Subjective

My first solo show opens this week in Seattle. It will include seven larger works that have been created over the past three years.

A solo show is one of those career milestones in the art world. It somehow affirms your commitment to making art by testing the limits of your ability to both work a full time job while simultaneously working an equivalent amount of time in your studio. Such a division of labor often forces me to reflect upon whether I’m compromising in both sectors of my life. Wiser people than I have pointed out that adulthood is a continuous stream of compromise, which sounded reasonable until I was asked to take part.

Fine art is esoteric and, therefore, culturally undervalued. Few people will find monetary stability (the cultural currency) to match their artistic gifts (the currency of the creative individual). I think most artists have difficulty accepting this fact— for obvious reasons. Who wouldn’t have trouble being told that their defining characteristic was of very little value?