2023: A New Beginning

It's been over a year since my last blog post. 2022 was time that I took off from trying to make visual art for the sake of focusing on my mental health, and I was not starved of creativity in any way. I utilized the year to re-explore my analog recording roots, bass playing, and synthesizer experimentation. Cassette tapes and the ability to make sound loops on them really caught my attention, and I just had to go down that rabbit hole. What fun it is. A lot of personal ground was covered and documented by my musical alias, Alan Alvamar.

I also started teaching again, this time going back to Drawing 1. My first experience with drawing instruction was as a GTA of record while at KU, in grad school. In late 2020 when the Covid pandemic required everyone to stay home and go online, I had to stop teaching after finishing up the semester. My handyman business was also shuttered to keep the exposure risk to my family down. Out of necessity this allowed me to take care of our son during the day, while my wife navigated teaching music therapy via zoom like so many other instructors. 

During my absence a new teacher was hired for painting, and is doing a great job teaching all of the sections. I do miss the pigments as an instructional media, however the drawing class was a lot of fun last semester. I'm looking forward to making some changes and working with a new group of artists.

In closing, it feels nice to report that my new studio is coming along and the process of discovery has officially started. I'll keep creating and make efforts to further describe what I'll be working on as the year continues.This new space should be a step in the right direction creatively, and I hope that your projects and visions become more fruitful this year as well.





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