Summer break is well underway and I went back to work on a painting I last touched in late March. I started listening to KD Lang’s 1995 album, then switched to Hawkwind’s album from 1996. Sometimes I have a queue of music prepared, other times, I drag my finger across my vinyl collection and let it just — pick. Hawkwind is a band I just discovered for myself last year(?).

Octavio found this live record while abroad in Italy. Sometimes he just sits and watches me paint while I’m lost in thought. Today he finally asked me, “Are you even listening to the music?” Most times yes, but often it’s just fulfilling background noise, keeping the rest of the world away. Coming off an anxiety ridden school year, it’s especially important for me to just step away from everything and loose myself. Whether I’m truly listening to the music or not (compared to other times when I am most definitely engrossed in the grooves, beats, and lyrics), it’s important for me to create a sanctuary that’s feels immersive.

A professor once told me, “You’d get a lot more painting done without the dancing.” What he failed to realize is that dancing is probably 65-75% how I draw out the creative energy I need to create. Meanwhile, I’m proud of this smock that was a gift from that same professor, over twenty years ago. I wear it as a badge of honor. Oftentimes I love the journey of a piece, more than its conclusion, but I’m … satisfied … how this turned out.

“Buddha W/Out Their Crown”, 20×24“, oil painting on canvas board. There’s a bigger message behind the pose, the colors, and overflowing glass, but I’d rather let the viewer interpret it as their own and make up their own story.