7/2020
MEAE's Crossing Borders Exhibit at BWI Art Gallery
In June of 2019, I was informed my submission for to the Maryland Art Education Association's Crossing Borders Exhibit, at BWI Airport Art Gallery was accepted. Eleven artists in total, and I was incredibly honored. Maryland First Lady, Yumi Hogan - a strong advocate for the arts, spoke at the reception. In all honesty, I was truly humbled by the experience.
The origin of my painting actually has a funny background story that I think went unnoticed by most.
The origin of my painting actually has a funny background story that I think went unnoticed by most.
Viemäri = sewage, 2019, 24”x30”, oil on canvas.
I was in Espoo, Finland, in June 2018 for an international art education conference. I utilized the free bike amenity at my hotel and rode for miles through nature trails and bike-friendly roads. It was a beautiful sunny day, mid-70’s, and the days were long; the sun never really set during this time of the year, only hovering at the horizon from 2-3:00 AM. I shot a lot of photos that day, including two different angles of this particular spot on the road. Part of the appeal to this photo was the sign in the background, Viemäri, which I assumed was the name of a Finnish town. In my mind, it captured the essence of the day, a place far away, foreign, and truly lovely. Some months later, back in Baltimore, I created two paintings, reminiscing of that trip during the entire painting process. When completed, it seemed only natural to title the paintings after the sign, Viemäri. I decided to research the word to verify the town or area where I was biking that day. It turns out the name translates as “sewage” or “drainage”! My moment of Zen happens to be a Sewage Plant facility
I was in Espoo, Finland, in June 2018 for an international art education conference. I utilized the free bike amenity at my hotel and rode for miles through nature trails and bike-friendly roads. It was a beautiful sunny day, mid-70’s, and the days were long; the sun never really set during this time of the year, only hovering at the horizon from 2-3:00 AM. I shot a lot of photos that day, including two different angles of this particular spot on the road. Part of the appeal to this photo was the sign in the background, Viemäri, which I assumed was the name of a Finnish town. In my mind, it captured the essence of the day, a place far away, foreign, and truly lovely. Some months later, back in Baltimore, I created two paintings, reminiscing of that trip during the entire painting process. When completed, it seemed only natural to title the paintings after the sign, Viemäri. I decided to research the word to verify the town or area where I was biking that day. It turns out the name translates as “sewage” or “drainage”! My moment of Zen happens to be a Sewage Plant facility