious to hear more about my work with the LINE, take a listen to an interview I did with Full Service Radio, the hotel's community podcast network and internet radio station broadcasting live from a standalone radio studio located inside the lobby of the LINE DC. Their station features over 30 hosts and shows with dynamic programming that spans across art and culture, food and drink, and music and they have a special selection of other Austin conversations linked to their station's home page. Thanks!
“Vibrant, saturated colors enliven the space around them, so much so that they can even influence us on a physiological level. This is the energy aesthetic. Research shows that people working in brighter, more colorful offices are more alert, confident, and friendly than those in drab spaces. As the German painter Johannes Itten wrote, ‘Color is life; for a world without it appears to us as dead.’”
Ingrid Fetell Lee, quoted above, is the author of Joyful and has traveled around the globe studying how environments affect happiness. In her book, she identifies 10 Aesthetics of Joy and how making small changes can bring joy to everyday routines. Lee curated a special collection at Uprise Art according to the 10 aesthetics of joy from her new book and my work Slow Dazzle was selected to reflect ENERGY. Fitting, yes?
To see all of Lee's picks visit Uprise's site here.
Creating a set and setting a mood sonically isn’t unlike making a visual composition for me. Found images = found sounds. As Mira Mira—my DJ persona—I get to make sound collages and be the public performer I always wanted to be. Keep on eye on my DJ MIXES page to listen to all my vinyl mixes made especially for your enjoyment.
Major props to la mera mera Laurel Barickman aka RECSPEC for my most awesome logo.
“Movement through five major mediums in a sunshined filled shiplap gallery space, “Mujeres del Sur / Women of The South”, is a group exhibition that encompasses fifteen contemporary Latina artists living and working in Southern Texas, well curated by Theresa Escobedo. Before one even delves into the various works within the space, one can already sense the balance between their honored heritage and their current home just by the title. This exhibition isn’t simply a collection of women artists. It isn’t just a visual interlude of Latin culture either. ”
Honored to be amongst such incredible talent and to have the support of curator Theresa Escobedo at The Union HTX. Even remotely, I have felt the love of the 14 other artists and hope our paths all cross soon, because no doubt we have SO MUCH to talk about as we navigate this art world. It's been a busy fall, but I am hoping to make it to Houston to check out the show in all its glory before it closes on November 24. Thank you Meghan Hendley Lopez of the The Houston Review for your critical eye!
NOW ON SHELVES! A BIG IMPORTANT ART BOOK (NOW WITH WOMEN): Profiles of Unstoppable Female Artists--and Projects to Help You Become One by the formidable Danielle Krysa aka The Jealous Curator is ALIVE!
I feel like I’ve known Danielle now forever and she was one of my very first internet champions, sharing my work and kind words on her blog years ago. Now the second book we've worked on together, this beautiful book energizes and empowers women, both artists and amateurs alike, by providing them with projects and galvanizing stories to ignite their creative fires. Each chapter leads with an assignment that taps into the inner artist, pushing the reader to make exciting new work and blaze her own artistic trail. Interviews, images, and stories from contemporary women artists at the top of their game provide added inspiration, and historical spotlights on art “herstory” tie in the work of pioneering women from the past.
Congrats to Danielle and the other 44 artists found inside this awesome compendium of talent. Find your copy at Running Press, Amazon or at any fine purveyor of print near you!
The fifth volume of Women Artists is hot off the presses and ready to get into your hot little hands. A long time in the making, it was a pleasure to work with the ultra talented photographer Valerie Chiang and the fine women behind the publication. Grab your’s today by visiting their website and while you’re at it, snag one of their MEN HAVE MADE A LOT OF BAD ART tees, because you know it’s not not true, ha.
Women Artists, is an annual(ish) publication profiling women working in the contemporary arts. This issue features Alison Baitz, Sister Wendy (Wendy Beckett), Tanya Brodsky, Valerie Chiang, Sharleen Chidiac, Angella D’Avignon, DIRT Collective, Dayna Evans, Ana Leovy, Caroline Tompkins and Xochi Solis.
Edited by Tricia Gilbride and Caroline Knowles. Designed by Naomi Elliott.
