An end to summer

It has been quite the summer. Some highlights:

I did another class at Mesh Baltimore, one of my very favorite groups in Baltimore, where people gather to share knowledge and skills with each other. I taught about making art from recycled materials- it was a blast as usual and students got to take some scrap materials off my hands!

Student work from my SkillShare at Mesh Baltimore.

Also this summer, I enjoyed having my first show in Frederick, Westmaryginiasylvanington. As the name of the show suggests, this was a regional exhibition featuring artists within a 50 mile radius of Frederick. Andrea Pollan was an excellent juror and speaker for the show, and Adam Farcus from Hood College did a fantastic job of putting it all together. I really loved the art from the rest of the artists, so it was great experience!

Reception at Hood College.

I also finally installed in a new, stable mailbox for #TakeASketchLeaveASketch at Leakin Park at Gwynns Falls Trail. People have been leaving sketches, too! Check my page to see the updates on that.

New mailbox for #TakeASketchLeaveASketch. Go see it and take a sketch and leave a sketch!

Another highlight of the summer was visiting my home state Colorado. We went at the end of August before the big rains hit. The flooding is mind-blowing, by the way. For those not familiar with the Colorado climate, it is generally dry throughout the state, even desert-like in many areas. Heavy rainfall is not common at all, and I literally cannot believe my eyes seeing how much water landed over the state. I think this article does a good job explaining how unusual this type of weather is.

Anyway, while we we visiting, some attractions like the Royal Gorge were closed due to wildfires since there has been a severe drought until just recently. But,we did get to see many other areas of the state that are quite beautiful. I particularly enjoyed going to Seven Falls, which has always been within minutes of where I have lived, but I had no memories of actually being there before.

Seven Falls in Colorado Springs. We walked up the staircase above the falls and then some!

Though my hometown of Colorado Springs was spared the worst of the flooding, I learned from my parents recently that many trails have been washed out by rain, and Seven Falls actually did flood. Anyway, I recommend that everyone visits Colorado, it is a beautiful state with a lot to offer, and, despite the extreme weather, most days are so nice there.

Another thing I really enjoyed this summer was participating in some flash mobs. My friend Mary is doing awesome things as a blogger and an artist (see blog here), so I decided to participate in her Human Rainbow flash mob and Sidewalk Chalk flash mob. Both were at the awesome Federal Hill Park in Baltimore.

Human Rainbow! (I'm in green).

One of my sidewalk chalk contributions.

I love Mary's projects because they're always fun, bring people together, and I get to see Mary, who is such a positive, joyful, creative leader.

Well, that's it for now. As far as news goes, I will my first solo show in Baltimore this fall at the Notre Dame of Maryland University from October 21 to November 22. I am very excited about that and am currently working on some new projects for it. Also, make sure you visit my #TakeASketchLeaveASketch page to see the latest sketches.

How was your summer?