It seems that 2016 was one of the worst years for many people I know. Terrorism, mass shooting, refugee crisis, US presidential election, Bowie, Prince, Cohen, Fisher, etc, etc. In my personal life, it certainly was an incredibly challenging year, as my father lost his 2 year battle with cancer and passed away in March. In his absence, the structure of our family crumbled, and my mom, sister, and I are working hard to re-establish our role within the family and stay afloat. But the visceral sense of mortality as well as the utter uncertainty of life brought by the passing of my dad are difficult to grapple with, and we are still struggling to make sense of it all.
In the midst of all this, I put my creative practice on the back burner. I wasn't inspired to make things, and I ended up with canceling many events throughout the year. Yet, the art community has its quirky way of nudging me and encouraging me to go back into the studio, and I was happy to be able to take part in some of the local events this year.
East Bay Print Sale at Max's Garage Press
The annual East Bay Print Sale, hosted by Max's Garage Press in Berkeley, CA, took place on December 10th and 11th. The sale event showcases affordable prints by talented local artists, and it draws over 1,000 people. I was unfortunately out of town, but I've heard great things about this year's artist line-up.
Roadworks at San Francisco Center for the Book
I was one of the featured artists for this year's Roadworks event at San Francisco Center for the Book. I carved out a 3 X 3 feet linoleum block for the event, and it was printed via a vintage steamroller on Sunday, September 18th. It was a lot of fun! Thanks for all the volunteers who made this event possible.
San Francisco Zine Fest
This year, I got a full table for the SF Zine Fest and shared it with a group of printmaking kids at SFAI. The fair took place on September 4th at the County Fair Building in the beautiful Golden Gate Park, SF. For some reasons, I didn't take any pictures of the fair, so I'll share some of the print/book production pics leading up to the fair.
