In the Studio
May 2026 Edition
As an artist who has historically relied on color as an active participant in my paintings, I’m especially surprised by my recent move to a more monochromatic palette, such as the two pieces below, now showing at The Schack Art Center in Everett, WA, as part of their Juried Exhibition: Present Tense.
While this new palette matched my intent to “…find lightness in the dark,” it also felt very foreign to me, decades apart from my first life drawing class with only charcoal and newsprint at my disposal.
“Colour threatens - or promises - to undo all the hard-won achievements of culture. It threatens - or promises - chaos and irregularity. Colour threatens disorder - but also promises liberty.”
David Batchelor. Chromophobia. Reaktion Books Ltd, 2000, p. 65.
I’m intrigued by the book Chromophobia, which I’m currently reading as a part of my studio practice. I was first introduced to passages from this book last summer, which honestly befuddled me. It took me until now to finally dig into it and try to understand its assertions on historical and modern fears and love of color (Chromophobia and Chromophilia). It’s certainly interesting thus far and full of supporting context from artists and art critics to authors, poets, and filmmakers, too. There’s plenty of history to pore over, but I’ll let you know next month if it reveals any hidden personal motives underpinning my new art. Until then, I’ll just keep creating! And reading!
In pondering the seemingly opposing palettes of my recent versus earlier work, though, I also struck upon a happy accident by digitally combining the two - hence, the creation of “A Mountain Stream” (pictured above). I’m looking forward to playing with more combinations as time allows.
As for the rest of my month…
May in Photos
Art from the “one staple” collage challenge shared on CollageO
The latest “Unforgotten” larger work-in-progress
Detail of the little bird skeleton hidden within
Daily walks often lead me to the neighborhood pond where I can watch the progression of two families of geese.
My favorite latest image capture of a downed tree - hoping to make it a last-minute addition to my “Book of Inspirations” somewhere.
I finished knitting a new “wedding wrap” by designer Chantal Miyagishima just in time for my son’s wedding in Colorado!
Drove 2 pieces to Everett, WA, for hanging with the Present Tense show at the Schack Art Center.
Finally finished this Poppy painted collage, “Remembrance.”
Found a lovely little foxglove on a forest walk.
And that’s it for now - the last monthly studio update until August, when I’ll share what my studio practice for six weeks in Chicago looks like!
Until then, thank you for joining me here and for all your support in my new graduate school adventures!
~ Jennifer
An Artist’s Notes in 2026
When I started this little writing experiment in 2020, I never imagined I’d still be here six years later. While it’s been fairly irregular and unstructured most of this time (despite various attempts to corral my notes into something more directed), I’m starting this year with a few parameters to focus my efforts.
What can you expect going forward?
Look for monthly studio updates (e.g. today’s note) as a means to share the art I’m making and the scope of what an art career may look like. This will just be a little walk-through of photos I’ve captured as I go about my artist life.
Regular “Devotions” as a means to find moments of peace and creativity throughout the year (currently showing up as photographic journal notes such as “A Walk in the Woods”, but may take other forms over the course of the year.)
Occasional Excerpts from writing and poetry projects to keep myself accountable (aka on schedule) as well as share this other creative novice side of myself. (Some excerpts will be short quotes from my current writing projects, and some may be longer and include a portion of my writing - such as the original poem in “Time Waits for No One”)
Periodic Reflections on life as an artist. These posts often take the most energy for me to produce and evolve over time before finally being published. They are also where I want to learn and grow the most, seeking out more opportunities to articulate my practice in a meaningful way, to look critically at the plethora of media thrown at us, and to sort through how that shapes a creative process. With that in mind, they will show up when they are ready, I’m able, and hopefully be more in-depth and meaningful to my readers over time.
My hope is that a little structure will enable me to continue posting with the honesty and openness I’m trying to offer, while keeping me from posting paralysis (when my writing insecurities take hold and I leave a string of unpublished posts unread).
I also hope that providing a better idea of what I’m offering in this space will make a subscription more worthwhile and reliable for anyone considering such. I have a lot of unknowns in my future, but wherever tomorrow takes me, I hope to keep writing and sharing my experiences as an artist with you.
Beautiful art! Colors frequently make my heart leap, so I guess I’m a chromophile.
It is really interesting to switch palettes so dramatically, and I wouldn't be surprised if this phase of your practice leads you back to color with new insights and inspiration. ✨ Hope you have an amazing time in Chicago!