Installation Archives - Mary Ahern Artist

September 9, 2026

Now that I’ve pinned up the custom-printed fabric for the installation, I need to hem it. I don’t sew! Not even buttons that fall off. A friend suggested I get some iron-on hemming tape. It was just delivered, now I have to get what we call, Around Tuit. I’m busy writing press releases and renewing my artist’s statement for the upcoming exhibition, so I’ll get around to it soon.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

September 8, 2026

In the 1970s when I made assemblages, I would get in my car and drive to many different stores to look for specific items or to just wander around until something I saw inspired me. Now, I sit at my desk and shop and in a day or so the product shows up at my doorstep. If I don’t like it or it’s the wrong size, damaged or I found something better, I can just return it. Shipping in either direction is usually free. Of course, we all know that nothing is free in this world, but at least I pretend that shipping is free. I ordered white binder clips for my installation project, and they were too small. So I ordered larger ones, and the next day, without getting in my car and driving, they arrived. Shopping has sure has changed over the last 50 years!

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

This Week in the Studio – August 31-September 6, 2026

Weekly Wrap-Up: Studio Glimpses

This week the installation for Centering in the Midst of Chaos started to become real. The custom-printed fabric arrived, and after a nervous day of not opening the package, I finally cut into it. The colors are bright, just as I’d hoped, printed from the centers of my oil and digital paintings. White doesn’t print, so a few petals will need some imagination to complete, but I’m not letting that small miss slow me down.

By Saturday I was up on the stepstool pinning the panels to the front of the installation to test my idea. It worked. The two panels match in size and position, and they’ll form the circle of circles at the entry just as I designed it. Next comes measuring and hemming, and I’m deciding whether to try iron-on tape myself or hand the job to a seamstress. Sewing has never been my thing, and I’ve made peace with that. We can’t be good at everything.

I also spent a full day recording the statements for each of the oil paintings in the show. It turned out to be harder than I expected, closer to acting or narrating an audiobook than writing. I wrote each statement first, then read it aloud maybe ten times before I felt ready, and it still took several tries per recording to get one I liked. Sitting up straight and breathing from the diaphragm made all the difference, something I hadn’t thought about since I played the trumpet.

In between, I spent a day at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum filming dahlias for the installation video, bees included. And my article for Sanctuary Magazine, on slow looking as a counterbalance to chaos, was published, which feels like it’s speaking directly to the work happening in the studio right now.

Scroll down to see all the Studio Glimpses for a behind the scenes view of how an exhibition comes together.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work for the group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC which was on view until July 18, 2026.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

September 5, 2026

Today I got out my stepstool and pinned the custom-printed fabric to the front of the installation to see if my idea would work as I hoped. It will!! The two panels match in size and position, so they will form a circle of circles at the entry as I designed. Next step will be to take all the exact measurements and hem them. I’ve ordered some iron-on hemming tape and will first try it on some extra fabric to test how it will work. My other option is to hire a seamstress since sewing has never been my forte or interest in the least. I even take items to the tailor if a button falls off a blouse. We can’t be interested or talented in every single art or craft in my opinion.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

September 3, 2026

The custom-printed fabric arrived. Actually, it arrived yesterday but I was too nervous to open the package until today. I’m so happy with the printing! I didn’t expect the two pieces to come in on one long roll of fabric, but that’s OK, I own scissors. The colors are bright just as I hoped they’d be. I chose a thin cotton weave from Printree’s vast collection and expected it to be more sheer to allow people to see through it a little so they’d want to go inside the installation. But it’s just fine. I’m happy with the outcome so far. This was a giant leap for me, selecting the images from my oil and digital paintings to focus on just the centers. I made one error, I hadn’t thought about the fact that the color white doesn’t print so the white in some of the petals will take some imagination. I’m not letting that minor error interfere with my enjoyment of creating this installation. Life isn’t perfect, and neither am I!

