A Mentorship Journey

At the beginning of my mentorship I set a goal to complete a cohesive body of work suitable for exhibition submissions. My mentor, Julie Lapping Rivera, and I began by conducting a full review of all my work.  We honed in on a series that I had already started but felt was ‘missing something’. This series (The Space Between) is based on a deep dive into my relationship with my homeland as a person living outside of Ireland for over three decades.

Once we selected this series, I focused all my efforts on this topic and what I wanted to visually communicate. Each Sunday I set out my plan for the week which kept me focused and ready for our in-person meetings. I kept detailed notes, both written and visual, to help present what I was working on, and to identify where I needed guidance. Julie was there through all of these experiments to provide advice, technical tutelage  and to encourage me along my path. She heard my frustrations and celebrated my wins一I felt very supported during this period of artistic expansion.

The time in the mentorship program provided me with the structure and encouragement to launch me to the next level. I feel it helped shape me as an artist and transform my art practice, and art.

The Transformation exhibit depicts how my work changed over the course of the mentorship program.  The Space Between series continues to evolve as I employ the techniques and approaches learned.