Maybe it's spring approaching, or maybe it's the hope of a post-pandemic world coming possibly this summer, but I'm feeling a renewed sense of energy. It also feels as if I've discovered something that I've been searching for in my art, a certain look that I could vaguely imagine in my mind, but that I could never actually translate to paper or canvas. It doesn't feel like I've reached an end goal, it feels like the opposite, like I've finally started. I have so much more exploration to do, but it's exploration that feels more meaningful than randomly trying out different styles and genres. Whatever your creative outlet, just keep chugging along! You'll slowly but surely discover more authenticity and possibility the more you learn and grow.

Ever since I ordered this bright pastel magenta jumpsuit, it seems like the color has been showing up everywhere I look. I used to avoid all versions of purple because I associated it with… how do I put this? Kitschy mysticism. I didn't take purple seriously, it just didn't fit me. But if I've learned anything in the past year it's that meaning is fluid and always changing. Things like color only have meaning because we collectively decide and assume its meaning. Embracing purple feels to me like becoming more open minded and it now feels very playfully optimistic.

Images: Hugo Grenville | Block Shop Textiles rug | Stilleben Print Collection | Cuno Amiet, Nebellenschaft, 1922 | source unknown | Big Bud Press Jumpsuit | Cuno Amiet, Self Portrait in Rose, 1905

Alma Thomas is a groundbreaking artist, being the first Black American woman to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art in 1924, AND the first to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum. Her story is also so inspiring as a reminder that it's never too late to pursue what you love. She began pursuing professional success after retirement in her 70s, after 35 years of teaching junior high school. 

She is most known for her colorful abstract works such as the two pictured here that almost look like a tile mosaic. “Thomas transposed the way she saw the world onto her vivid canvases through shards of shimmering color. Representing flowers, music, science, to the first man landing on the moon, and the invention of color television" (source).

I absolutely love the titles of her works - the painting below looks exactly like snow reflections on a pond, while also looking completely abstract at the same time. I believe it takes so much creativity to represent the essence of something without actually painting it directly.

If you want to learn more about her, check out this podcast episode: The Great Women Artists Podcast: Bridget R. Cooks on Alma Thomas.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this email! If you have any thoughts to share or questions, please reach out on Instagram or reply to this email. I'd love to know if anything in particular captured your fascination.