"not from around here"

acrylic on canvas
12"x24"
2008

Falling asleep in a new home, in a new city, I imagined this encounter. Not quite fitting in yet, not sure if this is where you belong… it can be a lonely, scary feeling until you meet some fishie friends and decide this is where you want to be.


This painting was one where the idea came to me so quickly and clearly, one night in bed... I had just left my job and apartment in Chicago and moved across the country to the East Bay. My sister and I were sharing a bedroom in the upstairs of a town home in Hayward, CA with my brother, sister-in-law and their 3 young children. Turtle was living with my mom and dad back in WI. I had just started seeing Beau a few months beforehand, and I didn't really know what I was going to do... I had left my job in 3d architectural modeling with no real plan... We spent our days exploring and taking care of our niece and nephews. And I painted. It was a strange time of new surroundings and an undefined path, full of possibilities.

"not from around here" is still one of my very favorite paintings. It evokes wistful memories of the unease of not-quite fitting in, of beginning a search for something new, both inside and outside of yourself. Of missing the past and facing the future with a barely contained excitement... That time was one of the best of my life. And helps remind me, when faced with times of insecurity and confusion, that things are continually changing — moments are fleeting and there is beauty in whichever now you find yourself.



11x14 print

$35.00

8x10 print

$20.00



Prints include white border and are titled under the image. They are printed on Somerset Enhanced Velvet Fine Art Paper, which is an acid-free, 100% cotton paper with natural white finish and a soft-textured matte surface.

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