What is in a Studio? 

Home is where the smell of ink is.......

This week has been interesting in the fact that it has given the space and permission to allow myself to step away from my scared spaces (Hannaher's, Inc. Print Studio and PEARS at NDSU - Two print studios that I love and honor everyday) to understand how my social practice as a whole feeds into all the other parts. It is truly never done. I have started to formulate language and understand that my professional practice feeds directly into my artistic practice. In turn making a social practice where lines and threads intersect  with the understanding on what it means to occupy space in general. It is a gift and is treated as such. Paying attention to how taking care of spaces, materials, body and mind is something that is intrinsically intwined and allows for me to practice the multiple processes (lithography, relief, screen printing, intaglio, etc...) of traditional and contemporary printmaking practices, be an educator, but also allow for my own studio practice of creating materials and final pieces. The photo above is a photograph of my studio in Chicago at the moment. All the pieces that are up on the wall are a year long exploration of the creation of materials with natural dyes, organic material, along with my technical side of creating certain prints when time allowed. Now it is a matter of research and the welcomed challenge of combining these two practices.

I spend a lot of my days in the studio normally teaching from an education background and social accessibility to printmaking along with pulling editions for other artists. During these days I also find the time for the creation of my materials. I approach each day within the week with the understanding of possibilities and responsibilities of holding these two practices. Being in two print studios presents a variety of solution based problem solving through out the days where I find time to slow down for myself and others that are around me in order to allow for a control of chaos. On a good day I am walking back and forth between the two spaces 7-10 times to understand the chaos and where I fit in with most of it. 

While I have been in Chicago I have taken the time to get to understand my resources, start a social practice with my cohort, and of course make a home with in the lithography area in the beautiful print studio area at SAIC. As I know for myself I find comfort in any space that has the smell of ink in it. While I break down and start to understand how all the organic eco prints start to create a language with my technical skills a home for me will be to pull a lithograph to clear my head and  give myself the repetion to slow down. My last two weeks have allowed for reading, eating, conversation, and walking. This all adds to the methodical part of my social practice with how everything overlaps and tangles with time, space, and forms. 

These are my rituals and this is how I studio. Take all situations as they come and understand how we can constantly grow and learn from them. 

Photos above: Pulling a print for Melanie Yazzie, example of eco printing process, and final eco prints out the dye vats.