Greetings!

It’s been a minute since my last update and A LOT has happened as well as a lot is upcoming. So I’ll fill you in on some highlights and save some info for the next update.

KZAX community hour

The first highlight is that I’ll be joining Make.Shift’s music director, Moon Blomgren, on July 10 at 4pm on the regular Community Hour program on KZAX radio. We’ll be geeking out about DIY arts culture and probably our emo teen art.

For “fun,” here is some of my emo teen art. 🙂

If you don’t know about KZAX it’s a low-power radio station run by Make.Shift that gives local musicians, DJs, and hosts a platform. Yay community art. <3

Intercultural Dance Day live art

This year the ANJ Dance Project initiated the first Intercultural Dance Day, a free community event featuring performances and schools of dance from a variety of different cultures at the Fisherman’s Pavillion. It was amazing and I got to see so many new-to-me forms of dance.

I worked on a painting live throughout the event inspired by the performances and overall experience of the gathering. There is a lot I could say about the process as well as what inspired the piece, but that maybe deserves its own post once the painting is finalized.

Cascadia Daily News caught some photos of the event including a closeup of the very focused top half of my face. People have told me I am brave for making art live but I’m pretty sure bravery has nothing to do with it. It’s all about eyebrow stamina.

Make.Shift Underground Gallery at art walk!

Tomorrow (Friday, July 3) is First Friday Art Walk and I will be opening my dungeon studio … for the last time. 😭

I made it sound ominous. It’s actually very exciting even though bittersweet.

The reason this is my last time opening Studio #21 in the catacombs of Make.Shift is that I am in process of setting up shop in an above ground gallery/studio combo, with way bigger walls and more light.

This is a big deal for me and has been a long time coming.

More on that in my next update!

I’ve been a month-to-month studio tenant at Make.Shift for a *long* time—somewhere around five years. That basement where I was able to find creative refuge among fellow “others” will always hold special significance to me.

But it isn’t a total goodbye to Make.Shift.

During my time as a basement-dwelling cryptid I found the inspiration (with the help of excellent collaborators) to turn the twisty hallway that leads to my studio into a bonus gallery. I will be lightly “curating” shows down there for the rest of the year.

This first one spotlights the amazing Valentine Kirby‘s collage work, in a show titled (Un)Ordinary. If you’re around for art walk (~5pm–9pm) then stop my Make.Shift and say hello!

There is also a group photography show called The Feeling of Being opening in the upstairs gallery.

I will be working on my door …

In collaboration with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership, I am turning a door into a large painting which will be displayed downtown come August. If you pop by my studio tomorrow you’ll get a peek at how it’s looking so far.

There’s a lot more to fill you in on, but instead of doing that I’m going to leave you with this goofy little collage I made at the FAB studios, where a local group of makers created a community art station a couple weekends ago.

Thanks for reading and I hope to connect with you in artspace somewhere in the material plane soon.

—Adrien