2016, you're chewy.

i've been incredibly busy sorting out goals and ambitions and i've learned a lot in the last few months.

i'm currently on quest planning a sort of sabbatical/residency in charleston, sc for the fall and winter of this year. i have loving family back east who have agreed to put me up and i need a place to create. it seems to me there is only one location an artist finds when seeking out a paint space in charleston, sc.  this boggles my mind. really makes me look at reno in a different light. i mean, we might be a dim, but upcoming star on the arts map, but we have a plethora of options when it comes to accommodating artists in need of creative space. the potentialist workshop, the generator, reno art works... just to name the major few. i've tried to contact this singular space in a multitude of ways and have yet to really garnish a response worth pursuing.
so now i'm hunting down individual artists for their opinions in hopes of finding another.
i'm hoping to getaway and begin work on the pip cards for my tarot deck. i need to get space squared away so i can begin full research on these cards. this project has been three years in the making and i've got to finish it and get out from under it. i need to take a moment to focus and get it done and then return home and share my work in all it's glory.

in other news,

i recently hung a painting in a group show at the potentialist workshop. in an effort to be diplomatic, they're kinda lucky i didn't rip it down over the weekend. they're kinda lucky i didn't write this blog the night of the opening. it's toned down five fold.

let me explain...
the show centered around the collaboration of artists and neon. the mastermind of the show is a talented and reputable artist who's work is primarily in neon--repair, creation, etc. that's a big thing for reno. in a city centralized around casino and flash, neon is what makes it tick. my piece in particular required that the neon flash. i worked painstaking hours to create the illusion of my piece appearing and disappearing with the neon light. i informed the curator and neon mastermind of my needs weeks before the show was to be hung.
now, the piece itself... is really near and dear to my heart as well as incredibly exposing. it was my very first nude portrait. i thought that the venue and the content was perfect to debut this painting of my naked form. that the disappearing and reappearing of detail and form would lend a veil to it's provocativeness and therefore soften the viewer's experience (as well as soften my experience of being viewed). to my utter surprise and embarrassment, my requirements were not met. on the night of the opening, the flasher wasn't installed and the paintings became, to me, this glaring eyesore of ''mallory's naked body'' and absolutely screamed the wrong message to all in attendance.
who was there?
my co-workers, co-teachers, heads of business, notable folks of community, other reputable artists... everyone. thank god my parents didn't show up.
i was so stunned, i didn't even think to take the piece down.

i caused a quiet stink and the flasher has since been installed, but to me the damage is done.

it was a learning experience.
a) this new reno arts culture is unprofessional, but i think we want to be. the most professional atmosphere i've encountered as of late was the neopolitan gallery inside monolith. hat tip to eric brooks. as far as the rest of reno arts... yeah, we have places to hang, yeah we have galleries to do so... but the bar isn't completely raised yet. hell, it's not even remotely put together. while it's becoming an easier to place to be an artist, the un-professionalism of our venues are sending the wrong message to these artists who participate in their shows. we need clear outlines. we need accountability of venue and artist. we need procedure. we need contracts.
b) i need a showcasing contract--as does every other artist. i need to be able to articulate to the venue what the parameters of my work include and need and i need to be able to pull a piece with confidence if those needs aren't met.

i'm working 60 hour weeks teaching and managing a restaurant, trying to save up for this imaginary residency and putting up with people who need to read a few books about gallery management.

and i'm single.
i fall in love with the words, with the potential and hope of someone instead of the actions. it's part of the adaptable beauty of me and it bites me in the ass every time. 
i'm taking a break from serial monogamy for a while. 

and i'm sober.
i'm 32. i can't afford to be hungover in life. i've spent the last three weeks eliminating sugar... and booze... and carbs from my diet and i've never felt more clear-headed in my life. and skinny. i've lost nearly 18 lbs. 
woot. woot. so skinny i've arranged some new tattoo work to accentuate!

2016, you're chewy.