The Summer Series, Summer/Fall 2023
the summer series
This has been such a fun one. I couldn’t be more excited to share this work, and the inspiration behind it! I put together a little “scrapbook” (above) to highlight a few pieces from the collection, and to share more about the moments that inspired them. I also put together a playlist that I listened to every day while working on this collection- full disclosure, it’s not the best playlist ever, but there are some fun throwbacks on there in case you are also a fan of 90s/early 00s music. The collection will be available to shop here Wednesday, September 20th, at 10AM ET. THANK YOU, as always, for following along- I am so very grateful.
Artist Statement
Storytelling has always been my favorite component of art-making. As a lifelong art lover, I am always drawn to work that tells a story, and have gravitated toward that type of work with my own art practice, especially over these past few years.
While I was home over Easter break, my mom gave me a box full of my old journals (I kept one from age 11 through 18) and other sentimental items- burned CD, my lifeguard whistle, birthday cards and letters from friends and family members- things that show me what was important to me as a teenager (or, at the very least, important enough for me to keep.)
Looking through that box and reading past journal entries left me with a sense of nostalgia and feelings of warmth and empathy for my former selves, and it’s from those feelings that “A Summer Series” was born.
The Summer Series is a collection of small mixed media pieces of artwork meant to represent different memories from each of the summers of my lifetime. I think of these pieces as snapshots- the moments they capture aren’t necessarily the most important (although some are!), but rather fleeting memories that tell a story not only of thirty-four summers but also a story of growing up- a story that I hope will resonate with many of you.
For this series, I was inspired by the same techniques and processes I have loved since I started making artwork. I embroidered most of the pieces with the same colorful embroidery floss I used to make bracelets as a child, and then later as a summer camp counselor. Many of the pieces feature some sort of beading, inspired by the beaded animal keychains my brother and I were obsessed with making one summer. I have loved making miniatures since I was a little girl, and even unearthed my 1990s copy of “Tiny Treasures” for inspiration for a few pieces. This is my most colorful collection yet- the color palette for each piece is inspired by my own childhood artwork, and the artwork my students made during my years of teaching.
I have a tendency to retreat into nostalgia when I am faced with some of the everyday annoyances of adulthood- a broken dishwasher, paying property tax bills, etc.- but working on this series has brought me a surprising amount of comfort with the realization that these are not the moments I will look back at and remember. I remember my past with rose-colored glasses and, perhaps, that is precisely the point- that it is a gift to look back at my ordinary life (so far) as a culmination of joyful and extraordinary moments.
I think that for awhile, I has this idea that in order for me to be a serious artist, I needed to have some profound meaning behind each piece of artwork I created. Growing up has given me the hindsight to see that I am most inspired by everyday life and experiences, and that sharing those through my art can be profound in its own right- highlighting experiences that are universal, but unique because they are my own. I hope that you see glimpses of yourselves and your own stories while looking through this collection- thank you so very much for letting me share it with you!