Greetings! It’s been a long and busy year for me! I’m working full-time and pursuing a part-time online degree for a Master’s in Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. I’m in my second year now – should be done at the end of 2020. In the meantime, I’m doing my best to keep working on art!
The last time I wrote was last winter, when I had the honour of showcasing 1984 Cranes at Harcourt House. During the closing day, I hosted a paper crane workshop. It went well, and we had a great turn out! I’d love to host a similar workshop someday. I found I could only show 5 or so people at a time how to make cranes, but those people I helped went on to show others how to make the cranes! It made for a great sense of community in the workshop. People seemed really intrigued by the cranes and responded to different aspects of the show – often with their own stories of experiences with origami, cranes, and Japan. A lot of people wanted to see what 1,984 cranes would look like, which may be a future extension for the project, I haven’t decided. I think I’m all folded out for now, though. I might pick it up again in 2019 and just not hang the next 1,000.
After that massive project, I’ve been branching out by working on smaller projects and taking part in group shows. This summer I joined an art collective based in Minneapolis called A Conspiracy of Strange Girls. They’re all wacky and creepy and lovely folks and I highly recommend checking them out.
In October, I was able to take part in an annual exhibition in Minneapolis, The Otherworldly Arts Collective’s Gods and Monsters show. This was my first show in the US!
I also completed Inktober this year with a series of bottle/jar drawings inspired by prompts. Those are available for viewing on my Instagram page. In December I was invited to participate in Harcourt House’s annual fundraiser, Art-O-Rama. It was great schmoozing with fellow artists, and it was a real honour to see my work in the same room as local greats like Lyndal Osbourne, Allen Ball, and Sarah Norquay!
The other big news is that in August, I decided to change my name to Freyja. I am working on rebranding my website, social medias, and networks to reflect this change. Feel free to contact me if you’re curious to know more about this decision or process.
Aside from rebranding, I bet you’re wondering about other projects in the works! I have a screenprint project I’ve been meaning to make happen for a couple years now, and a picture book that is gradually getting closer to completion. I’m toying with ideas on how to make things that I can sell more easily, such as patches, pins, greeting cards, and postcards- stay tuned for a possible Etsy shop in the near future! I will also have a couple of exhibition announcements in 2019—stay tuned for those, too!
Thanks for checking in! All the best for 2019!
-Freyja Patton