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

This Week in the Studio – August 24-30, 2026

Weekly Wrap-Up: Studio Glimpses

This week the installation moved from idea to something I could actually see working. I placed the order for my artwork to be printed on sheer curtain fabric that I’m planning to hang on the frame of the installation. I made myself press “Place the order” despite every voice in my head insisting I wasn’t ready yet. A large part of my week was trading iMovie for CapCut. The new video editor is so feature rich that I watched a lot of tutorials to find what I needed. Learning a new set of tools mid-project because the new editor is more versatile with horizontal and vertical aspect ratios added many additional hours to my work week that I hadn’t expected. Editing is its own craft, full of decisions. Sorting through many years worth of image and video content, writing captions and storylines, deciding on music for the background ambiance, and selecting the right transitions to use between clips. By the end of the week, the video draft for the display monitor in the installation was live on the Raspberry Pi. Headphones were connected and working as expected. The monitor booted up and automatically displayed the video draft I created. A power strip was mounted safely in a basket underneath the table, and all the electronics are controlled with the flick of one switch, including the water fountain. By the end of the week, I finished editing My New World – Anemone Redux, a video following one painting from 2018 to its 2024 revision. I hosted it on Vimeo rather than YouTube, which I’ll use for all the videos I create for the exhibition since it has no distracting advertising. Having a working system was a huge step to reducing the stress I’ve felt about bringing my ideas to fruition.

Scroll down to see all the Studio Glimpses for a behind the scenes view of how an exhibition comes together.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work for the group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC which was on view until July 18, 2026.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

August 29, 2026

Another step in the creation of the installation has been checked off the To-Do list. The video draft has been uploaded to the Raspberry Pi, which shows it on the display monitor. The headphones are also now connected and the audio from the video is clear. All the electricity is running off one power strip located in a basket underneath the table. Security has been considered, and all electronics are resistant to unauthorized removal from the installation. The video on display can be changed by uploading it remotely, which is very convenient, as is the fact that only one switch on the power strip boots up all the devices, including the water fountain.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 26, 2026

Making videos is a far cry from making oil paintings. But, I’m doing both for my upcoming exhibition. Fifteen oil paintings, 5 digital artworks, and an installation are what I’ll be showing in November. When I had the idea to do an installation which will include video, I didn’t think about how much work would go into it or how much I had to learn in order to create it. After all, I’d been making videos since I borrowed a Super 8 in the 1960s. Capturing content is very different than editing a video. I found I needed a storyline. What was I trying to show? Did I have the right material to add to the timeline? Was what I was trying to express clear to the viewer? What is the context in which I wanted this video viewed? Did the video need captions, subtitles or voiceover? Was this video being created for a horizontal or vertical aspect ratio? How about music? Did it need it to set the mood, or would it interfere with the message? So many considerations I hadn’t really thought of in depth before. This is what I’m dealing with now.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 25, 2026

I’ve been working on editing videos for both the installation and for the wall label QR codes for my upcoming exhibition. For years I’ve used iMovie for editing, but they don’t handle vertical videos well, so I decided to move over to CapCut. Oh my! What a difference! There are so many additional editing features available in the new program that every time I’m working with it, I spend even more time doing tutorials. There is so much information online from CapCut itself but also from a wide variety of independent instructors. Many of whom are excellent. I’m working on making a draft of the video I’ll be displaying on the monitor that will be inside the installation in my upcoming exhibition. Each step along the way is taking far more time than I ever expected. So glad I’ve been working for months on this part of the project.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 24, 2026

Today I placed the order for the sheer cotton fabric for the curtain that will hang on the front of the multi-sensory installation I’m creating for my upcoming exhibition. My own artwork will be printed on the fabric. Printree, the vendor, has a good website with an abundance of information which helped considerably with the ordering process. Before I created the artwork, they encouraged me to meet online with someone to go over the details of my printing project which was critical to getting the outcome I’m hoping for. Even with all this support, I found it difficult to push the “Place the order” button. There are always a million details in your head telling you that you’re not ready. But for years I’ve studied the many tricks we use to put obstacles in our way of getting things accomplished. My marketing guru, Seth Godin, often says, Ship It! So I clicked the button and moved on to the next part of the project.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

This Week in the Studio – August 17-23, 2026

Weekly Wrap-Up: Studio Glimpses: Week in Review
Week in Review August 17-23, 2026

This week I worked on the entry curtains for my November installation, Centering in the Midst of Chaos. After a meeting with Printree, the fabric printer, I had the fabric specs I needed and built a circular grid in Photoshop of some of my artwork to make an entry statement into the installation. Partway through, I realized I’d made this shape before, over 20 years ago, drawing the Compositae family for my Botanical Illustration Certificate. Circles within circles, decades apart. Different tools, same center.

