Category: Announcements

Adventures in Weaving and Saatchi Featured Artist

It’s official. I’m in love.
I’m in love with my new (to me) weaving loom. I put off buying a floor loom after starting to weave with a simpler kind of loom a few of years ago. Then after taking an experimental weaving and drawing workshop this summer at Penland School of Craft, I ended up going deep in the weaving rabbit hole, and took the plunge a couple weeks ago with this particular floor loom. This one is a four-shaft loom built like a tank because it’s made to be able to weave rugs on it.
I’m learning more complex weaving structures now, and while setup and troubleshooting patterns like this one are slow, in the process of fixing mistakes I’m learning a lot. Taking the time to do things right is worth it. The weaving is going smoothly and it is magical to see the pattern appear on fabric. As I do this, I’m getting ideas and I plan to use weaving techniques to make some large-scale installations combined with sound and video in some upcoming exhibits… Ultimately I hope to figure out a way to make work that pairs my paintings and textiles in a way that makes sense conceptually and visually.
This is A German Bird’s Eye I from Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern Book.
This is A German Bird’s Eye I from Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern Book.

I went all in with the weaving/fibers and took everything off one of my studio walls to build yarn storage. My father in law and partner built these shelves with me and I must say that seeing all these yarn colors neatly arranged brings me lots of satisfaction and gets my creative juices going!

 

 

And in other news, Saatchi Art is featuring my work in their New This Week selection of artists. You can see Of stones and earth and air with an interesting pairing of works here.

“Of Stones and Earth and Air,” 2019, oil on canvas, 60 x 72 inches

Art in Embassies

Earlier this week The U.S. Department of State sent an art shipper to my studio to pack up “Field and Forest with pink.” Through the Art in Embassies program, this painting is headed to the Kyrgyz Republic to live with the U.S. Ambassador there on their tour of duty.

Field And Forest With Pink, acrylic on wood, 18 x 24 inches

The U.S. Department of State has run Art in Embassies since 1963 to create cross-cultural dialogue and foster mutual understanding through the visual arts. I love the idea that one of my paintings is headed to a country I haven’t visited.

As part of the Art in Embassies program, the U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic selected my painting for the official residence in Bishkek.

Writer Scott Sexton wrote a great piece about it in today’s Winston Salem Journal and you can read it here.

Art Benefit for Gateway Nature Preserve

My family really enjoys watching the wildlife in our backyard right now – the squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks and birds of all kinds – busily and sometimes loudly living their lives. If you’re in Winston-Salem, NC this weekend, I invite you to an art exhibit fundraiser to benefit Gateway Nature Preserve. Here are the details:

Nature-Inspired Art Exhibit, May 19 – 21 at Culture Studio/Gallery
The exhibit kicks off at 7pm on Friday night with an opening reception at Culture Studio/Gallery located on the 9th floor of the Liberty Plaza building at 102 W. Third St. Check out Gateway Nature Preserve’s website for more info about the event, and scroll down to see the artworks I’m contributing to the exhibit.

Can’t make it this weekend, but still want some artwork that supports the environment? I donate a portion of my art sales each year to Yadkin Riverkeeper, so any purchase through my Shop benefits this nonprofit that helps keep our waterways clean.

New Paintings Arriving!

We finally got around to shooting my new work this weekend… which means these paintings will be available for purchase. Subscribers will get first dibs this week before the work goes live here on my shop, so if you don’t already get my emails, follow this LINK to sign up.

There is something odd or awkward about the images, and at the same time a sense of joy. By playing with shapes, color and composition, I’m searching for a way to elevate the ordinary.

Interview with Red House Podcast

A few weeks ago I had a chance to sit with Tyler Nail, the Winston-Salem song writer and music producer, on his Red House podcast. In our wide-ranging conversation we compare notes on making visual art and music, discuss why taking care of your health is a rebellious act as an artist, being purposeful in life and in your creative practice, making tough decisions as a parent and when to let go, the resurgence of tradition and technique in art and music and many other ideas on life and art. Thanks Tyler for the excellent conversation!

