Here we are closing in on the end of 2021 and once again waiting to see what the new year holds in store for each and all of us. After another year marked by the pandemic, political strife, social upheaval, and environmental disasters, it is sometimes difficult to find positive guideposts to cling on to. We search with guarded optimism, knowing instinctively that they are out there, but somehow they just keep getting harder and harder to see.

As we come to the end of August, there is that familiar feeling in the air -- the one that reminds us that the summer went by way too quickly and those back-to-school-days are right around the corner. It is reassuring that despite all the disruption from the pandemic, our calendars, schedules, rituals, and rites of passage keep moving us ahead. Even with the strange pandemic fog that we've been collectively suspended in for over a year and a half, the anticipation of seasonal change continues to keep us on track and offer new possibilities for growth and discovery.

There is something quite enticing about a new sketchbook. From the moment it  opens, a whole new world awaits to be discovered. The blank pages suggest such promise and opportunity for visual exploration and creative play. Many pages -- many attempts -- many hours -- many thoughts. 

I have been experimenting with the art of collagraphy, or prints made with hand-made textured plates, for many years. The thing that draws me to this type of printmaking process is the simple construction of the plate. I use foam core board as my base and attach pieces of nature, recycled odds and ends, and small metal objects to my plate with acrylic matte medium. 

Here we are stepping into the spring season and the gradual awakening of nature. We too are coming alive with hopeful thoughts of reemergence --connecting once again with the people and places we love. The pandemic has been a great teacher over the past year and asked us to pay attention to what truly matters most and keeps us grounded. Art certainly found its way to the top of my list.

KB Studio artists have been working with asemic writing, a hybrid form of writing and drawing that mimics the written word but does not have actual words or express a specific meaning. This type of expressive mark-making activity has proven itself to be of great interest during this time of much change and information overload. It provides a space for working with free flowing lines, gestural flourishes, directional emphasis, and the stylings of a new, personalized visual language. It also offers opportunities for full creative engagement while in a relaxed state of purposeful play.

As we move with a wee bit of optimism into 2021, I am beginning my new year with a brand new website designed by my patient and digitally gifted son Zachary. He has been nudging me to write a blog for a least a decade now but, as I am often intimated by the art of writing, it never seemed an easy fit. But with the pandemic pushing us towards alternative forms of communication and a quieter pace of life, it seems like the perfect time to share my thoughts on the one thing that gets me up in the morning, fills my days, and keeps me company at night — art.