Newsletter Number Two
treasure hunting and new year soup
So it’s been a minute…!
What I hoped would become a regular practice of absorption, reflection, and writing a newsletter has turned into not that at all. I won’t bore you with every detail that’s gone down in the past few months, but would love to share some things I’ve been pumped about.
I’m taking myself out on a date to the library today. I’m feeling really excited to look through volumes of nature books and find fun illustrations to get inspired by! This will be my 6th “artist date.” In an attempt to gtfo my phone every morning and take an actual step away from Instagram, I started the 12 week endeavor of the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I hate to be that bitch but it has genuinely been such an awesome experience so far. I’ve been feeling really distant from my art practice and also who I am as “a creative.” Kinda hard to do or conceptualize while the state of the world seems to be crumbling faster than ever… But every morning I make myself fill three pages with mind blabber, to do lists, dreams, grief, frustrations, recaps of the day before, and plans for the day to come. Every week I take myself out on a date.
On my first date I set out on a quest to see some horses. There are some stables up at the arboretum, so I drove out there but the pasture was empty. So I went on a walk, allowing myself to be pulled to whatever called me, not asking why certain things were bringing me delight. I was pulled towards a tree, and the name tag read “Zydeco Twist.” I took photos of lily pads and debated sticking a cattail in my mouth and biting it. I left after an hour with a beautiful bouquet of dead foliage, crispy leaves, and curling plant detritus. I left feeling full but sad I didn’t see any horses… And then I remembered that as a student, the Animal Science teaching barn said we could come visit the sheep whenever we wanted. So I drove over to the teaching barn on Campus road, now an alumni, and found the sheep. They were all huddled in their hay stacks and got spooked when I approached. I whispered to them and we had a really nice chat. There was one sheep who let me stroke its perfect little face for a very long time. I held its little nose in my cold hands, and I cried. I actually wept I think. It was a weirdly spiritual experience, just me and the stinky beautiful sheep.
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but I started the Artist’s Way the same week I decided to make a calendar. All of this in the midst of a very intense creative drought… But I knew that if I wanted to make this happen I needed to get it done in about a week. And somehow, by the grace of some sort of God, I did it! Drought aside. The process was a whirlwind and reminded me of being in art school again – instead this time I didn’t have to morally question every artistic choice I made and why. Definitely one of my favorite projects I’ve ever endeavored, and one of the most artistically reaffirming and healing ones, too.
If you’re interested, I still have some available on my online store! They’re also available for purchase at P and L Supply in Ithaca :-)
On December 1 (about 2 days after finishing these calendars), Show Pony Hosted our first Gallery Night Event, Pony’s First Show! Featuring art by Esmé Saccuccimorano, Julianne Hunter, Mia Brown-Seguin, Alexandra Furmark Hill, and yours truly. It was a very rainy night so we were expecting low attendance, but were so pleasantly surprised by the amount of gallery goers we received! Thank you again to everyone who showed up, that was so awesome. We’re planning on having more events in the future, so keep an eye out for updates!
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I have a love for the Devonian period of our geological history – aka “The age of the Fish.” It all started 2 years ago when I learned about the Coelacanth, a fish that virtually hasn’t evolved in 400 million years (like… wtf?). One of my very first flash sheets was inspired by this fish.
One of my more memorable artist dates was going to the Museum of the Earth by myself. Lo and behold, New York / the Finger Lakes Region happens to have a HUGE Devonian fossil record…! Nice little moment of synchronicity. It felt like magic to learn I was living amongst something so ancient. And so nearby… So SO nearby, that my last artist date was to go fossil hunting. After some very preliminary research I set off for Myers Point in Lansing.
I found one tiny itty bitty fossil (photo not included). But it didn’t matter. I found so many other little treasures instead.
I am so spoiled with all this access to nature that at this point I don’t know how I’ll function without it... And I say this (and I may regret saying this so publicly) because I think I’ll be moving to New York sometime this summer. I’m a little embarrassed since I’ve spoken so passionately about how I’ll never move there... But I’ve realized that being in proximity to some of my closest friends is really important to me, especially during such a precious time in our young lives. I intend to keep Show Pony alive and come up to Ithaca once a month-ish to tattoo anyone who books with me! I’m really excited for this next chapter but also scared as hell! Anyway, more on this later. If you’re in New York and reading this, put in a good word to ur friends or speak a little prayer into the ether for me – I need need it…
My last update is that I’ve been accepted to Directangle Press’s 2024 Summer residency program! I’ll be making RISO prints in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a week in May and I couldn’t be more excited (and also more nervous…..).
Trying to lean into what scares me this year, with continual trust that something is guiding me to where I’m meant to be.
Thanks for reading, until next time! :-)
BONUS CONTENT:
2 Recipes that I’ve been loving
(update at 7:21 pm: forgot to mention GARLIC… necessary for meatballs)
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☆ ~~~ Book a tattoo in January !!
If you’re new, hello! My name is Matéa and I’m a hand poke tattooist and artist living in Ithaca, New York. I’ve been tattooing for 5 (:-0) years now and have recently opened Show Pony, a private studio/gallery space in downtown Ithaca. This is my newsletter which I hope to use more regularly as a place to connect more directly and where I can share with more intent than I can on Instagram.
felt like I was on such a sweet expedition with you while reading. Inspired to go out looking 👣🌫️