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Hi, and welcome back to another letter! I can’t believe it’s already June!
Wilmington in June is lush and bright, emerald green. The mosquitoes have come out of hibernation, making it hard to stay outside past 6 o’clock. The frog murmurs and cricket songs are getting louder and louder. Tourist season is in full swing. It is finally almost my favorite season of the year—SUMMER. I like being sweaty, dewy, busy, outside.
COLLABORATION NEWS
Photo Credits: Spirits Network
I’m kicking off this letter by announcing a super cool collaboration!
The one and only, iconic CAMPARI commissioned me to do a painting for their brand!
Remember when I installed a few works in the Charlotte restaurant, Counter? Well, the owner, Chef Sam Hart, is opening up another restaurant, Spaghett, which features Italian food through a Carolinian lens. They are working with Campari to spotlight the bar area and commission artworks in the style of vintage Campari ads!
Working with a brand as established as Campari is a dream come true. I’m reminded of the opportunities that arise when exhibiting work in new spaces and working with companies, people, and brands I admire and align with. Counter is a perfect example as a restaurant that supports regional artists, pushes the boundaries of preparing and serving food, and goes above and beyond to create the ultimate dining experiences for its guests.
I’ve had surprising connections and partnerships happen when I least expect them. I’m grateful that Counter sent Campari my way. I think this is the coolest commission I’ve ever tackled.
P.S. If you’re an artist—or just nosy like me—here is the commission quote I sent to Campari for review. (While I wish I were proficient with Adobe, I made this on Canva—my trusty site to amplify my communication. Big visual communication fan over here!)
Gallery announcement
More big news! My work got accepted into Wilmington’s Gallery 906’s next group exhibition! The Reception night is August 22, and I hope to see you there! I'll send out a reminder when it get's closer :)
Jack and I drove up to Urbanna, VA this past weekend for the annual Arts in the Middle fine art festival! I packed up my rental car with 15 paintings, TWO chairs (No chair provided for Jack last time ☹️), my prints in a print bin, tent set-up, credit card reader, and a hopeful attitude!
It POURED both days. The artist next to me—a kind, retired NASA engineer turned photographer named Rick—called it a “frog strangler.” I added a new phrase to my vocab bank. I forgot my tent weights, and Rick kindly gave me an extra set from his truck.
The rain was scary, as I hadn’t dealt with it yet during a fair, but my tent held up. The weather put a damper on the traffic; it never really felt that busy. People would come by in spurts, then there’d be a big break with no one. Jack and I entertained ourselves with snacks, funny jokes, and candid conversations with passersby. I did end up selling a handful of prints and two small paintings, which was a plus!
I don’t know if I’ll return next year, but I left with some new newsletter subscribers (Hey Andrew, Evan, Sarah, and MB!), advice on other VA fairs, and wonderful memories with our friends in Williamsburg.
LETTER TIME!
Most of my letters have been internally focused: my creative process, my shows, my business endeavors, my background, my childhood, my feelings, and so on. Today, I want to turn the lens and highlight some of my favorite painters. From emerging to fully established and critically-acclaimed, these artists each bring something totally new and unique into the world. I am constantly bewildered and challenged by their work.
I like art that makes me think. I run toward art that is pushing boundaries, questioning the status quo, and exploring themes that resonate with me.
One of my goals this year was to push my own boundaries.
I’ll admit that in the past, I have created art in the mindspace of “this will be easy to market and sell.” The further I go on this journey, the less I am attracted to that way of creating. Creating for the sake of decoration or audience does not bring me joy, longevity, or purpose. I must create what’s in my head.
The artists I’m about to share remind me of that mission.
Being involved in the practical aspects of art changes the way I look at other artists’ work. While I can sit back and be a viewer for a few seconds, I find myself decoding the materials and processes. I’m focused on whether the artist painted on linen, cotton, wood panel, or something else. I need to know where they are from and how long they’ve been painting. My eyes immediately go to understanding their process, techniques, materials—then their “why,” the vision they might be exploring.
I’m drawn to art that diverts from realism. While I can absolutely applaud artists who paint hyper-realistic landscapes or figures, it just doesn’t move me. I want to look at a piece and have to sit with it, think about it—maybe even be a little confused. I like when the meaning isn’t handed to me. The same goes for the movies I watch: the classic rising action–climax–resolution plotline usually leaves me bored and hungry for substance. I’d much rather watch films that explore personal, human stories—things that feel a little messier and more real.
Something I always heard from my UNCW writing professors—and that I ended up bringing into my own teaching classes—was this notion of “Show, Don’t Tell.” How can you show the audience what’s going on without explicitly telling them? In other words, don’t be afraid to make the reader do some work. Keep their senses in mind, lengthen their attention, draw them deeper into your argument or story.
My inner teacher wants to use an example (I promise this will make sense later):
Instead of TELLING “She was nervous and scared.”
Try SHOWING “She stood frozen in the doorway, her breath caught somewhere between her chest and throat. The old wood floor creaked behind her, and she didn’t dare turn around.”
See the difference? One version tells you what’s happening. The other invites you into the room. You can feel the tension, hear the floorboards, hold your breath with her.
Okay—to wrap this back into my favorite painters…
This notion of “Show, Don’t Tell” is what the artists I’m about to share do for me. They don’t just tell you what the painting is about—they let the materials speak, let the colors carry weight, let the figures do the talking. They don’t spoon-feed a message. They pull you into a space, make you stay there, make you look and think. They paint outside the lines.
When I find work like this, it stays with me. It also challenges me to make bolder, stranger, deeper choices in my own work. To show more. To trust the viewer. To make space for curiosity and surprise.