Sharing the project with my Techspressionism group led me somewhere new too. A member connected my work to the Healing Arts movement, and I’ve been reading the book she recommended, Your Brain on Art, ever since. Slowing down and looking closely has always been at the heart of what I make, in paintings and in my garden alike. I also spent a day sorting out Vimeo versus YouTube, deciding to keep YouTube for my regular videos and host exhibition work on Vimeo instead. I finished the week masking the centers of my artwork in thin transparent layers so they will print on the sheer fabric hanging on the installation. I’m chasing that same sense of transparency in pixels that I’ve always worked toward in paint and also my life.

Scroll down to see all the Studio Glimpses for a behind the scenes view of how an exhibition comes together.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, from June 5 – September 12, 2026, and my work for the group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC which was on view until July 18, 2026.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

August 22, 2026

I’m creating the graphics that will be printed on the sheer cotton fabric I’ve selected for the front of the installation. I paint in thin transparent layers and I’m trying to duplicate that for the overlapping floral centers. The unit itself comes with an opaque curtain fabric, but for my purposes, I want there to be a feeling of some transparency, so I’ve selected the sheer cotton weave from the printer. The artwork is derived from my own work. The five floral centers on the left are from some of the digital paintings I create using Corel Painter. The five on the right are from my original oil paintings which I create with fan brushes, oil paint on cotton duck canvas.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 19, 2026

I spent today designing the graphics for the sheer entry curtains that will hang in the installation for my November show. Partway through, something clicked. I’ve made this design before. Over 20 years ago, working toward my Botanical Illustration Certificate at the New York Botanical Garden, I drew the Compositae family, flowers whose petals all radiate from a central circle. And here I was again, decades later, building circles within circles. It’s strange and grounding to catch yourself returning to the same shape across a whole career. Gardens, drawings, pixels, oil paint. Different tools, same center.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 18, 2026

I am in a co-working group of artists who meet on a regular basis. The connection is that we all create art using some form of technology in our work. The main organization is called Techspressionism. This week I shared with the group this Studio Glimpses column and the installation project I’m creating for my upcoming show. When I finished speaking, one of the members pointed out that my work is actually aligned with the Healing Arts movement. I had never heard of it but she sent me some links to get started, I was engaged immediately and by the next day I was sitting on my deck reading the book, Your Brain on Art. For many years my work has focused on encouraging viewers to slow down and spend time thinking about what I’m trying to say with my large flower paintings and the abstract galaxies I layer them in, under and in-between. Slowing down, looking and thinking is a big component of the focus of my work. Using another creative medium of mine, I have been designing my own garden over the last 35 years. The space I’ve created isn’t for sitting on a proscenium looking a flowers in the distance, it is for wandering along the woodland walks and meditating on the subtle changes that nature provides on a daily basis. The journey through life and the journey meandering in my garden are both subjects of contemplation in the things and spaces I create. Now I’m beginning to have new language for my work which I’m just now learning to fold into my writing. This also is part of my continuing journey. A huge thanks to Marya Triandafellos for pointing me in this new direction. See her incredible work here: https://www.marya.nyc

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 17, 2026

I have been working on designing the curtains for the front of the installation for my November exhibition. I’ve been back and forth with ideas and think I may have finally decided on a design that works given the theme of the show, Centering in the Midst of Chaos. I’ve included a photo of the installation in its current state to help you visualize the design concept. The printing on the sheer cotton fabric will serve as a welcome entry into the nearly visible interior, with a monitor showing video, a water feature, and headphones for audio, all surrounded by plants. After a meeting with customer support at Printree, the fabric printer, I now have the dimensions of the width of the fabric and a better understanding of their filetype requirements. After determining the circular design, I created a grid and layout in Photoshop, adding various round shapes to determine scale. Once I determined the format, I gathered some of my digital artworks, and then using the matte feature I brushed out the exterior petals using my Wacom tablet and stylus, leaving only the centers to support the circle concept. The right panel will have centers of some of my oil paintings.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 13, 2026

Today I gathered video content for the installation I’ll be showing at my upcoming exhibition, “Centering in the Midst of Chaos”, which will open on election day, November 3, 2026. I have a series on my YouTube Channel called Take a Minute Videos, this is what they are for: Take a Minute Videos offer a brief sanctuary from the rush of daily life. These short videos provide a meditative pause—a moment to breathe, reflect, and find calm amid the chaos. Let yourself settle into stillness and allow space for healing. I’m working on a video presentation with this theme.

