Getting My First Solo Show Together

I have been quiet since my TENWEST experience because I've been using every free second I had available to get everything finished for my first solo show.

(Well, I also lost some free seconds to the inevitable internal screaming and escapism that yet another home improvement project brings with it; because the bathrooms were original to the house's build in 1989--and because these are the last rooms of the house that haven't been touched by all the mold shenanigans and could be hiding some fresh nonsense of their own--we decided to just finish all the housework. This is a special sort of hell for my particular flavor of neurospicy. I'm sure I'll do some sort of post when it's all done. Stay tuned!)

Where was I? Oh, yes, the solo show. I signed up for this in the last few weeks of 2025 and actually came up with a solid vision of the pieces I wanted to do given the three walls I had to work with. Almost as soon as I saw the largest wall available to me, I knew I wanted to put together a grid of Pride Kintsugi pieces, building off the three I completed last year. And I wanted to use the length of another wall to try for a bigger piece or two than my usual comfort zone. And for the third wall, I had an idea of two sets that complemented each other, like two triptychs. (Yes, my writer-self also likes the idea of three trilogies and two duologies, etc. Symmetry and independent pieces of a whole...speaks to me.)

The "problem" with this vision? Outside of the Pride Kintsugi pieces, every idea I had was a new technique or a new concept to me or a stretch. On the one hand, yikes! That's a lot of NEW in not a lot of time for my emerging artist self. On the other hand, I think this is what solo shows should be about: take advantage of a concentrated space or area and see how you can grow into it, develop a vision of something a bit beyond where you've been but with an easy sight line to the past...and the future beyond it.

(I was just the other day thinking about how I didn't feel like I had it in me to talk theme and concepts in art. Like all these grand and lofty discussions of Art felt somehow outside of my experience, I'm not that serious or shouldn't be taken that seriously, right? I have no formal training, no infrastructure studied to parse this and express it, but then suddenly these words start tumbling out of me. I think this might be more related to my struggles on the writing front over the past few years, less some lack as an artist.)

Anyway, I started 2026 bright with the ideas for my solo show and very aware just how little time I had to teach myself a few new techniques and practice a few bits while also juggling other responsibilities for my art and beyond. I had three and a half months, and I knew I would need every bit of them. And then the new year dropped us right into the thick of things with no signs of stopping. I spent the rest of my time since the start of February squeezing as much productivity out of every free evening and weekend as I possibly could. (The photo for this post is from a day I got up early so I could continue to varnish some pieces before the dry wall and construction dust settled over everything.)

One thing I had to give myself permission to set aside was completing a press release and scheduling a reception for the show. I had wanted to do these things and even got some great advice from other artists who have done local shows on what worked for them and how to handle the whole process professionally. And yet, this is where my vision for the show came to a screeching halt. I knew the pieces I wanted to make, but the original central concept for the show I developed had unraveled beyond the fun first blush of it, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to pull the words together for my show to then figure out how to write a press release.

As the first quarter of 2026 continued on, I had to give myself permission to set this aspect of the show aside. To figure out what I could, when I could, learn from the process, and if that meant that I wouldn't have a formal reception or an attempt at a big splash, then that was OK. The focus had to be on the art. So I let the press release and reception go and trusted that I would still learn what I needed to learn.

Of course, as is the nature of these things, the universe twisted back and helped me out here. I finally got the concept for my show together last week and started toying with some press release basics. I knew I was too far behind the curve to plan for an opening reception, but maybe a closing one would make more sense? And that's when I realized that it seemed a shame to close my show on June 5 as originally scheduled when I have a whole Pride display planned for a wall. So I asked the space coordinator if I could extend my show through June...and it turned out I could extend through the end of August. (Snowbirds helped a gal out here.)

So now my show, Playful, Practical & Political, will be up for an additional three months, and I've got all kinds of time to schedule receptions. I want to do one for Pride; I will be able to piggy back with a reception for the larger gallery space in May, and I can do some sort of mid-July thing, too. I have so many additional opportunities to learn through this one show.