You can watch it on YouTube or listen to it on any of the platforms below. And give Tyler a listen if you haven’t already. You can find his music here. Enjoy!

Listen to the podcast here:

Apple Podcast

Spotify

Amazon Music

Don’t use one of the above platforms? Find all the others linked here.

 

Happy New Year and 2022 year in review

Happy New Year! 2023 is here and I’m off and running (literally and figuratively).

Good things happened in 2022. Thank you so much for your support during the last year. Thank you for reading my writing, following me on Facebook and Instagram, sending me kind messages, buying my work, and sharing my work with your friends and family… all of it helps keep me motivated and supports my artistic practice. Here are some of the things your support made possible in 2022:

I received a NC Arts Council Support Grant to study encaustic painting. I finally got to use this mysterious medium I’d wanted to try for years.

UNC School of the Arts offered me a visiting professor position for the 2022-2023 school year, and I’ve been having a blast teaching in the School of Film.

I exhibited at Charlotte Russell Contemporary Gallery in Raleigh, NC.

My work was featured on New South Finds.

My work was featured in Forsyth Woman.

I finally made the leap back into figuration that I’d been thinking about for so long, and am developing a new body of work combining people and abstraction.

And personally:

I had a chance to travel back to France to hike and spend time with my family there last summer – the first time since Covid.

I successfully ran my first trail marathon at Pilot Mountain, NC. (I’m now training for this year’s race coming in February.)

I took my son on his first backpacking trip in the Greyson Highlands and the Appalachian Trail. There may have been a few tears, but he is hooked and we’ve been back out there again.

Thank you for helping make all of this possible! 2023 is going to be a great year.

abstract landscape paintings on wall
Pilot Mountain 1 and 7, each 20×20 on wood panel

 

New South Finds Feature

Thank you to arts writer Linda Jerkins for featuring my work in this month’s issue of New South Finds, an online magazine that profiles Southern artists and their work.

You can read the profile and see the other artists in this month’s issue here.

Jessica Singerman painting in studio
Of Stones and Earth and Air, oil on canvas, 60 x 72 inches

Teaching at UNCSA

I am pleased to share that I’m now part of the School of Filmmaking faculty at UNC School of the Arts. I’m teaching in the Production Design and Animation departments and am excited to be training the next generation of filmmakers. This semester I teach how to communicate ideas, mood and stories through drawing, as well as color: how we perceive it, how it behaves and how to use it effectively. I am not exaggerating when I say that what I’m teaching is 100% my JAM.

In the studio, after a summer of drawing, I decided to be brave and do something I’ve been trying to do on and off for about 2 decades: integrate the human figure into an abstract painting. I sanded down the paintings I started in the spring (they didn’t feel right) and am working on a new group of works. I’m making six 30×40 inch pieces – a sort of proof of concept if you will. I’m still figuring out what they’re about, but it feels like the right direction for my work at the moment. I’m enjoying the process and am learning a lot. You can see a studio view below.

PS: The shop is open and works are available for purchase now or on a payment plan. You can see available pieces here. And you can always email me if you have any questions about my work, whether it’s an existing piece or a commission you’re thinking of.

Three current paintings in progress – Each one is oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches.

Last day to order paintings and an invitation!

This Sunday at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem, come see some artwork and listen to live jazz. I’ll be there along with a group of Artfolios artists, and all artwork there will be available for purchase. The center is at 101 W 5th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, and the event is from 2:00 – 5:00 PM. You can find all the details here.

The Spring Studio Refresh is still open if you haven’t had a chance to check out some of these artworks. These are pieces I’ve made to try out ideas, to hone my craft, to demonstrate technique to students and for fun. You’ll find that work here.

And lastly, I’m headed to France soon to visit family and friends and for some hiking in the Alps. I’m closing my shop while I’m away, so if you have your eye on something you’d like to get your hands on soon, now’s the time!

Last day to order a painting for delivery or pick up this month is Monday June 6th.

High up in its windy nest, oil and acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 inches
Field and forest with turquoise, acrylic on panel, 5 x 7 inches

 

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