Drawn with Threads- A Solo Exhibition

Hey Creative friend,

I’m excited to share with you that I’ve got another solo exhibition currently underway. The show is titled “Drawn with Threads”. It runs from March 2-March 30 at the Milford Public Library.

I worked on it feverishly for six weeks.  Sometimes, I wondered what I was thinking and how I could possibly have gotten myself into something this challenging.

Let’s back up.

The Story Behind the “Drawn With Threads” Exhibit

I need to tell you how it all started right from the beginning.  I had this show scheduled about a year ago. Because let’s face it, most galleries and exhibition venues book their calendars at least a year out, if not longer. So, this was no surprise to me at all. And having executed a solo show previously, I knew what I was getting into. But I’d planned to use some of my existing collection of artworks for this exhibit.

However, two months before the show was supposed to open, I started getting a bit antsy about what I’d planned to show. You see at the beginning of the year, I’d made it one of my goals to draw with pen and focus on creating portraits. So somewhere about the second week in January, I started thinking that my upcoming show will be a great chance for me to take a shot at these two goals of mine.

Creativity is a risky business

While one part of me (the cautious part) kept saying to me – “Risky! Risky! Don’t do it!!! You don’t have enough time to pull this off”. The other part of me (the I’m-ready-to-take-a-chance-part) kept saying – “This is your chance to get a jumpstart on your goals for the year. I struggled with these two conflicting parts of me for all of a week and then I made the decision. I was going to create six (6) new pieces for the show. So, that’s the story behind how I spent six weeks creating six (6) artworks for my show- “Drawn with Threads”.

“Drawn with Threads” is the most daunting show I’ve pulled together yet. My biggest constraint was time. My second constraint was the theme I’d chosen.  It was and still is a relatively new and an unexplored area for me.

Creativity is rewarding

I know I’ll sound crazy saying this. But  I must say, I’m really, really glad I took the chance on myself and pushed myself this hard. It’s been truly rewarding. I wouldn’t have pushed myself this hard if I didn’t have the deadline. I’d have waited to be “ready” before getting into this portrait theme.  And I’ll certainly not have taken as many risks as I did. I’ve written before about the fact that you don’t have to be ready to start. I won’t encourage this intensive immersion in a project under such restricted time constraints on a regular basis.  It was truly physically exhausting!!! But once in a while, it is useful to embark on a challenging journey.

For me to accomplish this, I  disconnected from practically everything and worked 14-hour (sometimes longer) studio days for six weeks. I had the piece that I started last year (Eye Heart my Puffs) to kick off this collection. It helped that I had something I was familiar with to start this project.

We’re already in the third month of the year, and if you haven’t started on the things you planned to do this year, my advice to you is to just start where you are.  Don’t wait to be ready.  Because unfortunately, often when we say we’re waiting to be ready, what we’re really doing is procrastinating. Secondly, start with something small and familiar, and manageable and then build momentum from there.

Drawn with Threads Showing Dates

If you’re able to, I invite you to go see my exhibit. It’s all new never-before-exhibited works. It’s one of my best projects yet. It will be on view from 

March 2- March 30

Milford Public Library
57 New Haven Ave 
Milford, CT 06460
See map: Google Maps

If you’re unable to attend, you can still enjoy this show by getting a copy of the show catalog which will be available on Amazon shortly. The catalog is unique in that it shows detailed photos of the process I went through to create each piece. There are multiple photos for each piece of artwork in the exhibit.  I’ll let you know as soon as  this beautiful photo-rich catalog (look book) becomes available for purchase on Amazon

Drawn with Threads Community Collage

Also, in collaboration with the Milford Public Library, I’ll be leading a community collage project called Common Threads to celebrate our sense of community and the things which make us feel connected to our communities.   I’ll bring you more information and updates on this exciting project and the show as a whole. I’ve stretched myself in this solo show, far beyond what I thought myself capable of. And I know one day, I’ll look back on this show and be surprised at all that I put into it and how it paid off.

Whatever it is that you’re also wishing to achieve in your creative life, you’re well able to get it done. Just get started.

Go get ’em!!!

Love, 

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