This is the space for our members to discuss and share their creative projects, ranging from written works to drawings, photography, and even craft projects such as knitting and woodworking. Self promotion is welcome (websites where we can view and/or purchase your work). Please do continue to preface if content is NSFW and be sure to properly spoiler/link such content.

One of the mixed benefits of getting into visual art over the past several years has been a consolation for the (relative) dimunition of my social life. This happens to a lot of people as they get older, of course, especially if you’re a single person whose friends overwhelmingly band in couples (whose white-collar employment generally differs from your own service work—weekends off, etc.). It’s weird whenever I stop and think sometimes that I don’t really have any close friends (of the three closest over the past ten or so years, one moved away, one moved away and stopped speaking to me for political reasons in 2020—not what you might think—and the last stopped speaking to me for reasons which remain unclear, though I have a few theories, one of which was my fault), and it feels like the artistic endeavor both fills that chasm to some extent and deepens it at the same time. So maybe it’s not so weird that making artwork for friends hasn’t figured more in my “practice” over the years.

I’ve done a couple of paintings for folks—the header image, July 2020’s Mephitic Chevauchee (watercolor on paper), during the pandemic to cheer up a friend in embattled retail—but it’s a tiny fraction of my total output. I’d love to do more, but I always feel like it would be an imposition; I’m increasingly confident that I’m capable of good work (or at least work I can stand behind) but I can get self-conscious about this. That said, there’ve been a couple of avenues in the past year that offer potential opportunities, especially given my intention to try more finished pencil work (that I haven’t actually been doing recently). I ran into my friend Margot in December at the bus station and did a sketch she loved, so I’m thinking of turning that into a larger picture for a housewarming present (oh, a lot of my friends are homeowners, too). My friend Dom’s birthday party a couple of months ago might get similar treatment. I suppose even I’ll be able to tell if they don’t like them.

How’s your work going?