Rabbit Hole

Things have been bubbling up from my past creative lives lately - I’ve found myself getting back into bookbinding and longing for art history lectures. I remember poring over course descriptions and reading lists before each semester. Perhaps I will bring this back by setting up a selection of TBD “coursework” and reading material every few months? Stay tuned...

I studied history of art at the University of Michigan (long ago) and miss the lectures in the spaces lit only by the glow of the projected images and late nights spent writing or reading about Gerhard Richter or Kara Walker. Originally planning to study history, I was drawn to the intersection of art creation and what was going on in the world. I discovered that art wasn't just decoration or expression—it was documentation, rebellion, celebration, and critique all at once. Every painting, sculpture, and print encoded not just the aesthetic choices but political tensions, social upheavals, and cultural shifts of the era. Revisiting those formative creative experiences feels both nostalgic and necessary. We’ll see where this leads me, but it’s been a fun rabbit hole to rediscover the quiet joy of making books again, digging through old art history textbooks, and watching random gallery and museum lectures.

I stumbled upon this TEDx talk by Brian D. Seymour that describes how the “useless” study of art history helps shape careful and critical thinkers.

In other news, “Autumn” in Florida has begun, which just means the unbearable hot days are mellowing. It is by no means cool, but the mornings are perfect and breezy, and I find myself lingering as long as I can.

Things In-Progress:

• New sketchbook journals made from recycled misprints. They include a mix of paper types as well as some printed pages, which I love as a starting point for sketching. Sometimes, sitting down to a blank page is daunting.

• Some weird new zines

• And of course, a few new linocuts that I’m hoping to have available online in a week or so (once the ink is set).