Claudia's Spring News
Hi! This is my first ever newsletter, thank you for being on the receiving end! I’m hoping this format will help give you an inside look at my creative process, as well as being a place to share news. It’s a work-in-progress, feedback is always welcome!
Women’s Studio Workshop // Artist Residency
January and February were spent in Upstate NY at Women’s Studio Workshop (WSW), a place that “envisions a society where women’s visual art is integral to the cultural mainstream.” I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my year. It was supportive and social, with great studios, humans, and a potluck lunch everyday. I taught for three weeks to local 4th graders (9-10 year olds) and 8th graders (13-14 year olds), with my excellent studio intern and co-conspirator, Erin. Our project was focused around the prompt “What do you see in your dream community?” We printed onto square paper that’ll ultimately be tiled together to create a community ‘quilt’ for an exhibition.
Outside of teaching I was free to create as I wanted. I’d planned to primarily be in the silkscreen studio, but found myself ambushed by paper making! I learnt a process called pulp painting that I was completely absorbed by. You create a base (or new sheet of paper), and whilst it’s wet you can work directly on top of it, using pigmented cotton pulp fibres. In screen printing I make images with ink that sit upon the paper (or fabric) I’m printing, whereas in this process my imagery is actually embedded within the paper, which seems very, very cool in my eyes. Chris, the studio manager, and Thaïs, studio intern, were so generous and enthusiastic with their knowledge, and my fellow artist-in-residence, Malery, let me peek into all her beautiful paper making. I’ve shared more images of this process in my instagram highlights.
I’ll be sharing these works (and more!) later in the year in a solo show, more info at a later date! And I’m hoping to find a local studio or another residency to carry on experimenting. A huge thank you to everyone at WSW who made my experience there so special.
Euphorbia Print Release
I have a new print release available in my shop! It comes in either a Dawn or Dusk colour way, in a small edition of 9 each. I developed them from a mono screen print I made in 2021, and they were screen printed by hand during my residency at WSW. As a subscriber you can use code NEWSLETTER at the checkout for a 15% off discount and free shipping (for the US).
These beautiful towering giants are a fond reminder of living in California. When I first arrived there from the UK in 2017 I spent a lot of time grounding myself in my new landscape. I found out about an eccentric non-profit botanical garden, Lotusland, and enrolled in their docent training. They have a beautiful lined driveway; on one side there are cacti, which are New World plants from the Americas, and on the other side they have euphorbias, which are Old World plants from Africa. Though they have similar adaptations to each other (spines, shallow root systems, succulent stems) they have independently evolved from distinct lineages, and are an excellent example of Convergent Evolution. (Coincidentally this also came up in a Radio Lab podcast I was listening to recently about crabs.) Anyway, euphorbias are a beacon to me, of strength, hope, and a reminder to remain adaptable.
And now, some things I’ve enjoyed recently…
Read:
This article about how David Hockney spent something like 40 days ‘accidentally’ pulp painting in a deep studio immersion, and then never did it again.
Watch:
Point Break (1991) - Action-films aren’t really my go-to but thank you Anna for making me watch this ridiculous film, with a surprising third act which had critics leaving comments like these on Rotten Tomatoes (71%);
“It's like being trapped in a soft-drink commercial.” – Juan Carlos Coto
“The script is so lame it achieves a sort of magnificence… the stunts are superb.’ - Nell Minnow
Cook:
2022 was the year of the cauliflower for me, we ate unthinkable amounts of it, and cauli-tacos are firmly in the weekly rotation. Now though, it’s 2023 and I’m calling it; it’s the year of the green cabbage. Firstly my friend Ky sent me this recipe; Crispy Lime Cabbage, and then the wonderful Kaisa, intern at WSW, made Chicken and Mustard Glazed Cabbage for our daily potluck, it’s delicious with or without the chicken.
Listen:
Little Simz, NO THANK YOU: So good!
The Essay, Arts and Uncertainty: Five 15 minute listens, about how artists live with uncertainty everyday because of their fundamental curiosity for making. It made me feel validated, cool, and powerful. As recommended in Eleanor Taylor’s newsletter.
Look:
Spring has sort-of arrived in Denver, one day it’s t-shirt weather and the next morning we wake to a couple of inches of snow. I’m grateful to my past self for planting bulbs last Autumn, including these teeny tiny alpine squills. They’re an absolute delight!
And that’s it! Thank you for taking your time to read this : )
The diversity of the content is almost overwhelming. So much to learn about flora, fauna, our environment and of course art.
Wowowow! I love reading what you’ve been up to. Your writing expresses very much who you are - filled with creativity and wonder and inspiration. I had NO idea euphorbias weren’t cactuses. My mind is blown. Also, I am thrilled to learn this is the year of the green cabbage (drool), I must try this crispy lime situation. And of course I’m looking forward to seeing your art in person, it sounds very texturful and cool. Anxiously awaiting your next newsletter..