Rough Sketch

If I hear or think the word ‘commoditization’ when it comes to art, I get a bit uncomfortable. Yet which Renaissance artist was the first to do exactly that? Albrecht Dürer, 1471-1528. He was the Andy Warhol of his times and I just came up from a deep dive into Dürer’s practices as well as his skills at making the most of his images.

It’s a matter of my gratitude, personal and heartfelt. Generosity shown to me should be returned in some way that feels resonant.  

One thing I love and have an abundance of is gorgeous, hand-thrown pottery. My life story can be told in pottery.

It’s not that any of us are born with innate drawing skills (well maybe Picasso, for one) but, as with all skills, it takes work, repetitive work. 

We are in a struggle over the story we tell about America and as an artist, I want to tell a story that is adding to the arc of justice in even the smallest way.  

When I left New Mexico, I sold my press to a young artist with a master’s degree from NMSU who practically did cartwheels when I offered to sell it to him. It was a joyful moment for both of us.

And here I am, 2 years later, with a great studio in an old carriage house that offers sufficient room for a press and my great longing for another grasp at the gold ring.