Kimberly, Lately.

A friend asked me how I was doing yesterday and the first word that came to mind was "transitioning". And while my friend's question actually necessitates an adjective for an answer, I think the verb-based verbiage is more adequate. I feel confident that I am in the right place, doing the right things for myself, moving forward, but the new direction my life has taken post-graduation is still very unfamiliar and somewhat unnerving. At any given moment, life still feels unfamiliar, new, a bit stressful and fairly exciting.

I have started the process of redoing my home-space. I have wanted to do a complete spacial and material overhaul in my home for a very long time now, but hardly had the capacity, time or resources to undertake such a project while still in school. Now's the time. Even so, it has taken me a couple months to settle in to my job and realize that I truly can do what I want with my time off. No overbearing research, deadlines or projects looming overhead like a dark cloud! As such, I have truly started to tackle the clutter-style organizational method that has been my modus operandi since I moved out of my parent's home six years ago. First and foremost on the chopping block is the art crap that has taken over my living room like a couch-surfing friend who has taken advantage of my good hospitality and settled in for good. Paint cans, half-finished canvases, paper, paper, paper, mattes, all manner of cutty-stabbys! My living room looks more Jackson Pollock than Ethan Allan and I am over it. I always rationalized the disorganization with the artist's lifestyle, but I'm calling bullshit on my own. I'm ready for a couch to make-out on and crave a clean space complete with floor rug and ottomans. Ideally, I'd have my own studio space to let the stuff run amuck, but for now, closets and ruthless discernment will have to do.

That said, I cannot truly begin the process of overhauling until I finish the two paintings that were promised nearly a year-and-a-half ago to my cousin and his fiance. Chalk this up to learning the hard way that free commissions are a raw deal. Lots of obligation with very little fulfillment. Granted, I have reached a point where of certain gratitude for the project because I have learned a great deal about the process of creating large works and the realistic output I can expect of time, energy and resources.

Yesterday, I had the rare opportunity to work on the images all day, non-stop, with the fever. I only left the house to water my plants on the porch. The expanse of time and relaxation allowed me to get past the mental-black I've had for nearly six months with the color and composition of the images. There's still a great deal of work to be done in the details; more collaging, tracery, etc. But for the most part, the colors are set. The two books that I was ripping from for material text and imagery in the bodies of the women are perfectly warped and fucked up after being left on my porch for a few months in the weather (not necessarily a result of my awesome artistic foresight, but more my laziness). The above photos are images of the progress, the books I'm using (Toni Morrison's Jazz and an old, illustrated copy of Gray's Anatomy).

The drawing is an unfinished piece from my illustration class last semester. That's next on the queue.

And then, this.