Hello everybody! :-) Welcome to another edition of my blog.
As you may have seen on my Instagram, I created a couple new pieces of public art out there. Let’s start with the newest, and talk a bit about it!
“Kansas City Grows Up” Streetcar stop mural
This piece was done for the 2025 Art in the Loop Project titled: Wonder! My piece is at the River Market West Streetcar stop, just north of Betty Rae’s ice cream.
It’s been since my solo show in 2019 that I’ve painted on glass, so this piece was challenging. But the kind of challenge that scratches new ideas and methods into your brain, and really forces it to think a few steps ahead of itself. The transparent quality of the glass allowed me to play with layers in a way I’d never done before.
The sun was hot, my partner MAK and I were sweating like pigs on day one, but we made a ton of progress. We also got to chat with lots of interesting folks and had a lot of hands on support from the Art in the Loop team, especially Neesha, Ann, and Donna! Thank y’all so much for the tent and water.
On day two, I was riding solo, and I though it best to beat the heat and show up at 6:30 AM. That decision paid off, and the mural was done by 2 PM.
I was hanging out with MAK and their family the other day and caught some kids playing with the mural’s face holes. Any child enjoying your art is a higher compliment to me than any good word from a fancy critic, because anyone who has worked with kids knows they do NOT mess with stuff they don’t like.
This mural will be up through the fall, so take some time and pay it a visit— and if you do, send me a pic with your face in the hole!!
Onward toooooo…
Manheim Gardens’ new front sign
It was two weeks before my Japan trip and every commitment seemed to hang over my head like a death sentence. I had to finish three freelance design jobs, one painting commission for a friend, and a 4’ by 8’ sign for Manheim before I left; naturally, I lost a night of sleep just thinking about all the work I had to do to get everything in order. “Why did I made every project’s deadline ‘Before Japan’?!?” I asked myself that night, over and over again. But as I’ve said before on this substack, deadlines have a funny way of getting my ass in gear. And in gear my ass did get.
For any’a’y’all who are artists thinking about venturing into large scale stuff, especially with text, use a projector. Don’t destroy yourself trying to hand draw fonts, just trace them. It’s allowed.
Both of these pieces were done in a breakneck pace that I don’t usually put myself through. Deadlines, self imposed or otherwise, loomed in both cases so I chose to work as fast as possible, which I’m thankful is something I can comfortably do at this point in my art career. A Japanese carpenter I follow online called @Sashiganeuncle posted something that eloquently and simply summed up that feeling:
The higher your skills, the better
Because you can lower your skills to match the job
But you can’t raise them instantly when it’s needed
We live in a time where you have to switch between both styles
That’s why we have to keep sharpening our skills every day
We can work fast too, you know
We just choose not to
I am very grateful to be given these opportunities to show my stuff, and even grateful for the time pressure to do projects quickly. The long marathon or quick sprint can feel equally good. The most important part is that you chose to do it.
Okay, thats all. Talk soon, love y’all!
I love them both and can't wait to lay eyes on them in person! I'm so impressed and not the least bit biased!
You're so talented and cool and you work so well and so hard and I'm so grateful you're my friend.