March Dispatch

Here you’ll find the first installment of a monthly dispatch of recent activities and inspirations.

It’s officially the end of March, Spring is in full swing, and I’m so ready for a change in season and location: most notably our move from Montana to Salt Lake City! Our little studio was home for four years, and we had collected a lot of ~stuff~ in that time. After finishing radiation in mid-March, I flew from California to Bozeman, then we drove to Utah, me in the car with Norah, and Taylor following close behind with all of our belongings in a U-Haul.

Moving took up a lot of mental and physical energy, so the small amount of art I made this month was very simple, escapist and inspired by springtime.

As a little moving gift, I ordered myself a pair of rollerskates! I had been wanting to learn since early quarantine, when skating videos took over my TikTok FYP, but living at the end of a dirt road in Montana didn’t seem like the most conducive learning environment. Now, I can just roll out the door if I want to practice; the park near our new apartment has a paved loop that is perfect for getting my wobbly little legs under me. Listening to music while skating in the spring sunshine has been a much needed break from unpacking.

Now, onto some favorite things from March. Here’s what I’ve been watching, reading, listening to, and some artists that are inspiring me!

Watched:

Gerhard Richter: Painting: This documentary was so soothing and interesting, with slow real time shots of Richter’s intuitive process interspersed with interviews, it was the perfect watch at the end of a long day of unpacking. We watched it on Kanopy, the public library’s streaming service.

I also finally watched Encanto & Turning Red, which were as visually stunning and emotionally compelling as Disney/Pixar gets.

I’ve also been loving Tiffany Weng‘s content on Youtube. Tiffany is a RISD student who chronicles her class projects, she often makes books and polymer clay objects, both things I love.

Read: 

I finally got my hands on a copy of Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work, and read the entire thing in an afternoon. Kleon’s approach is so refreshing, stating that you can’t be discovered if you can’t be found. I especially loved the section on being part of a creative community, or “Scenius”.  

Listened to:

Lisa Congdon‘s podcast got me through some boring packing sessions, and I feel like I’m hanging out with friends when I listen to Sounds like a Cult. Also included are some albums on repeat, the Oscar Peterson Trio always cheers me up, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is an angsty emotional masterpiece, and the lofi environmental sounds of Resavoir have been keeping me company while I paint.

Artists:

Monika Forsberg is a Swedish artist who has been inspiring me lately. You can probably see the textile-inspired shapes from my recent sketchbook above in this piece. Her work can be found at https://www.walkyland.com/ 

Ariel Lee is an artist and illustrator living in Southern California. Her gouache and Flashe landscapes feel so warm and home-y to me in a very Californian way. Her website is https://leeariel.com/

I’ve been really into the lineless textures of gouache lately, something both of these artists do so well.

Speaking of which, my art-making space in our new place is almost all set up, my paints are calling me, and I must go!

Thank you for reading as always, and happy April!

– Kristen