Visit my YouTube Channel to see more of my videos.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 12, 2026

I’m going to be doing audio recordings of the statements I’ve written about each of the paintings in my upcoming exhibition. After testing I realized that I needed a better microphone than what comes installed in my computer. Doing research on an affordable option for using the microphone on my iPhone and also on my desktop Mac, I chose the highly rated DJI Mic Mini. Nice and easy setup and very clear audio playback. I have a lot of studying to do to understand the jargon of audio work but that’s part of the fun of creating. There’s always something new to learn.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 11, 2026

The water feature I ordered a few days ago showed up today and I think it’s perfect. The size is right for the booth and the color, or lack of color, works for me. There is a pretty big water basin so I believe it will hold enough water to last for two or more days which shouldn’t be a problem for the gallery sitter to take care of. It’s run by electricity so will have to be plugged in to the power strip that will be below and behind the curtain. Plants under the table will be hiding all the cords once the installation is set up in the gallery. Another part of the project fell into place with this water feature today. Glad to check it off my ToDoist list.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 10, 2026

I had a zoom meeting with a rep from Printree.com to discuss the specs I need to consider when designing my on-demand printing for the curtains of my installation. They were very helpful with clarifying the size of fabric I need to work with, the widths, and the number of yards. Also, the resolution they use is 200dpi rather than my usual print settings for 300 which is important they said since it might throw the design out of proportion. They will give me a view of how the design will look before the printing begins, which is great, and they can also supply me with a print sample to evaluate the color if I choose. They use the sRGB profile which is important to know for color accuracy. Following that Zoom, I went to Micro Center to buy the display monitor for the installation. It seems a bit smaller in height than I expected but it met the width requirement. The aspect ratio is scaled for video display.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.
It will feature digital artwork, oil paintings, and a multimedia installation.

August 7, 2026

Working with CapCut today to edit the videos that will be part of the installation project for the November exhibition. I like to capture close-up videos of flowers and features in the garden that I find interesting. I spend a considerable amount of time in the garden just looking. It is a place to regain balance and harmony in my life. A place to put stress aside and just be part of nature. To ponder why. Why are these flowers the way they are? What is the purpose of their existence? What is ours? I find these quiet conversations with myself calming and relaxing.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

August 6, 2026

In the close-up process of editing the Take a Minute video, I realized that I’ve painted a version of a hibiscus flower before so I went hunting through my archived documentation.

This painting of a Disco Belle Hibiscus was in an exhibition in January on Long Island and is currently in an exhibition in Poughkeepsie NY.

While I was editing my Take a Minute video with the hibiscus, I realized that a while ago, I had made a painting of another hibiscus flower I had in my garden at the time. This year it has been in two exhibitions. In January it was on view at the Art League of Long Island, and currently it is in the show, Portraits From My Garden, until the middle of September 2026.
You can take a closer look at the original Disco Belle Hibiscus oil painting on my website here.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

August 4, 2026

Working on my installation project for my upcoming exhibition in November again today. This entire show’s theme and focus are about centering and staying calm in chaotic times. My own history comes into play with this subject. One of the many ways I stay calm is to meditate, another is to be in my garden, other gardens or by spending time in nature. I find the sounds of nature, birds, and water are calming for me too. One of my friends said that in that case, I need to add water to my installation. So today I spent hours looking for just the right water feature to fit in the installation space and have the aesthetics in keeping with my vision. You can lose hours of your precious life looking for just the perfect something or other, can’t you!

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

August 3, 2026

I decided to work on what images I want to have custom printed on the fabric panels of the installation. Initially, I thought about my tall ornamental grasses since the panels will be about 24” wide and about 70” tall. Ornamental grasses would work well for those dimensions. But there would be no flowers or colors echoing the paintings on the four walls of the gallery. One friend suggested printing my paintings, but I didn’t want to put squares and rectangles. Then I pictured just parts of my paintings. Mostly the centers. That would pick up the theme and title of the show, Centering in the Midst of Chaos and echo the colors around the gallery. So, I spent the day working in Photoshop and masking some of the paintings just to see whether that might work. I still haven’t decided, but at least I’m experimenting.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

August 1, 2026

I’ve now spent two days writing statements about each painting that will be in my solo show in November. Each statement is a personal remembrance of what I was thinking about, or inspired by, or reacting to when I began each painting. It took many hours to write the drafts and then came the rewrites and rewrites of the rewrites. I will be using these statements in a variety of ways in written, video, and audio formats, so it was important to create something that would work well in a variety of media. Not an easy task at all but very well worth the effort.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 31, 2026