Tabloid sized (11.5”x15")
48 pages, full-color newsprint
Excited to see that The LINE Hotel Austin has opened to positive reviews this June 2018 and more than just honored to have my work in their collection amongst some of my most fave Austin artists like Elizabeth Chiles, Jeffrey Dell, Manik Raj Nakra and Jules Buck Jones. Cheers to everyone involved on the project - looking at you especially Natalie Davis - and hope to clink glasses with you someday soon!
As a note, the project with The LINE was a HUGE step into affording life as an artist full time. While perhaps my website has been accumulating a few cobwebs, it's only because I have been WORKING HARD to keep a million little projects rolling. Hope to check in here more often with news and sources of inspiration in the coming months, but until then, carry on with your summer and you can always catch the latest on my IG feed :)
“Who belongs to which side and to what extent does crossing geographical and sociopolitical boundaries allow for a new or renewed sense of identity? The hyper-visibility of Mexican-American, Chicano, and Latino artists in general in this country has come about in the past year precisely due to these questions. And while visibility is an important tool for the diversification of artistic spaces, a danger resides in providing platforms of expression that further question belonging, as opposed to historically contextualizing and thereby making problematic the very roots of such an interrogation. Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place succeeds by doing both, and more. Aside from being an exhibition of some terrific contemporary Mexican-American and / or Chicano artists, Mi Tierra forms an important art-historical exhibition that has much to show us about modes of belonging and the creative practices that might allow us to belong elsewhere and otherwise.”
All the FEELS! Thanks to ASAP/Journal and Emmanuel Ortega for the thoughtful review of Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place. Can’t believe our exhibition is up for only a few more days. Denver, don’t sleep, you’ve only got till OCT 22!
I love that my studio practice now includes more reading and ruminating than ever before. This week I'm working on curriculum for a series of workshops I'll be teaching with the Art Students League of Denver. That's right, I'll be back in Denver this June for a lecture and a Saturday of workshops aimed at building participant's agency and appreciation for the medium of collage and the weight of image appropriation in relation to culture, identity, memory and place. If interested in learning more, visit the Art Students League website for registration information. LET'S GET INTO IT!
Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place in this week's Art Forum Critic's Picks! Thanks to Chelsea Weathers for her thoughtful insight on the work on view including a sweet nod to my installation, We were not always fallen from the mountain.
As one of 13 artists who created installations at the Denver Art Museum for Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place, I recorded a short video with them during my installation of WE WERE NOT ALWAYS FALLEN FROM THE MOUNTAIN. Even though it was only a few months ago it is a sweet reminder of all the things that were going through my head as I was taking on the challenge of creating a giant new work. Take a peek!
Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place is on view at the Denver Art Museum through October 22, 2017.
As part of my time with #bossbabesATX this April, I recently had the best cpnversation with their board member, Leslie Lozano, to talk about my practice and imagined purpose the last several months as I continue to navigate the world as a self-employed artist. It has been a challenge, but knowing that I have the support of an incredible community of creative women entrepreneurs has been invaluable. I treasure conversations like the one here and I hope other young artists feel encouraged to take a chance on themselves, too.
2017, wow! We've made it this far and as this first month of 2017 has provided so much necessary frenetic energy, I'm sliding into this week with a little focused meditation. As my soundtrack, I'm thrilled to announce a recent collaboration with UK-based dark ambient band, Slomo. Their fourth album ‘Transits’ features a small painting of mine for it's cover and the deliciously slow celestial tracks are perfect for moving with intention and grace.
‘Transits’ finds the duo of Holy McGrail and Howard Marsden further psychedelicising their core guitar/synth drone sound with loops, bit-crushers and ring modulators to deliver three shimmering pieces for frozen night skies.
The music is psychedelic, instrumental and abstract and I'm honored to have worked with the musicians to bring a face to their new sound. Follow the link above to experience Slomo's music and float away.
OVER THE MOON to announce my participation in an upcoming exhibition at the Denver Art Museum! I'll be spending the next 6 months preparing for a MASSIVE installation and I am so thankful to the wonderful curators at the DAM for all their creative input and their support, thus far. This is going to be a game changer, as I prepare to create the largest scale installations I've ever constructed. Keep it here and on my Instagram feed, as I document my travels collecting materials and inspiration for the work and document my journey in better understanding my place as an artist in Texas and Mexico.
