For the past few months, I have been traveling both backward and forward in time—preparing for a steampunk themed art show! This month, two other local artists and I collaborated to bring the Lodi Community Art Center the featured portion of its first physical show since March: Steampunk! The entire steampunk genre is based on an imagined world in which electricity was never discovered, but time has gone on toward a present where Victorian and industrial styles thrive in a landscape of fantastic airships, glamorous costumes, and idealized cities.

Me and Rita Hill surrounded by our pieces!

One of Rita Hill’s fantastical creations, which inspired my piece, “Co-Pilots”, behind it.

The three of us were extremely proud of the turnout at our opening reception. People kept pouring in, waiting their turn to come in the gallery since we were required to keep the number of guests to six. Friends and family shared the night with us, of course; but they brought their own guests as well and we even had some attendees who were visiting our gallery for the first time. It was both encouraging and touching to see how many people came out to support the arts. To top it off, the local paper did a great write up of our show!

My piece “Hot Air Balloon Pilot I” made the cover!

After several months of fevered conversations, brainstorms, daydreams, sketching, and framing (and re-framing); after the hours we spent in the gallery adjusting and re-adjusting each of our carefully crafted creations, and especially after the weeks and weeks of pushing to get the word out about our show—what a marvelous way to celebrate.

Thank you, Lodi News Sentinel, for the great write up!

“Steampunk!” was put on by Elsa Bates, myself, and Rita Hill. You can find out more about Elsa Bates’ art by visiting the Lodi Community Art Center’s website here, and you can learn more about Rita Hill’s work by visiting her website here. The show will be up through September at the Lodi Community Art Center.

Like a lot of people, I’ve had some extra time since mid-March. Luckily, extra time means extra art! I’ve been able to draw much more often than usual, so I’ve created a wide range of pieces, from floral still lifes to whimsical characters in a steampunk universe. I hope you enjoy them.

“Sunflowers” Colored pencil on Strathmore paper. Summer is just around the corner, and I wanted to make something bright and cheery. I enjoyed building the yellows and oranges in this piece, especially during the grayer days of March and April.

“Spring Dragon” Colored pencil on Strathmore paper. I do love this dragon character. It would be wonderful to be walking through a meadow on a bright spring day and see a dragon with a stack of books, all camped out for a day of reading.

“Sleeping Moon” Watercolor pencil on Bristol board. Since I was a little kid reading picture books, I’ve loved the image of a cozy crescent moon sleeping above the world at night.

“Crescent Moon” Watercolor pencil on Bristol board. Another cozy moon keeping watch over the world.

“Pilot” Colored pencil on Strathmore paper. This piece is part of a Steampunk show that two local artists and I are putting on in August of this year. I finished this piece first and began sketching others soon after. I did a couple of other port… — “Pilot” Colored pencil on Strathmore paper. This piece is part of a Steampunk show that two local artists and I are putting on in August of this year. I finished this piece first and began sketching others soon after. I did a couple of other portraits and ended up making both of them redheads, sort of accidentally. Then I thought it would be neat to show this same pilot through the years as she went on adventures and grew up. My goal by August is to have a wall of drawings documenting her escapades, so that viewers at the show will feel like they’re in her house, walking through her memories.