One of the things I have to decide is what aspect ratio to use for the video portion of my installation for the Nov exhibition. I had thousands of videos but had to do some sorting. First was to split the horizontal & the vertical videos. Then to sort them by subject. I was looking for how many usable videos I had available to edit into the video loop I plan to create. Even though I have far more vertical format videos, I’ve decided that for this project I want to use the horizontal format. Humans are used to seeing things horizontally. We view televisions horizontally. We read paper books horizontally. Our eyes are balanced horizontally. I believe more calmness is perceived if we see images in a horizontal format so that’s what I’m going to create.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 30, 2026

This 8×10″ image on the table is just too small to make a statement.

I’m thinking that this 12×16″ image would make a good size for a monitor given the restricted space. Standing in the confined area, looking at the images on the monitor of this size would be comfortable and even a bit cozy.

A 16×20″ monitor would make you want to step back and that would not be feasible in this structure since it would make the space too claustrophic

The next decision I’m contemplating is the size of the monitor I want to put on the table. Too big and you want to stand back from it, which won’t work in a tight space. Too small and it won’t have gravitas. Not having a variety of monitors in different sizes to trial, I put different sized prints on a stand on the new table inside the structure. I think the middle size is the Goldilocks decision since it has the right amount of screen space and will encourage the viewer to stand at an appropriate distance and not feel claustrophobic.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 29, 2026

Here’s a screenshot of the table I found on the Ikea website. Fortunately, there is an actual store about a half hour away so I was able to pick it up immediately, and assemble it to see if it worked well for its use. It did and that’s another item to check off my To Do list. BTW, it will be easy to transport to the gallery for the exhibition since the legs unscrew from the bottom of the table.

The simple white table from Ikea fits perfectly and has adjustable legs, which allow for standing and working. I moved the curtain further back to drape behind the table and will have another solution for the front of the structure.

For my installation project, now that I have the structure and the fabric samples, I turned my attention to the surface I need in order to put a monitor on for the video I’m creating. The table had to be taller than a desk and wide enough to fit well into the back of the display. Once I had the structure assembled and the curtains attached, I felt the space was too claustrophobic if I added the necessary table. So, I didn’t want one that was too deep but just enough so that the curtain could be draped behind it and thereby extend the floor space beyond that footprint of the structure. I spent hours upon hours researching possibilities. Desks were too short for the viewer who would be standing, and standing desks were beyond the budget. There were so many things to consider, such as color, simplicity of style, height, depth, width, and, of course, budget. I finally found one on the Ikea website, and it fit all the specifications. So off we went to pick it up at the store, which is about a half hour away, brought it home, and assembled it immediately. And Bingo! It fit perfectly, just exactly as I had envisioned what would work. Yet another part of the installation falls into place. Now on to the next task.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 28, 2026

Now that I have received fabric swatches from three different on-demand fabric printers, I’m deciding to work with the one located in Long Island City, since they are closer to me than the North Carolina and Canadian companies. Their prices and shipping are very competitive, which doesn’t hurt either. I spent quite a bit of time looking at the fabric samples I’m considering from PrintTree, and I like the way they print images, color, grayscale, and text on their samples so you can see the full breadth of color and text printing quality. My thought is that I’d like to have my own art printed on fabric to use as curtaining for my installation at my upcoming show at Ceres in November. I’m leaning towards using a translucent fabric which might intrigue people if they see outlines of what is inside and decide to enter and view the entire presentation display.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 27, 2026

I’ve been doing more tutorials on how to use CapCut. For years I’ve edited with iMovie but found it limiting when working with vertical formats. So, on the recommendation of many friends, I decided to try this, new to me, app. I’m using the desktop version since editing on my iPhone isn’t appealing to me, although I’ve been using InShot for some social media posts. But I wanted to up my game a bit so I’m biting the bullet and working with the Pro Version of CapCut. It has too many TikTok-style effects that don’t interest me, but I’m coming up with ways to streamline my workflow around them. Here’s my first “Take a Minute Video”.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 25, 2026

The fabric swatches I ordered have arrived. This is for the installation project I’m designing for my upcoming show in November. I’m thinking of having my artwork printed on fabric and using that instead of the curtain that came with the frame I ordered. These printable fabrics come a wide variety of material and weights. Some are sheer and see-through and others thick and opaque. Once I decide on the fabric and the cost of printing, I’ll decide if this part of the installation is feasible. Lots of steps yet to go. I’m enjoying the process, it’s very creative since there are so many variables.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 24, 2026

One reason I chose this particular booth set-up was that the front was circular. Considering that so much of my iconography is about circles and spheres, this was a great addition to my quiver of ideas.

