Noemi’s Notes: May 2024

1. On May 3rd, I had my first ever gallery opening, and it was so fun! I had such an incredible time talking to people and sharing about my work and process. It felt so vulnerable to put my soul out there for others to see, but so validating and motivating to hear from the guests that my work is appreciated and marketable. Thank you for being so supportive and sharing the excitement with me in this process, and especially thank you to those who were there on Friday and to those who stop in during the rest of the month. It means the world to me!

2. My recent style crush: symmetrical reflection, folk-art inspired florals. I made a small, round piece in this style for my art show and three people wanted to buy it, so I took the hint and went deeper into this type of work, which is sort of a modern take on the Pennsylvania dutch fraktur art of my heritage, combined with Hungarian folk art. I plan to make a collection of this type of piece.

3. I used to always use Strathmore or Canson watercolor papers, but because I was prepping for my exhibit, I decided to take the plunge and buy three 22 x 30-inch pieces of Arches cold-press watercolor paper. It was so worth the money! I haven’t used one at its full size yet; I’ve been tearing it down into smaller sections. I love the deckled edge and the way that the paint interacts with the roughness of the surface. I also tried yet another kind of watercolor canvas, and this one actually was almost like painting on watercolor paper, unlike the other one that I tried.

4. One of the pieces that I painted for the exhibit, “Peace, Always a Mile Away” was inspired by a month-long, cross-country road trip where I got to visit several national parks, some of which are represented in the painting: Arches, Rocky Mountain, and Yosemite. I also had a large, red geode sitting on my desk while I painted, which also was a large influence.

What this painting says to me is, we always think, “Oh, if I could just go there, I would find peace!” But I have come to believe that peace has to come from within, and we need to carve out little peaceful crannies for ourselves in this chaotic world. And that’s what I do for myself with my art and I hope that my work can do that for others in some way, too.

5. I heard about the sculptor Rose B. Simpson on the Great Women Artists podcast and had to check her out.

6. A guest at my art show compared elements of my style to that of Mary Blair, so I took a look at this wonderful, colorful coffee table book about her. It isn’t something you can really put your finger on, but it is noticeable when someone has a distinct style. It’s just something in the unique way that each of us moves a paint brush or pen, and how the colors we choose interact with each other. And I find it amazing that one’s style can stay mostly the same across mediums! Finding your style takes work, and work that only you can do: making art, away from influences like social media or “inspiration” from other artists. I knew I had found it when I could make art in different mediums and they all felt like me.

xo,

Noemi