In November I crossed the threshold of reading my 400th book of the year and enjoyed many insightful reads.
Maira Kalman has long been a favorite artist and her book Still Life with Remorse is an unflinching appraisal of family with delightful illustrations. The juxtaposition between text and image is suburb. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara has been out for almost a decade and continues to pull in new readers because the story is that raw and nuanced. It exquisitely investigates the nature of relationship and belonging. (Check all content warnings before reading!) James by Percival Everett is narrative of "Jim" from Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It is a concise re-telling with precise prose. Books by Naomi Klein like The Shock Doctrine, are required reading for anyone seeking to understand the foundations of contemporary culture (another one to check content warnings on). The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer illustrates just how much "all flourishing is mutual." The Twittering Machine by Richard Seymour provides excellent insight into the role social media plays in shaping and propelling credible false narratives. On Being Unreasonable by Kirsty Sedgman does not live up to the other books on this list in terms of writing quality, but is included because the premise is vital and should be incorporated broadly.
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 I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about a calendar offering, but never really landed on the correct format. Recently, Brit Chida shared this great calendar of future feelings. And so many things fell into place. Art happens outside of 40 hour workweeks and "off" weekends. It is something that transpires in flow (Kairos time). It is not a measurable thing. So while I maintained the traditional monthly calendar grid for these images, there are no dates listed. Time continues whether we know what to call the day or not, whether we work or not. By removing some of the traditional calendar markings there is room for a different possibility, while remaining connected to what is known. It is thru this bridging that the brain is able to move towards something new. Mako and I had an opportunity to reflect on the possibilities of a honed (limited) practice, what it means to learn from nature, and how making art is participating in a future hope. We also discussed the insightful article Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt wrote for Christianity Today which placed my work in the context of incarnational insight. Highly recommend checking out Mako's new Substack to read more about the #postdeconstruction movement we referenced as well. So thankful for these myriad opportunities to share and reflect with the beloved community.
Honestly most of my reading this past month was re-reading of fantasy series like Harry Potter and His Dark Materials. A question I reflected on with these series that churches ban to this day was how much more harm has been done to Christianity by fear-mongering series like "Left Behind" than these stories of bravery and comradery? I did reach the milestone of my 365th book for the year. In between all of the fantasy these two books: Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia and A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar stand out. Murgia gives a solid overview of AI and how it is increasingly integrating with human life. The reflective questionnaire she includes on the ethical use of AI should be mandatory reading for everyone. Highly recommend looking that up and spending some time considering your responses. The quality of Matar's prose was like soft suede; it was like feeling the soft light of Medieval Siena in every sentence. Absolutely lovely.
 The Seeds series is a prayerful reflection on the 2024 US Presidential Election. As I prepared for a pattern/tesselation studio class with my university students this fall and worked on examples to guide them a new brushprint pattern developed. It is reminiscent of seeds and conversely bullets, each with their ovular point shape and extreme potential for change. As they were printed across the page the overlap with some of the primary issues of the upcoming election became apparent. As a prayer-filled practice in the week leading up to the election I handprinted ten 5.5”x7” watercolors that will be offered November 5 for $76 (a nod to the US founding date). Five are oriented horizontally and five vertically. The reflection questions to pair with these offerings are: How do you consider plants and the land? What seeds are you cultivating? Some seed conversations that influenced this work include the Restoration of the Klamath River Basin by Native Indigenous Tribes, the ongoing marvel that is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the architecture of Hiroshi Nakamura (specifically Library in the Earth), the Future Library manuscript project, and Ada Limón's You are Here project, in addition to the seed art pictures at state and county fairs.
I recently got to reflect with Mako Fujimura on the visionary work of the artist in constructing culture, how making art is prayer, and the panacea of observation. Texts mentioned include Mako's book Art + Faith and this NYT David Brooks article.
 For years I shared which materials I used freely with anyone who asked and even had them listed in multiple places for the curious. Coupled with my detailed process videos, those interested could make work fairly similar to my own, if they so chose (with lots of practice). Content creators "artists" asked if they could share my technique and give me credit. Sure. They shared my process and mentioned me. Then they shared my process and materials, over and over again, without mentioning me. And because they did not practice attribution, neither did those that saw the work in this context. And now I see "copies" of my work from people who have no idea they are mimicking another living artist. Even so, I continued to answer material and technique questions, often the same ones, over and over, often on the same post. And then I realized this does not serve the work, or why I share it. This repetitive drain harms my practice, and it harms those who copy it. With all of that in mind, I will no longer be answering questions about my materials or technique.
Artists that I know create work similar to mine, who are not copying me. Please support these original artists! Tiffani Erdmanczy The only other original abstract watercolor salt artist that I am aware of Roanna Wells I gasped when I saw how similar our work and intent is Charles Nanopoulos Brushprint work specifically I learned to read a poem at the start of class during my time at the Oregon Extension, where this practice initiated each academic morning. It is a way of beginning with a story, of incorporating more conversation partners, adding subtext and context to the primary topic. Opening with poetry layers richness of thought. Here I share the poems that I am reading to my students this semester. They are all linked so that you can partake as well. 
I read 33 books in September and these are the standouts. Each of these books has a concept that prompted further reflection about my vocation as an artist and how I contribute to or mitigate the suffering or flourishing of others.
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko A Dystopian novel told thru the lens of friendship and art A Bit Much by Lyndsey Rush is a funny and honest collection of poems about a Millennial Womans Daily Life Serious Face by Jon Mooallem is an absorbing and insightful group of first-person essays. Against Technoableism by Ashley Shew gives words and context to how we can consider the human condition. A Day in the Life of Abed Salama by Nathan Thrall shows how human dignity is curtailed by ideology. Mako and I recently talked about the importance of failing forward and shifts that happen in working methods when we learn to embrace imperfection. All of this was framed in the context of his essay collection Refractions (the 15th anniversary edition just got released).
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