I see how active you are in collaborating with other artists... I was very hopeful. Now for the meaningful writing... thank you for being my friend all those years ago. Was it the 5th grade...? In my hazy memories we were two insecure girls named Jessica trying to navigate the social hell of adolescence. ...hard adjusting years My mom moved us, starting middle school with no dad and no friends... ....I clung to those few visits we had. Then you moved... I always admired you f

Do you know it's been almost eleven years since I've seen your lovely face? Maybe more... Such a very long time. Are you happy? I hope so. I keep thinking about our times together... Romanticizing it, probably. You were this mysterious protege of Kathy's... quiet, keeping to yourself, making fabulous art. I was a bit of a loaner... I keep sifting through my memories... can't remember when we started our friendship. Memories are like that-- a collection of thousands of instanc

This is week 28 of my 52 Letters project. I have a letter written, ready to share with you tonight. But I just can't do it. Instead, I am writing this letter. Instead of carefully chosen phrases, I'm sharing the whole letter, because it is written to you--who voted, who believed, and who lost. I spent my entire day paralyzed. I haven't slept in over 40 hours. I haven't eaten a bite today. I have subsisted on water. I have cried countless times, and sought comfort in c

As I was working on the art, you kept popping into my mind... I knew it was time. This is week 27... Sometimes it feels like the time is creeping by so slowly--- others, like it's flying by, and I just can't keep up. It's autumn... that time of year I always begin to reflect on my life. ...the choices I have made different choices ...everything I have accomplished things I never did. It's a confusing state to exist in... it happens every year around this time. It's become som

I want the entire process to be honest and organic, not artifice or overthinking. ...I am able to be intimate, truthful, and authentic. I knew when I began this project you would be on my list... Of all the women alive right now... I admire you most. I thought I should admire an artist more. But no; it's you. I feel... there are very few who take the welfare of the people into account as a top priority. You are one of the few. I have never seen a more passionately authentic,

Thank you so much or the lovely collection of feathers. I love that you labeled and catalogued exactly where they came from! ...to know the stories they carry. ...I'm sorry to have made you wait so long. ...I wait for a signal to tell me when to write letters to specific people. ...I got the feathers from you, I knew it was time... The most precious feathers... you discovered in your father's journal. I knew I had to send one back to you. It makes the artwork...carry more mea

Dear Jessica, Your letter was waiting for me when I returned from my last adventure... Your letter took me back to grade school days... Mom insisted I acquire a pen pal. She had several... Mom loved to write... ...it didn't take long for me to start writing... I wrote to a boyfriend who went off to college; I wrote copiously... I corresponded from Puerto Rico.... By my third year of college I had a huge box of replies... I used to illustrate my letters with drawings... But I

I'm not sure if you remember me. We talked and shared stories... Like you, I am Comanche-- and a hybrid... Unlike you, I was not raised with any knowledge of my culture. Something that has always made me feel displaced. I am so happy to have met you... even though it was very brief. It was so validating... My life has oscillated between moments of belonging and being and outsider... I value your insights and stories... being raised as Comanche... how the area you lived in has

You were my first Art History professor. I actually studied more under you than any other... ...I always admired you, your enthusiasm and passion for life and learning. I tell my friends about you... "My first Art History professor has the most eclectic hat collection ever; there were days when she would wear roller blades to class!" You enjoy life so openly... so freely-- I have ALWAYS admired that about you. I envy you. How do you do it? Find joy all the time, even when lif

You can't imagine my surprise when I opened your envelope. My heart did a big beat. I'm going to follow your writing guidelines. I totally agree about handwritten. ...what comes out IS different. ...it's from the heart primarily and less the head. This particular group of women has been critical... giving me the support to push myself... grow in confidence, as well as artistically. Your comments about _____ were very poignant and meaningful. Yes, to answer your question-- I D

I feel extremely nervous writing this letter... I have vacillated for months... about when to send your letter. I knew it had to be soon... It may already be too late. I created this image with the cherry blossoms... I was reminded of the White House. I took it as a sign. I cried when you won the Democratic nomination, I cried even more when you were inagurated. Some day your terms as President and First Lady will be recognized and appreciated as a historical turning point by

I'm now on week 21 of the project... time is going by so fast. I handwrite the letters... it becomes more intimate, my voice changes, I feel compelled to be more honest. I love that we are all so different, in age, personality, and artistic styles. ...it keeps our discussions very engaging... encourages me to look at the work we all create more objectively. I'm enjoying how your work is changing-- all the ways you are altering the images, but retaining the same process. ...th

It was so nice to see you again, and to meet your beautiful family. I think it's amazing the ways in which people change and stay the same. You should know that following you... has been a great motivator for me to become a more productive artist and helped me to have the courage to share my work... I adore your work! It is so honest and quirky and beautiful and analytical. I have no idea how you are able to capture all these qualities simultaneously... I'm happy that you fou

I wanted to send your letter this week. You beat me to the punch! Thank you for the card and your words. This is more about giving than receiving. I create the art intuitively... when I make mistakes, I either work with them, or let them shine through in all their glory. I felt some pressure working on your art... it was important to me that it be full of positive light an energy. I admire your strength and grace and honesty... I have no idea what it's really like for you...

The main purpose of this project is for me to share my gratitude with others, and to share some thoughts and introspections about creativity, I wrote a letter to Jerry, I mailed the letter to you-- to share with you...how grateful I am for his presence in my life. I never would have met you... My first formal analysis of an artwork was one of your paintings. Jerry brought it to class... I loved the vibrant color, painterly mark making, and abstraction of the landscape. Two ye

I honestly thought yours would be one of the last letters... because you're gone, you can't write back... I keep thinking about you lately. I'm taking it to mean you want your letter now. You had one of the most pivotal roles to play in my life. I would never be an artist had we not met. I know this with absolute certainty. I never had any interest at all in it. NONE. Oh, I knew I was creative and strange, but music and writing filled my time. Never visual art. EVER. You took

I feel like it's been two forevers... Are you making art? ...I'd love to see anything you're working on. --I've been making a lot of art. Some good-- some not so good. I went through a grieving process after I left... It's hard to go without the dynamism of the classroom, and a full creative environment. I feel very fortunate to have worked with you. I enjoyed all of our conversations. You were also a great mentor... You gave wonderful advice and support... I'll never forget

I ask if I have their permission to share parts of their letters openly or anonymously. Some people don't want me to share, and that's okay. Truthfully, most don't write back, and that's okay too. This is MY endeavor and MY journey. ...it's more about me sharing with others and making my self more vulnerable... The only two situations in which I feel completely at home in my body... when I'm creating and when I'm teaching. These aren't just professions... It's who and what I

I decided last week that the next letter I wrote would be to you. ...there's something so special about handwritten letters. You know one of the things I miss most about the closet? I loved those funny notes we left for each other. They were a ray of sunshine in a windowless closet. We built a fabulous friendship in that closet. I felt so alone and alienated before you two came along. We are all different... but we shared a quirky sense of humor in surviving... One of the thi

Dear Jessica, Thank you so much for your lovely letter. I'm hoping to travel again next summer. It's great for the spirit and soul. ...watercolor and oils have found their way into my heart. I have wanted to work with landscapes for a long time... it's great to finally take a risk with a subject that is misunderstood. The dramatic boldness of mark making and light... ...documenting the tuna and mood of a particular place. I never get tired of this subject-- it calls to me wit