Nickel Art Gallery
Looking for something specific? Check out my pocket galleries below.
Cows - Frogs - Fandom - Paint Studies - Photography - Music & Bones
Otherwise, please enjoy this focused selection.
Click to expand images. This gallery is dedicated to the thought processes behind select pieces.
For requests or questions, please see the FAQ page.
6x6 lino cut block print
hand pressed ink on mulberry paper
The Midnight Croaking
This piece is inspired by courtship, because everyone needs a friend.
Summer evenings.
Moonlight.
A chorus of frogs in every damp corner.
The nights are dark but they’re hardly still. There are creatures that thrive in it, and others who use it to rest. And somewhere in between are highly evolved creatures with too much on their minds, with too much to do and too little time, and they stay awake in the dark, usually alone.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Frogs call to one another in the nighttime, courtship croaking that says “be with me, so I am not alone.” It’s a call that humans rarely make, preferring instead to solider on in isolation.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Sing little croaky songs, and find others with a matching tune, and maybe the night will seem a little less dark, and it will be rich with chorus.
6x6 lino cut block print
hand pressed ink on mulberry paper
Cozy Cardinals
Little birds in the snow,
like small flames melting winter;
A fire to everything cold.
They dot the landscape with feathers so red;
Cherry on vanilla, so sweet.
A high-pitched call,
descending note,
like a chant from high in the trees;
Gathering in number,
they pierce through
the gray and quiet.
Little red birds are defiant.
. . .
Initially I was going to color this, seeing as the red of the cardinal is its most iconic feature, but color ended up throwing off the composition because what was already a large shape now held even more presence by being the only color. So I opted to leave it white, letting the piece reflect the cold, striking lines of winter, and allowing the viewer to make their own judgements about the birds’ color.
6x6 lino cut block print
hand pressed ink on mulberry paper
Dreamy Reprieve
This piece is inspired by hardship, and the ways we cope.
Sometimes the best solution to a problem is to just let it be. Ignoring a problem is of course detrimental, but there are times when a solution either takes time to come up with, or simply cannot be implemented until a later time, or the solution is worked on day by day, but those days are still difficult. So what do we do during those times? It is important to rest, and dream.
Engaging with escapism isn’t always about procrastination. It can be a handy way to problem solve as well as give someone a much needed break. We all have dreams for the future world and our future selves, and when times get hard, it’s important to remember and focus on those dreams, and let them see us through our difficult days.
Even if we are dreaming of something that will never happen, even if we’re dreaming of fiction. Especially, even. Fiction is not reality, but it can influence reality, and it allows people to address their many issues within a safe environment. So there’s no shame in dreaming a pretty little dream on dark, dark days.
That’s how we get through hardship.
My journey through block printing has been arduous, but interesting. It’s limiting in some ways, and forces creativity, like how to create the illusion of light and depth with only two tones available. I could experiment with gradients and color blocks, but that’s a potential future endeavor. Right now I’m focusing on developing my shape language and experimenting with materials. I don’t know where this journey will take me, but I’m enjoying the scenery so far.
14x18 acrylic and ink painting on cold press paper
Available for purchase as a patch here
and as a sticker here
FACEMELTER
This piece is inspired by the sweet dissociation that comes from hearing your favorite tune. Just you, the music, and the feel-good that can’t be contained.
When the music’s so exquisite it breaks something inside you and it all comes spilling out in a multitude of hue and sensation. Your surroundings cease to be, as do your inhibitions, your sense of self, your sense of being so tied up before this song came along and loosened all your bonds.
It might only be a moment, a few precious seconds of just the right chords and rhythms shaken into a perfect cocktail between your ears and spilling south, but it’s such a good moment, unifying your bones across time and space to perfectly resonate with the instrumentation, and you know that when the artist recorded this piece, they were thinking of you, existing in this pure moment of recognition and expression. Your heart beats as one with the universe.
This song was meant for you.
It’s ephemeral, it’s fleeting, as are all things in life.
But there’s always the repeat button.
Read deeper into the creation of this piece on my blog!