I rolled one of my smaller tables into the booth but kept it out back beyond the frame. This allowed me to add another foot or two to the interior and make the interior far less claustrophobic.

Today I focused on the structure of the installation I’m making for my next solo show. I hung the curtain that came with the frame to see how I would be hanging the fabric. The curtain that comes with the frame is the perfect size for the use it was designed for but proved to make the interior of the space too claustrophobic for my unique project. I put a table outside the frame footprint and draped the fabric to the outside of the table which proved to be a good solution because it gave more freedom to resize the interior. A 12” by 40” table or shelving would be the perfect dimensions so it’s going to take some research to find that size. The table needs to hold a small monitor. Today I got some important factoids which moved the project forward.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 21 2026

Using Art Placer, I created a mock-up of all the walls in the Ceres Gallery based upon the site plan they provided. Of course, the room is rectangular, not one long wall. Then I used Artwork Archives and my Excel spreadsheet to begin “placing” the images of each available painting on the “walls”. The Art Placer app adjusts each image based upon the size dimensions you put into the inventory category. This provided me with a visual approximation of how many pieces and what sizes and colors will work together to make a cohesive display. This type of planning helps me considerably since I am, of course, a visual learner. Now that I have somewhat of an idea of what my space for my November solo exhibition will be, I can be comfortable with the next stage of planning, which is designing and creating the installation piece for which I still don’t have a title, just an idea.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for three exhibitions. My solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, on view from June 5 – September 15, 2026, and my work that was on view in the June, 2026 group show, “Raising Women’s Voices” in Chelsea, NYC.

My next solo exhibition titled “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” will be at the Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, November 3 – 28, 2026.

July 18 2026

Today was a research day on my computer, another of my “studio spaces”. I wanted to learn more about the options for getting my own artwork printed on fabric. This is part of the installation I’m working on for my upcoming solo show at the Ceres Gallery in November, titled Centering in the Midst of Chaos. I’m designing a type of meditation space that replicates the calmness offered by an engagement with nature. I am hoping to have my flowers printed on sheer fabric to hang from the frame to enclose the space. A number of different vendors are sending me fabric samples which should come next week. I hope I’ll find something that will work for what I am envisioning.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for my solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, from June 5 – September 15, 2026, my work for the group show, “Hearing Women’s Voices” at the Ceres Gallery in from June 23. to July 18, 2026, and my upcoming November 2026, solo exhibition titled, “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” in Chelsea, New York City

July 9, 2026

I had this idea to create an installation for my solo exhibition at the Ceres Gallery in November. The show is titled Centering in the Midst of Chaos and opens on November 3, 2026, which is the midterm election day. I needed an enclosure for the project so looked online and found a small 6’x6’ greenhouse which seemed perfect for my garden based installation. When it arrived, we set it up and realized that it was too big for the space and would overshadow so much of my artwork that will be hanging on the four walls, so back it went. Looking some more, I found these curtained enclosures for trying on clothes in a temporary setting. It arrived, and once it stopped raining here, we put it together in the garage this afternoon. The size seems like it will work with some modifications, so I brought the frame upstairs to my studio, where I can work on the dimensions and fabric design. I’m really enjoying expanding my thinking beyond two dimensions for a bit of time. The ideas keep percolating in my head. What fun!

I almost kept this cute little greenhouse for my own use in propagating but decided I’m too busy at the moment to take on another project so back it went.

I found this little dressing room online and thought the size might work for my installation project. With modifications this might be just what I need.

The frame for the dressing room, now renamed, the installation, is lightweight and very easy to put together. Since it’s freestanding, I won’t have to disturb the walls in the gallery, which is a big plus in my estimation.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for my solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, from June 5 – September 15, 2026, my work for the group show, “Hearing Women’s Voices” at the Ceres Gallery in from June 23. to July 18, 2026, and my upcoming November 2026, solo exhibition titled, “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” in Chelsea, New York City

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