a rainbow off the coast
& on view with Midwest Nice art
Hello there! It's Jocelyn Mathewes from—surprise—the Atlantic Coast! But more on that later. I’m excited to share that the next mailing for paid subscribers will go out on June 15th! It will have:
handmade cyanotype prints
mystery stickers
a fresh zine
Here’s the preview—
Right now I'm planning a 1-2 week residency next summer so I can prepare work for two self-funded exhibitions next year. One will be an immersive experience at 123 Main Street in downtown Johnson City, and the second is a solo show at the William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, Virginia.
Your patronage makes this (and my regular studio time!) happen. Paid subscribers will receive printed acknowledgement on my show materials (anonymized for your privacy). You’ll feel warm and fuzzy inside. Plus, you get these periodic mailings as a thank-you!
in the studio
This week, my studio is the beach!
Along with my blind contour diary supplies, I brought a pile of expired film with me and a 35mm HOLGA. Experience has taught me that vacations are meant for free play, and so that's what I've planned for.
Most of my energy is focused staying present for the people and the fun, along with a healthy dose of rest. It’s been fun to try and stretch my blind contour muscles into drawing other people very quickly, and adding that to my little practice.
My only bucket list item for this vacation was to make it to the art store. Even before and especially ever since the closure of Cheap Joe’s (the nearest fine art store to Johnson City, TN), I take every chance at grabbing and/or seeing supplies in person that I can get.
It’s been a little hard to be idle during this vacation, but I try to remind myself that the empty space of boredom helps us make room for creativity.
in the wild
You can find one of my photographic pieces in the online exhibit a fervent and necessary arrangement, juried by André Ramos-Woodard.
I really enjoyed this part of his curatorial statement:
"This selection is a testament to the urgency of expression. It reminds us that feeling—whether it be grief, joy, rage, or tenderness—is necessary. That art isn’t just a reflection of our inner lives but a way of making sense of them."
Please take a look at the collection of beautiful work at the Midwest Nice exhibit website.
You can also listen the second installment of my interview with Daniel Lee of the Belfast Podcast (52 min). We talk about how art changes our perception of the world and what can get in the way of our ability to have a great imagination.
It was a fun conversation! If you missed the first part, here it is (36 min).
reading/watching/listening
I recently finished listening to Agatha Christie's short, tightly written classic, And Then There Were None. It's good. It's dark. It's different from the film and theater productions. I won't spoil anything except to say: worth it!
Now I'm digging deep into the appendices of Return of the King for my essay on Amazon's Rings of Power series. Don't hold your breath; I'm no scholar! But as I've said to the brains I picked along the way for this essay (thank you, friends and family!), I'm mostly writing this as a means to understand my mixed feelings and get it all out of my head.
That's all for now.
xo,
jocelyn
see my work on my website
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