what a night, thank you to all who came out for the opening thursday evening; it felt like a milestone—both personally and professionally. when i started painting in 2015 i would have never imagined that 7 years later i would be painting a 10’ x 24’ work in the span of a week for a show in nyc. that is in itself truly, genuinely, a dream come true. in 2015 i painted a piece titled ‘she flies with her own wings’. i was 23 at the time, and that title—also the oregon motto—felt like something i wanted to embody and aspire to, but i was still learning, still growing. now i find myself on the cusp of entering a new decade, with new experiences that have influenced my work and it’s progression over the years. while painting this piece i had the same quote in my mind, “she flies with her own wings”. typically i title complete works from past journal entries, but in this instance i couldn’t get that phrase out of my head. this night filled me with so much joy. to my beautiful friends who flew in, sent flowers, left sweet voicemails and facetimes—you made me feel so so loved. you know who you are. endless thank you’s to the stellar @sugarlift team, @itsaliese for the beats, and @josuer for the flicks. ‘she flies with her own wings ii’, 10’ x 24’, acrylic, oil pastel, marker, and graphite on raw canvas, 2022.