I have loved ghost and monster stories since I was a kid. I even enjoy certain horror genres in film–but not all. I am not a fan of slasher horror and folk horror scares the bejesus out of me but there are certain gothic, supernatural and monster movies that I really love because they reveal something about how we humans think–what we fear–and ultimately encourage us to be better. Certain psychological horror genres can convey social commentary about racism, sexism, classicism and climate change. Good gothic literature can address social injustices or unrecognized and unresolved social traumas. Ghost and monster stories have always felt like a deliciously subversive vehicle for addressing the ills of society to me. So, as our country gets weirder and scarier and some people might be drawn to shiny, happy stories to make them feel better, I have been throwing myself into the dark and weird stories. I am not a Pollyanna Sunshine kind of woman looking for the bright side. Never have been. In fact, I find feel good movies and lit to be–well, horrific! Ha!

I am not organized enough nor do I care enough to sit down and make a comprehensive list of books and films for you today. This blog post is not that. I do plan to write about some of my favorite books and movies and music here on this new blog though –and a lot of them are dark, spooky and melancholy so I thought I’d give you a little heads up and explain where I am coming from. This fascination with these spooky genres influence the work I make in the studio so it’s all connected. Along with pop culture poster movie references and clumsy book reviews and son shares, I will also share my work and give you a little back story to help you understand my work, and maybe me, a little better. I am looking forward to reframing my work in that way here in my new online space. I think it might help me understand myself and my work a little better.

I am a storyteller and sometimes I don’t think I do a good job telling my stories in the context of my visual art because the art community asks different kinds of questions and puts artists in different kinds of boxes than they do film and literature and music so I haven’t really had the opportunity to to share my work or talk about my work in this way–and I want to correct that–or fill that gap. I also think I am trying to figure out which direction my work should go next and I am hoping this sort of exploration will help me sort things out and grow a little. I am feeling kind of stuck right now. I am hoping this space will help me become unstuck.

I have decided to stop discussing these things and sharing process photos of my work on social media–for a lot of reasons political and personal. The big one for me is probably that I feel those spaces are marketplaces now and not really the place for this sort of thing. I am not trying to sell you anything here. I am just sharing my thoughts and processes and inviting conversation. I guess if I have a show I want to advertise or some art I want to sell, I will still post on social media to invite people’s money into my pocket but this space cannot be that. This space is for me to ask questions and share ideas and sometimes grumble. This is an online extension of my studio. I am viewing it as a sort of visual journal, complete with links now and then. Tag along, if you want, and watch out for the cobwebs and ignore the screams and slamming doors.