A show! A show!

My buddy, Marty Nelson, invited me to participate in this lovely show at the Franklin Arts Center.  It's the final exhibit he will be curating for FAC.  Thanks for all the support, Marty!  I wish you luck on your artistic journey and I hope some of you lovely readers can make it to the opening this Friday.

A Painting so Fresh it Hasn't Been Titled.

Too New to be Titled (next week?), 17 X 29, gouache on paper, 2013.

Oh, man.  Sorry for being such a terrible blogger, guys.  I feel like this show in South Dakota has taken over my life.  The good news?  Over the last two years:

1.  I have officially completed a body of work. 
2.  I have titled this body of work, Iowa Dirt. 
3.  I truly understand the concepts behind each gouache painting and have written a statement about my processes. 
4.  I have officially spent way too much goddamn money on framing and have a new life goal: learn how to frame.
5.  I have a closing reception date for my first solo show in well over two years.
6.  The gallery is covering half of my shipping costs.
7.  I've been published a couple times, I've gotten into a few juried exhibitions, and have participated in a handful of print exchanges/art swaps.
8.  I have worked with a friend to completely redo my website...Bruce, you are a golden god and I'm so thankful for all of your help.
9.  I have made some money selling art/t-shirts...not enough to come close to covering costs but I'm getting there (and I've saved all my receipts in case big brother is watching)

When I allow myself to breathe and focus on the big picture I can tell that I've accomplished a lot.  I basically just completed real life graduate school, only now I'm mature and existing outside of an academic bubble.  Sometimes I can get so emotionally buried in stress and I forget to step back and see how well I'm actually doing. 

I'm still making art.  I live in the middle of nowhere and I'm still connected with all of you.  So, thank you to anyone who is reading this.  I'm starting to balance all this grown up shit with who I am and that's pretty empowering.