Bathroom Art Gallery
11/16/22
Washington, D.C.
paper, leaf, acorn, tape, watercolor, polaroids

In D.C. I spent a lot of time as a guest in Aunt Kathy’s house. I was a little homesick, so tried to make home around me, turning to my immediate surroundings for inspiration. So naturally, I customized my guest bathroom as a gallery.

D.C. Dream
11/22/22
Chicago, IL
watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil

Only once I had left, did I paint Ilan’s apartment—from memory. I spent a lot of time there, on the tiny two-seater couch that overlooked all the doorways of the dwelling. While the water pitcher and cast iron pan (with accompanying wooden spoon) were very true to life, he did not have a rug, or a fireplace on that wall. I had wished that they’d been there, so in they went.

Piece One
3/2/23
Chicago, IL
collaged paper sketchbook sections, acrylic paint stick, highlighter, pen, gouache, glitter glue, sharpie, colored pencil

Back in Chicago, after finishing the car build, I made a collage of aspiration while relaxing in the company of two good friends.

The Bixby Bunch
3/13/23
St. Louis, MO
wood, paper, gouache, marker, acrylic paint, pen

At WashU in St. Louis, there was a section of the first year wood shop that I’d been wanting to decorate since I was student. In my friend Karly’s living room I constructed a friendly introduction to the major power tools of the shop, and included tips and tricks spoken by each tool. I want power tools to feel more approachable for people—especially young women—so it was a true labor of love.

A Day Without Ice Cream (left)
3/14/23
Steelville, MO
digital photo printed on polaroid film

Our Happy Place (right)
3/15/23
Afton, OK, route 66
Digital photo printed on polaroid film

Some midwestern sights tickled me pink.

Lil Lil Goose
4/12/23
Augusta, GA
paper clay, acrylic paint, pencil

At this point in the journey, I was itching to sculpt. I modeled this darling creature after its “real life” stuffed animal counterpart, a weighted goose gifted to me by Ilan to cope with long distance.

Report Card Rewards
4/20/23
Myrtle Beach, SC
receipt, glue, ink

My mom grew up here. She had a complicated relationship with her childhood home, which I saw—and even toured after being invited inside. It was a wreck, and I found myself craving the sweetness of my own childhood as a counterbalance.
It used to be a donut for every “A,” but I think they shut that down.

“report card rewards
hard to find
now we’re all grown up

nice lady in nc says
next fresh donuts not till
five, down the road

impatient i buy

the most disappointing bite

i miss
My Sweet Rewards”

even in sleep he’s blinding
6/22/2023
Harbor Bay Campground, Lake Meredith, TX
Strathmore paper, highlighter

Most days, I woke up before Ilan. Despite the blackout covers, he shone in the stuffy heat of the baking car.

Mosquito (At The Most Beautiful Campsite in the World)
6/25/23
Denver, CO
paper, mosquito, tape, thread, pencil, collaged sketchbook cutout (gouache, pen)

With the car doors opening and closing, I faced the wrath of summer’s many winged creatures. These frequent flying foes led to my one enshrined enemy.

“today is the day I battled flies and giant hornets and hail and one pesky mosquito in the dark. The crows don’t like me and I can’t blame them.”

Vegas 4th of July
7/4/23
Las Vegas, NV
teeny tiny digital photography stop motion

Up in the hills surrounding the city, we got a sweeping view of the crackling fireworks displays and a large orange moon. I had to strategize when to set up my camera, as the truck right next to us was intermittently setting off their own fireworks. They exploded right over us, raining ash, outshining our parking-lot-vendor sparklers. We slept high in the mountain that night to escape the record heat wave.

Rock Drawing
7/6/23
South Creek Falls, Sequoia National Forest, CA
soft, wet rock used to draw on hard river rock (rock on rock)

An idyllic, shady riverbed gave rise to a lobster sighting and an afternoon of play—splitting rocks, making mini dams, sandcastles, and this rock drawing.

Redwood Rubbing
7/16/23
Redwood National Park, CA
rice paper, colored pencil

One fallen Redwood at the head of a trail lent itself as bench and muse.

Truth or Dare
8/14/23
Whitehall, MT
paper, gouache, pen, painters tape, sharpie, colored pencil, stickie note

Created in Whitehall’s charming library as a reflection of the previous night’s sparkling-wine-fueled game of Truth or Dare, which supplied us with giggle-inducing hits like “put on all of your underwear.”

Grocery Stores
8/18/23
Near Owen Creek Campground, WO
pencil, highlighter, love, and apathy

We’d been to so many grocery stores. Local spots, national chains masquerading as local spots, and possibly every single Costco in the country. Alllll ranked in a matrix by quality and price.

INVISIBLE HAIR
August ‘23
Unknown Location
sharpie, marker, highlighter

This was the truth. This was my life. This was the inside of Walter after two curly-headed vagabonds lived in him for months. If I had to pick one sensory experience from the trip, it would be this.

Sketchbook
2022-2023
Chicago, and then everywhere
media: a lot of them

This sketchbook carried me from the beginning of creating the car, through to the end of my journey. It contains all the planning, specs, and diagrams for my build, as well as pages of drawings with my little cousins, flower petals I pressed from who knows where, and the dreams of future sculptures I might build.

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