Monthly Digest: February 2023

Hello!

Feb was a busy month for us, with us settling into a new space, getting a hang of a new schedule. Writing these posts seem to be delayed and ofcourse as usual, nothing goes according to plan.
Anyway here is a very late (!!!) update of what happened in Feb.

Events

A a part of a local festival called Viva Vaddo, my studio along with a whole bunch of other creator’s studios in the area were open for an “open studio day”

As a part of my open studio, I had a new woodblock that I had started on display for people to come in and view and look at what the process might be. I also put up all my existing work on display on the walls, in some sort of chronological order. It was a fun day, but its really exhausting to talk about your work for hours.

Music

This month I explored this classic album by Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See. Its the perfect dreamy/ moody/ comforting solitude type album. The kinds you’d play in your bedroom as a teen while you wallowed in lonliness. Theres something really deep, dark about it. Almost like a look into a surreal, introverted mind.

The playlist compilation for this month isn’t far from this mood. This playlist is also dreamy, dark, feminine. I especially loved the new gems which were: the instrumental music by Crescent, doomy fem duo Mrs. Piss and the absolutely heart shattering song Ptolomaea by Ethel Cain. This song shook me the minute I heard it, from the subtle sounds of swarming insects, the feeling of despair, the screaming, the skin tingling incantation. It feels dark and Satanic but also possibly holy.

Books

This month I read finished just one book: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan . This books was slightly disappointing but I think theres something about it that I didn’t get. The overall story is really sentimental and the scenes are beautifully descriptive of a time and mood - but this book is different - the book ends at a point where a book would REALLY start. So for me I felt a bit cheated - or maybe I’m not getting the subtleties of it

TV / Film

This month not much was watched, apart from :

The Bletchley Circle (2018):
Set in 1952, `The Bletchley Circle' tells the story of four ordinary women who have returned to their normal lives after working as code-breakers at Bletchley Park during World War II

An absolutely entertaining show and look into a period of great interest: code breakers during war.

The Little Hours (2017) :
Massetto poses as a man with hearing and speech impairment in order to seek refuge in a convent full of sexually frustrated nuns.

This show was so strange and funny. I was entertained and cringing at the same time.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) :
A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.

This show has problematic moments but I’ve been binging it for 2 months and counting.

Art

The personal art front was great this month! Did a bunch of ceramics and started a new woodblock print (which I’m sure I’ll never finish). I also got a new drafting table (!) Here’s an image dump of studio life:

Life

We bought some vintage/junk furniture! Here’s a photo dump of the month:

That’s All Folks!