Check out the curator's statement below and explore the websites of the 12 other artists that will on view with me:
Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place will feature site-specific installations by 13 Latino artists that express experiences of contemporary life in the American West. Energizing and vibrant artwork will be presented by Carmen Argote (Los Angeles), Jaime Carrejo (Denver), Gabriel Dawe (Dallas), Claudio Dicochea (San Antonio), Daniela Edburg (San Miguel de Allende), Justin Favela (Las Vegas), Ana Teresa Fernández (San Francisco), Ramiro Gomez (West Hollywood), John Jota Leaños (San Francisco), Dmitri Obergfell (Denver), Ruben Ochoa (Los Angeles), Daisy Quezada (Santa Fe), and Xochi Solis (Austin).
These artists examine diverse narratives of migration and the complex layering of cultures throughout the Western United States through ideas related to labor, nostalgia, memory, visibility, and displacement. Installations will incorporate mixed-media, performance-based video art, digital animation, fiber constructions, painting, sculpture, and ceramics.
To foster creativity and provide insight into the artistic process, the on-site development of the installations will be visible to the public beginning in December 2016, with scheduled opportunities for visitors to engage with artists. The exhibition will open February 19, 2017, and will be on view through October 22 of that year.
IMAGE: Dmitri Obergfell, Statues Also Die (Mauricio), 2015 (detail). Plaster and graphite; dimensions variable. Image courtesy of Gildar Gallery and Casa Maauad. © Dmitri Obergfell
WOWEE! When I got the sweet email from Meghan Murphy, Editor-in-Chief of Paper Darts Magazine, to be featured on their beautiful blog, I couldn't resist! Paper Darts is a literary + art magazine and publisher that is volunteer run by 8 fierce advocates for uncommon work by new voices, paired with custom illustration. After getting lost in the webpages of their dynamically designed website, I have quickly become a HUGE fan and love the feature they produced. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself by following the link above and while you're there do yourself a solid and take in the rest of their inspiring content! Thank, PD team for including me!
Every year creatives, musicians, tech jockeys, and general all around weirdos descend on my home town of Austin, TX for a little thing called SXSW. This year I strategically scheduled an artist residency (more on that later) during this jam-packed week, but boy was I so happy to have the venerable Leigh Patterson reach out about an opportunity to interview in a special Austin focused edition of UO Studio Visit for Urban Outfitters. Recent clients and collaborations for Patterson include: synonym journal, sight unseen, alldayeveryday, remodelista and her interview questions were thoughtful, considerate and really gave me pause for self reflection.
To take a peek at just the most luminous photos of my studio taken by Austin-based photographer Katie Jameson, plus learn a little more about what I've been inspired by and what projects lay ahead follow the link here. Thank you, Leigh + Katie!
I've been one of the lucky to have a super special ally in artist and writer, Danielle Krysa AKA The Jealous Curator.
The Jealous Curator launched in February 2009, as a place for Krysa to show artwork that made her green with envy. Over seven years later, that “jealousy” has turned magically, wonderfully, and thankfully into inspiration. Inspiration for herself as an artist but also inspiration to so many others who read her blog and share her unabashed enthusiasm for artwork and art practices that produce awe and wonder.
Great fortune came in 2012 when Danielle first blogged about me and since then we have worked on a book project, a Land of Nod print and most recently many years later, we finally spoke on the phone and heard each other's chipper voice. The result is Episode 39 of The Jealous Curator's podcast ART for YOUR EAR. Take a listen and get to know a little more about me and my practice through a winding conversation about paper, music and err..margaritas. ALSO, there are tons more episodes from fabulous artists all around the world and Danielle publishes a new one each and every Saturday. Sounds like you have yourself a new audio obsession?
Really feeling this video on SFMOMA's website where Ellsworth Kelly recalls his first encounter with abstraction and reflects on how his decades-long fascination with line, form, and color has manifested in both his paintings and his creative process. I have always thought of my own meditation on shape and color summed up in the same words in which Kelly describes his fascination with the mysteriousness of color and shape. Take a watch!