I am emerging from the wonders of summertime, packing away the sunscreen and towels, and prepping my classroom for my 21st year of teaching high school art and art history. This transition is always difficult for me (enter eye roll here if you don’t have a summer break).
While I am grateful to be able to work with young artists everyday, the demands of teaching often slow down my own creativity. Like all things, this is something that I’ve managed to accept and find balance in. Over the past several summers, I have settled into the rhythm of working intensely on my own practice, and giving myself some grace over the school year. It is so important for me to recognize that I can not give 100% to all of the things all of the time. I was in 100% Art Making Mode this summer and I had the opportunity to work on a very special commission.
My dear friends, Liisi and Walter Lascarro, built a beautiful home in our neighborhood several years ago. It is classic and cozy and tucked in the trees on a hill. I was so excited to gift them a work inspired by the Denville Farmer’s Market when they first moved in, honoring Liisi as the founder. Several years ago, I was delighted to add to their Engfer Pizza collection when I created a print of their home that sits in the nook over their piano.
Every time we sit around their large kitchen island at the many gatherings they host, Liisi tells me about how she needs to find something to hang on the blank wall in her dining room. For years, I’ve suggested a giant mirror and she always shoots me down and says it needs to be artwork. As someone who hangs pictures on a wall the day I move in, I can appreciate her patience in finding the right piece to fill the space.
When I was driving home from Vermont in June, flying high from a week of abundant creativity, it occurred to me that my passion for abstracting the landscape might be exactly what Liisi and Walter’s blank wall needs. I suggested using our lake landscape as inspiration for an artwork and they were immediately on board. We agreed to collaborate on the work and all came to the kitchen island with ideas and suggestions. From this, I drafted ideas and thumbnails.
I knew that Liisi and Walter had a collection of large coffee bean bags from the Denville Farmer’s Market. I suggested incorporating these into the work as a wink and a nod. When I started sorting and cutting up the bags I came across two magical words: 100% and Family. I was thrilled to discover this and incorporate it into the work.
Installation Day! Shout out to Pete Pizza for always fully supporting my endeavors.
100% Family Acrylic and Collage on Canvas 48” x 36” Diptych 2023
I am so grateful to have a community of people who encourage and motivate my work. Making art is often a difficult and vulnerable endeavor, but my heart drives me to do it anyway. It helps to know that my appreciation for the lake landscape can be shared with others. Thank you to Liisi and Walter for supporting a local artist.
If you are interested in collaborating on a house or landscape commission for you home, let’s chat!