12.15.25

Studio Vibes

Watching: Top Chef: New Orleans (Season 11), Wicked: For Good, and Crazy Rich Asians

Reading: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark and Cultish by Amanda Montel

Listening: Lungs by Florence + The Machine and That’s Showbiz Baby! The Encore by JADE

I am so tired of hearing about AI, specifically generative AI. I’m so tired of AI being shoehorned into everything creative. However, I saw a YouTube short from a ceramicist that they’re going to stop aiming for perfection in their works because people are craving that human touch. I’ve noticed that because of all the AI, I’m more determined to create my paintings and photographs and support my fellow artists. To me, what makes art art is its human touch. It doesn’t matter if it’s music, painting, writing, photography, or cooking - I want the humanity attached to it. AI was truly released into the world without considering the ethical and legal implications that came with it. If you want a cute illustration or artwork, consider supporting a local artist rather than using generative AI.

In Progress

Okay, so I wasn’t able to finish two paintings, but I technically have almost finished one. It has been hanging on my wall for a while because I needed to add one more collaged rose. I had a different collaged rose that I was working on, but I wasn’t feeling the way it came out. The colors ended up muddied, and I couldn’t get the details right. I ended up creating a new rose and painting it in about two hours yesterday. Unfortunately, as I was printing out my transparency, I ran out of magenta ink (which is the primary color for the image). Once I finish the rose, this painting will be done!

This painting was truly an experiment. When I initially made the study, it was going to have minimal collage. What I learned is that I loved the mix of painterly techniques combined with these handmade collaged elements – it has become a key point of this series.

Left photo: The new flower (left) versus the old flower (right)
Right photo: The soon-to-be complete artwork

Speaking of collage elements – all those figurative collage elements I made over Thanksgiving? They were too small for my paper, so I had to redo all of them (there was a lot of restarting these past two weeks). Luckily, I hadn’t started in on the details, so it wasn’t too much of a loss. 

However, the leaves were the perfect size, and they did something I love! Since I made the leaves on vellum, they do have a nice level of transparency, and since they’re green, they look absolutely amazing against the hot pink background. I also used a mix of watercolor pencils (without water) to create them. So, let’s just add another medium into these works to make them truly mixed media (acrylic gouache, photo transfer, colored pencil, and collage).

After seeing that layering effect, I think I’ve figured out how to finish up this painting. I’m taking inspiration from how risographs print. The background will have a thin, opaque color, slightly masking the hot pink. Then I will add a multi-faced self-portrait using a pink color scheme on Yupo or regular paper. Finally, I’ll layer the leaves over the top and have them spill out of the mirror. Will this work? I have no clue, but there’s something here that I need to explore, and as I’ve been seeing, exploration has been key.

The collaged vellum leaves against the hot pink background.

Creative Endeavors

Remember the Renaissance-inspired printed, 100% silk fabric I wanted from Mood Fabrics? I waited too long, and there’s only six yards left (and of course it’s deadstock). I did order a sample piece, and it’s extremely transparent, so any piece would have needed lining. I’ll definitely need to keep an eye out for similar prints. 

However, I saw a Fendi dress that I must make. I saw it on TWICE’s Mina, and to be honest, I want the entire outfit (hairbow and all). I have a pair of botanical teal, platform heels that I got for my birthday, and I decided I want the dress to match. I immediately began searching for a balloon dress pattern and found basically a 1:1 match. I ordered teal brocade (and lining) from Mood Fabrics, and it came in this past Saturday. I will 100% need to make a mockup for this dress, especially since it will be my first time working with boning, but I cannot wait to start! My mom has a sewing machine, so I think I can make the mock-up next week while I’m at her place and then use the first week of 2026 to make the actual dress.

Left photo: The Fendi dress on Mina.
Right photo: The fabric I ordered against my shoes: a perfect color match.

Other Shenanigans

Part 1 of my annual holiday baking was completed at the beginning of the month (only took two days). I had a ton of extra cookies, so I took them into work during our department-wide gathering, and they were gone by the first day. There was literally one snickerdoodle left. I’ll be doing part 2 at my mom’s, which puts less pressure on me. 

Clockwise from the top: Cranberry, pistachio, white chocolate bar; chocolate marshmallow sugar cookie, peppermint bark, peanut butter miso cookie, and a ginger snap.

Middle: Snickerdoodle (not a sugar cookie with cinnamon)

In my last post, I mentioned that I wanted to start thinking about my 2026 goals. I usually have the same themes for my goals: health/exercise, hobbies, and life adjustments. For health/exercise, I want to explore a new exercise hobby. In 2025, I wanted to start figure skating, but you know, life happened. I think I want to explore one or more of the following for 2026:

  • Ballet

  • Figure Skating

  • Pilates

  • Rock Climbing

This past year, I wanted to cook two recipes from each cookbook I own – that didn’t happen either. I think I’ll try again for 2026, though! I definitely plan on keeping up with my language learning and my art practice. 

Finally, I want to volunteer more consistently in 2026, at least once a month. My cousin and I have volunteered with the Anacostia Watershed Society before, and I want to get back into it. I’m also looking at volunteering with the Capital Area Food Bank. I genuinely enjoy volunteering, and it helps pull me out of my head and remind me of the larger world around me. Plus, everything feels like absolute garbage right now, so I would love to help contribute to a more positive world. 

I will be at my mom’s next week, so it’s harder to work on the larger paintings. However, I do plan on working on collage elements, sketches, and a dress mock-up. I’ll be back in two weeks with some new updates.