Hey folks,

I took a beat to get back at this. A part of me wants to get a realistic cadence when to send the newsletter and mid week seems to be the best time to think and write.

I realize it is best to start and finish in the same day because if I leave it open ended, all sorts of things can happen. World events can spin sideways and it makes it hard to remember what it was I was talking about. So I aim to keep up with this in real time.

I started this new approach to my newsletter about a year ago. I took some time to read them all these past few days. I wanted to make sure I was staying true to my vision. That is to connect, stay present and share my process.

There are some calls for art deadlines that are looming for me. So my time in the studio has been finding all my loose ends, side projects and unfinished work to be accounted for. These 6 watercolors in this week’s ‘work in progress photo’ above have been on my wall for a while. The square is a format I favor. One of my first paintings at the Art Students League was a square and I remember my teacher mentioning that the square is a challenge compositionally. I took that to heart when years later I was accepted to the 50|50 show at the Sanchez Art Center. It is a show where each artist creates 50 works of art in 50 days on a 6×6 inch panel. The artist picks the theme. I was accepted 3 times over 6 years. My themes in order were, Stop and Look; the World We Build, Curious World; Persevere and The World Witnessed and Imagined Together. These are all on my website if you want to check them out.

What I loved about this challenge was the everyday reflection, the absence of the need for perfection because of the time constraint and the concept that the world includes all of us. We are a bunch of humans on this magnificent planet together.

Our actions big and small will have some effects on each other. Honestly, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. When big things are happening in our world, things I have no immediate control over, I can feel paralyzed. It is then that I need to remind myself to take into account my sphere of control. I ask myself, “what can I do right now within my sphere of control?”

It can be a call to check in on a friend, a smile to a passerby or finishing my newsletter. It may not save the world but it allows me to ground myself and connect with the world around me. This fills me with gratitude.

Take some time to see what fills you with gratitude. It may take some pressure off the heart and fill the spirit.

Until next time,

Zoe

Latest Read: Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer. Buy at your local bookstore or even better, check it out from your local library!

Art Date: When the Sun Casts a Shadow MAG Galleries. I am excited to see this 3 person show that includes one of my art collaborators, Nick Maltagliati.

Opening 03/06/26 3931-18th St. 5-9pm SF, CA

Inspiration: James Baldwin. I love his writing and I just finished watching the documentary, I Am Not Your Negro.

Shout Out: To my studio mates who helped me when I got locked out of my studio today.