PLAYA at Summer Lake Artist Residency
With Laurie Jo Brain and fellow residents Mark Adams, Eleanor K Ray, and Alan Contreras
From October 28th-November 8th, I was an artist in residence at PLAYA Summer Lake, Oregon. I was fascinated by how the wild weather coming in over Winter Ridge would cause rainbows and dust devils out on the playa below magnificent cloud formations. I could never tell how the weather would turn and I got caught out in 50 mph winds and rain during a couple painting adventures. On our last days, the rain became snow and sleet, blanketing the mountain peaks above.
My studio at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon
Jentel Artist Residency, Wyoming
From September 15 – October 13th I was an artist in residence at Jentel, Wyoming. Captivated by the wild weather and hills of sage, I spent as much time as possible hiking and painting them from life.
Into the 1000, 2021, graphite, conte, chalk, acrylic on toned paper
With dear fellow residents Frank Sheehan, Karen Marston, Amy Robson, and David Naimon in front of the Bighorn Mountains.
I’m/Migrant at Kean University, NJ
Sept 7-Oct 28, 2021
Opening Reception:
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 6-8pm
James Howe Gallery
Kean University
1000 Morris Avenue
Union, NJ 07083
Artists: Dasha Shishkin, Kate Bae, Colleen Blackard, Sharmistha Ray, Emil Silberman, Samantha Box
Kean University is pleased to present I’m/Migrant, an exhibition highlighting the work of six artists alluding to nomadic experiences, fleeting permanence, migration and immigration. Reflection on the fluid state of being and change comes along through the experience of different environments, with the work of each artist walking the tenuous line between struggle and beauty of adaptation. Each artist questions the meaning of belonging in their own way, through haunting imagery, language, or materials themselves. Masked behind a striking image is the contemplative statement of the migrant experience, which involves finding one’s way amidst new realms. Coping, and other processing mechanisms, such as humor, repetition, and escape are at work, while their visibility highlights their experiences with various boundaries of communication and understanding.