I want to let these artists' paintings do most of the talking, but I’ll also mention what I personally love about their work.
Photo Credits: New York Times
Lisa Yuskavage (b. 1962, Philadelphia, PA)
I have to kick it off with Miss Yuskavage. There’s not enough time or words to explain why New York artist Lisa Yuskavage’s work is important and monumental. She’s been acclaimed as one of the “most influential and original artists of the past three decades” (Zwirner). The color, the figures, the moods, the message, the EVERYTHING—there’s nothing like it, at least that I’ve found. I am fully in love with her work and really hope I can see it in person one day.
"Pink Studio (Rendezvous)" 2021
"Triptych" 2010-2011
"The Artist's Studio" 2022
"The Artist's Studio" 2022
"Naked Neighbor" 2020
"Transference Portrait of My Shrink in Her Starched Nightgown with My Face and Her Hair" 1995
This artist is two years younger than me and totally CRUSHING IT! Haley Chiu, a second-generation Chinese-Canadian painter based in Toronto, blurs the line between realism and fantasy. Her paintings seem so planned out, but they also contain spontaneous elements and colors, like an earthworm that seems randomly added while at the same time completing the work. I really like that layer of surprise. In some of her work, she uses thick, textured canvas, which brings out her skill in layering and intertwining elements. She is so brilliant, and I’m excited to see where she goes! She is the first artist I’d like to collect when I have the money.
I know I keep saying this, but I’ve never seen anything like Will St. John’s work. His porcelain-like smooth texture is absolutely crazy to me. Sometimes, his paintings give off this almost AI-generated feel, like they’re too glossy and too perfected to be real. And yet, at the same time, they’re unmistakably human. You can tell a real hand-painted them. You can feel the presence of the artist behind the perfection, which somehow makes them even more compelling. That push and pull between artificial and handmade really draws me in.
"The Master" 2023
"Nude With Searchlights" 2022
"Toy Boy" 2023
"Blue on Black" 2024
All photos courtesy of Satchi Yates Website
Photo Credits: colleenbarryart.com
Colleen Barry (b. 1981, NYC)
Now time for Colleen Barry! Fun fact: Colleen is married to Will St. John! Talk about a power couple. One of the main things I really enjoy about Colleen’s work is her use of details—little dogs in the bottom right corner, little pops of pink against a sea of green, a little fire bolt resting somewhere random. Like Haley Chi, her work feels planned but spontaneous in a way that intrigues me. It makes me wonder about her process for sketching and planning her work.
I always look forward to seeing Arthur’s compositions on Instagram. I love how far he zooms into his figures, often shown in discomforting or awkward positions. The figures in his paintings seem like they don’t want to be there, contorting to find a way out of the viewer’s lens.
I am also drawn toward his monochromatic use of color. Each painting is different in color, but they could all live together in a room and be considered a series—I see his work as being that congruent, anyway.
I had a great conversation with him on Instagram about his transition from acrylic to oil paint. He was so thoughtful with his responses and urged me to join him on the oil side. He is gaining momentum right now, and I love seeing his success from afar.
"Void's Call" 2025
"Fibre qui suinte I " 2024
"Works in Progress" tmprojects.london Instagram
Photo Credits: The Skateroom
Inès Longevial (b. 1990, Agen, France)
Inès’s work lives rent-free in my head all day, every day. Her portrayal of femininity through her compositions makes me want to jump off the walls and into a pool of Jell-O. I will be jumping off the gallery walls when I finally get to see her work in person in New York City in a few weeks! It just so happens I will be in the Hamptons during an exhibition of hers. Jack and I are going to stay with his older sister in Brooklyn after the show, and I’ll get a chance to see Inès in the flesh on her opening night!
Inés' portrayal of intimacy within her figures is captivating. There’s not only an intimate relationship between painter and figure, but I feel it too as a viewer. Like, I know the girl in the painting. Her compositions combine layers of mystery and memory. Her work can be playful and imaginative, but also intense and emotional. My main draw to her work (which is common among the artists I like) is her use of color. The color she chooses and pulls into her scenes just makes so much sense. I can’t see them in any other color but the ones she chose.
I recently found Christina’s work through YouTube while watching one of my favorite channels, the Louisiana Channel. If you enjoy getting a glimpse into an artist’s process and mindset, I recommend it!
Unlike my other favorite artists, BanBan’s figures are loose, imperfect, and feel almost like a sketch. Her portrayal of the female form is distinguished by its robust takeover of the canvas. Watching her paint, her process feels sporadic as she uses huge, jagged brushstrokes. She looks like she is on a mission. I think I could watch her paint all day.
Each of these talented individuals shows me what’s inside their heads, rather than telling me outright. I wonder if you’ll feel the same way after seeing their work. Of course, there are so many other artists I admire and learn from every day. One of the greatest joys is watching the people you look up to achieve well-deserved success. It means a lot to me to see other creatives win. Not only is it deeply inspiring — it’s a powerful reminder that the arts matter. They are important, vital, necessary in a thriving society.
The list continues to grow and expand. Next year, I'll have to show you another round of favorite artists if you'd like!
There’s one last thing I want to share before I go. I now have a one-stop shop for everything: Originals! See this page on my website if you are interested in collecting, commissioning, shipping—all of it!
Well, thank you for joining me again.
I’ll be back soon with another letter! Next time, I’d love to take a little trip down memory lane—sharing some past sold work and celebrating the collectors who’ve supported me from the very beginning. I’ll also have updates from New York and, of course, whatever else happens to pop up. :)
Some of my thoughts and newsletters are shared only with subscribers, making them extra special and exclusive. So be sure to subscribe so you can read all the letters :)
