as it turns out it’s been 3 months
since I last wrote you all. well, OOPS that’s crazy and I guess a lot has happened! if you aren’t following me on social media then surprise! I moved to joshua tree!
TL;DR I have new paintings for sale - the first out of my new studio! my commission site is also live - book a slot for the fall.
air signs is also now available as a signed print ✨
a studio/life update below, as well as my new work!
in an unexpected turn of events, I find myself as a first-time home owner and the high desert’s newest(-ish) resident. from the moment the house was listed to when i received the keys was a whopping 25 days, so needless to say, things have been a little crazy around here - but, i have this overwhelming feeling that i am exactly where i’m supposed to be. ✨
for those of you who don’t know: joshua tree is a proper town (yes, i don’t like in a tent - real question i’ve been asked) outside of joshua tree national park with a full-time population of less than 10K people (closer to 100k with neighboring towns) and yearly visitors of over 3 million. yes — wow — on both sides.
as someone who is very affected by the physical spaces i occupy, and who has spent the past few years designing spaces for other people, the opportunity to design my own home and manifest everything i’ve been imagining is really… a dream — and to be honest, was also totally overwhelming and a huge shitshow at least at the beginning and honestly sort of a nightmare at first. i have sacrificed literal blood, sweat, and tears to this house already - but it’s been worth it. :) more on this later, but in the meantime if you’re interested in (bad/comical/beginner) home reno content, i unexpectedly went viral on tiktok for it and have been posting some projects on my instagram. i am doing most of the home reno work myself! :)
👽 >> in june, i found myself at my first couple group gatherings with *gasp* new people. like many of us, i’ve mostly spent the past 18mo alone and with close friends and family, rarely meeting anyone new - except some artist friends on the internet. what’s interesting about making friends via social media is that you have the opportunity to check each other out in a non-creepy, socially acceptable way. i flip through your feed, try to get your vibe, a sense of your work, etc. and in the process, absorb an outline of your story. you’re able to present yourself to me in a way that is mostly in your control, before we even connect.
one of the things I forgot about IRL meetings is the pure absence of information or context you have on someone - and they have on you - especially when you are not introduced by a mutual friend.
in june, i found myself at two of these gatherings, where i was repeatedly asked the once-familiar question, “so, what do you do?”
“well, these days i’m primarily a visual artist based in joshua tree”
these days i’m primarily a VISUAL ARTIST based in JOSHUA TREE ?!!!
now how TF did that happen!!!
i’ve been so focused on moving through and developing my own life that i haven’t really taken a moment to step back and absorb what has happened. many of you have been on the journey with me for the past year or so (thank you), so you’ve also seen it in bits and pieces. but for the first time i met strangers who knew nothing about me and wanted my story - strangers who had no reason to disbelieve me or think anything other than “oh, of course, she’s an artist” - which was an incredible experience. my thoughts are still swirling here but truth be told there is a healthy dash of imposter syndrome when I say what i do, but also a generous scoop of pride now that i’ve stepped back and seen what i’ve done.
coming back to joshua tree… one of the things that most immediately struck me when i moved here is that no one bats an eye when i say i’m an artist here. it’s not particularly novel, new, or interesting, as the desert seems to call so many creative spirits - and that is freeing in and of itself. ✨ so lots to come out of this space, in all senses of the world.
i’ll be taking a two week vacation to costa rica this week and then focusing on my largest ever commission for an SF restaurant all august (yay!). i have a couple booked commissions trickled in there and am taking a handful of new commissions through the end of the year. if you’d like to work together on something special, please reach out! in particular, i am also looking for intros to galleries, agents, or other spaces who might want to show my work or advice on how to break into that part of the art world. if you have some - let me know!
and with that… the new paintings! 💖 much love and many blessings, stay safe on all your journeys!
xo amac
NEW WORK FROM JOSHUA TREE
all prices included domestic shipping & tax. all painting ship first week of august.
ANCIENT SEA [$1100]
Oil on Canvas, 20” x 30” x 1.5”, 2021.
Desert winds and ocean waves are both major sources of inspiration for my work. The two are often placed at odds: dry/wet, hot/cool. We self-identify as, “an ocean person,” “a desert person” — as someone who has identified as a beach gal all my life, my recent call to the desert has given me pause (if not confirmed my attraction to all things paradoxical).
ANCIENT SEA explores the concept of paradox. Did you know deserts are often (always?) the remnants of ancient oceans? What was once buried underwater is now surfaced on land. They are the literal result of the earth shedding layers, transforming; so much has evaporated, so much has changed on the surface yet the inherent vastness remains - a vastness which draws people both to the ocean and to the dunes. I find all of that deeply rattling and deeply inspirational, another ‘aha!’ the universe throws at a human attempt at forced duality.
That which we try to pose as opposites may actually be one and the same, just at different points in time. ANCIENT SEA asks you to consider that perhaps the lesson is that nothing is too precious to change, fate will eventually take its course — or duality is a false construct.
As with all my art, ANCIENT SEA can be hung horizontally or vertically, in whichever way speaks most to you and your space. The edges are primarily primed canvas, with some process details.
WINDSTORM [$1100]
Oil on Canvas, 20” x 30” x 1.5”, 2021.
The sister painting to ANCIENT SEA and building off the concepts of AIR SIGNS, WINDSTORM depicts the energy of the desert at sunset.
In a dream I saw myself in a desert valley, the wind rushing over the landscape, encouraging my hair to hug my face. Rather than seeing the gusts pick up the sand, instead I saw them lift energy from the earth, transporting it, moving it around, creating a environment in which the energy emanated not only from below but from 360 degrees around me. WINDSTORM captures that dream.
As with all my art, WINDSTORM can be hung horizontally or vertically, in whichever way speaks most to you and your space. The edges are primarily primed canvas, with some process details.
AMBIENT SKIES [$1000]
Oil on Canvas, 20” x 24” x 1.5”, 2021.
AMBIENT SKIES takes inspiration from ambient music and the swirling colors of both sunrise and sunset. The painting was done after I spent a weekend with Secular Sabbath, a group that designs ambient music and sensory retreats.
I do not have synesthesia per se, but do often experience music visually. I am interested in diving further deeper into work that more explicitly takes inspiration from music.
RISING [$1500]
Oil on Canvas, 24” x 30” x 1.5”, 2021.
RISING was painted the day after the 2021 Atlanta, Georgia spa shootings. As a Filipina-American woman, it was hard to put into words how deeply personal and painful that attack felt to me - and so I painted.
RISING depicts an abstracted flock of eight phoenixes, representing and dedicated to the eight victims of the attack. The painting takes slight inspiration from depictions of the holy spirit in Christian art.
88% of this sale will be donated to The Asian American Foundation.
VENUS IN PISCES [$500]
Oil on Canvas, 18” x 18” x 1.5”, 2021.
VENUS IN PISCES is part of STELLIUM collection, an abstract collection inspired by astrology and the movement of the cosmos.
The planet VENUS rules how you love, interact interpersonally, and what you embody in your closest relationships. PISCES is often thought of a compassionate and intuitive sign - soft, soulful, and deeply feeling.
VENUS IN PISCES explores the soft and easeful side of love. VENUS is considered to be ‘exalted’ in PISCES; it is a sign where the planet is comfortable, where things flow. It reminds to let ourselves bask in easeful abundance when it comes.