Ironwood
“Find out who you are and do that on purpose.” – Dolly Parton
“Time: hold still awhile. I have so much more work to do. There are so many things I want to express. But time keeps ticking away, and the earth never for an instance ceases to turn.” - Yayoi Kusama
Last week was a cluster of big events both global and personal. My year with Zea Mays Printmaking wrapped up on Tuesday the 25th. I’m glad that I had that call before I learned Dolly Parton passed away. It was a good day for sadness.
This print was a last-minute ink on the plate experiment. One of my work tables faces the garden. The ironwood stood in the frame and my field of vision. The best thing about monotype is that the inks are malleable while they sit on the plate. You can try infinite strokes with different tools before committing to the print. It was so exciting to pull this off the press.
There was an exhibit of Paul McCartney’s photographs at the De Young Museum in March 2025. All of the photos were candid shots of The Beatles during their first US tour. Michael wanted to go to this. We discussed that he would need a wheelchair and oxygen to enjoy the exhibit safely. We had also discussed what a plan might be if he needed medical help while at the exhibit. He didn’t make it, but I did. When I walked out of the De Young that day, the sky was that crisp, cool California blue. Sutro Tower sat proudly against the backdrop of the sky. It felt like Michael waiting to tell me something.
I grabbed a picture with my phone. It was the first picture I shared with my mentor Joyce Silverstone back in September 2025. I knew that this image would be part of my larger project in discussing grief, but I wasn’t sure how. It’s the largest print I’ve made thus far and it took up my entire press. I laughed with absolute joy when I pulled this print.
There was a large Ruth Asawa retrospective in April 2025. Michael would have enjoyed this too. Some part of Ruth Asawa’s drawings dealt with expressions of ginkgos. They were important to Michael’s own art in the 90’s when he was struggling with HIV.
I struggled to create this particular work. There’s the drawing involved; the incising into the plate, and the questions that arose as I worked on this. I’m unsure if this piece has finally arrived, but it feels truer in this iteration.
My biggest challenge will be connecting these seemingly disparate works into a cohesive body. Dolly Parton also said, “My dreams are so big they scare other people.” When I dream big, it usually leads me somewhere. And, I am usually scared.
Monotype is so yummy in its play space. I really can draw anything in this medium – even something as complex as a dandelion. I recently read Corita Kent’s book Learning by Heart. I am following Rule #1 of her art class. I have found a place I trust and I will trust it for a while.
AND in that play time, I attempted Van Gogh’s chair. EXCEPT, it’s actually the naughty chair from my kindergarten classroom. I sat in that damn chair everyday and proudly. There will be more out of me on this soon.
There’s are very few rules in art, but there is one that I gravitate toward. You need three things: your head, your hands, and your heart. The head has the memories and ideas; the hands hold your craft; and your heart holds your authenticity and your vulnerability. This recent article from The Marginalian discusses the vocabulary of vulnerability. You will need plenty of that in your art. My favorite word from the list is the Indonesian word malu. A feeling I know too well.
One last thing...
This piece was juried into the Animals in Art exhibition at The Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine Library in Baton Rouge. She'll be on her way from Berkeley via UPS on Friday.
Take care and more out of me soon…
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