"I had been to Beacon for a day trip once, which is just barely “upstate” of the city, but I knew it was beautiful. I expected a similar setting but my expectations were far exceeded. I did not anticipate how desolate and tiny some of the areas and towns were that I drove through. Despite not having traveled much within the state, I didn’t consider how far removed culturally these places were from New York City. 

The lush forests in the state of New York totally caught me off-guard and was one of the biggest takeaways. From Buffalo where I began all the way to just outside of Manhattan was unbelievably beautiful. I hiked to several waterfalls and wandered through three different sculpture parks and couldn’t get over the scenery. The emptiness and small-town vibe of the places I stopped in was a pleasant surprise. Very cozy and friendly towns where the priority seemed to be on nature and community. Also, the number of museums and parks dedicated to art was incredible. Obviously I did some research before the trip but then speaking to locals and learning more on the road, it became clear there were literally too many places to visit in the time I had. I know I’m just late to the game but the lesser known parts of NY are exceptional.

Many of my visits during the trip were to massive sculpture parks, where much of the work was based in abstraction. The pieces that stuck with me were giant, single-shaped works that forced you to focus on the simplicity and purity of form. The finish, scale, and location were key factors as well, but for the sake of the print, I wanted to concentrate on shape and color. With previous screen prints, I would essentially fill the page with artwork, whereas my piece for The Jaunt centers on a floating shape, with an additional shape cropped inside. The colors are pulled from photographs I took in New York, with the outer flood of green representing the scenery I was surrounded by."

Sunday, May 4, 2025

This morning I woke up in rainy Buffalo, New York and visited the AKG Art Museum, which has an incredible collection and beautiful architecture. Next, I hopped on the road, making a quick stop at High Falls in Rochester before continuing to Ithaca for a studio visit with artist Josh Sperling. Josh was gracious enough to let me tour his studio as he prepares for a solo exhibition in Los Angeles later this month.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Day two started with a hike up to the gorgeous Taughannock Falls in Ithaca before the long drive down to Hudson, where I stopped for lunch and picked up a much-needed raincoat. Next, I headed to Art Omi, spending most of the day exploring the massive sculpture park before making the final drive to Beacon, NY, where I'll be for the next few days.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Most of today was spent hiking around Beacon, exploring the forests and wetlands. I came across an article mentioning an abandoned brick factory nearby, so I broke in and took a look around. The "Denning’s Point Brick Works" produced bricks for the Empire State Building back in the day. After that, I drove just outside of Beacon to Poughkeepsie and wandered around part of the Hudson River before heading back to start some drawings. I was supposed to visit Dia Beacon, which is one of my favorite museums but of course it's closed until the day after I leave..