Work in progress- the painting of Pistachio shells goes on and on, over 1300 painted with my in studio made charcoal paints. Shout out to Rhea Szarics, the fabulous Rhea and her contributions to the painting of these shells. A big THANK YOU to all that have joined me at ARTCLUB98 and in our Agassiz Studios

Collections, so many things collected, so many resources discarded and disregarded. When I first started this project, my biggest fear was not having enough ready to use materials but was I wrong! Its really hard to restraint myself because there is so much potential in our waste and excess. And excess is everywhere in our society.

Round tea bags painted on with charcoaled coffee paints. I am so happy with the developments in studio and the results of continued experimentation. I am so grateful for the time I have to work on this project, for the work needs time to cure and test for steadfastness, fading over time and archival issues and concerns.

March in the studio: experimenting with spent teabags as a mark making surface and canvass. Painting them with charcoal and eggshell paints. All the inks and paints are made in studio. all materials used were once destined for the compost but now destined for a gallery exhibitions. Testing for archival qualities and steadfastness, very slow and meticulous process.

February has been a pistachio shell month ALL THE TIME! I am obsessed with painting these glorious "allreadymade" canvasses. In this work, I only use materials that were destined for the compost. I dry, select for quality and integrity, grind and bind with either soya milk or egg yolks.

Influences, Inspirations and Aspirations. In my everyday travels, I observe the lives of others and the marks they make in their travels and work and all of it has a profound impact on my visual mark making, be it from the rusty leftovers of once useful metal staples or the eaten and carved  travel path of industrious beings, on wood or plastic surfaces to the freezing and thawing of winter puddles and the leftover patterns.

 Work in progress, over a thousand pistachio shells painted to date, with the help of colleagues who have joined me in the addiction of painting these "Allreadymades" after Marcel Duchamp.  Ten thousand painted pistachio shells is the goal. February is all about pistachio shells.

I am forever grateful for the support of the Province of BC and the Brutish Columbia Arts Council in funding the early beginnings (Project Assistance for Visual Artists May, 2022)                                      and the continuation of this project (Project Assistance for Visual Artists Feb. 1 to June 1, 2026) .

SLOW AND GUILT FREE ART MAKING
The beginning of the Carbon Sink Art Project: phase 2 begins with experimenting and casting with eggshells and egg whites. For months, I have been collecting materials from friends and family, to charcoal, grind, process and work with in the studio, the most beautiful by-products that were destined for the garbage, recycling depot or compost, were commandeered to work with in the studio and the results are more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined! This discarded Pistachio shell is painted with charcoaled spent coffee paint.

Installation work in progress, Pistachio Shells after Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds, Ai Weiwei’s massive art installation included over 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds. My project’s goal is to paint ten thousand Pistachio seed shells for an installation at the Haida Gwaii Museum in 2027. Why ten thousand? Maybe because it is said that it is a happy, cultural, poetic or philosophical number as in ten thousand villages, steps or hours, or maybe because it is said that in literature and art, 'ten thousand' can symbolize infinity or boundless possibilities.