hello 2026 🎊

oh yea, i have a newsletter...

To put it bluntly: 2025 kicked my ass.

There was a lot that I wanted to accomplish last year, and I feel like in a lot of ways I was successful. I put on two group gallery shows, which is something that I have never done before, and I found out that it is something that I am good at and really enjoy doing. I tabled at some of my most successful events, including my first local Pride event which was so much fun. I continued to work with people I respect greatly and met many amazing artists who have helped me in their own ways to find my voice and place in the art community. I wrote a proposal and applied for a local art grant; I am happy to publicly announce here first that I was awarded that grant for my first large scale project and solo show (more on this later!)

But there was also a lot that I wasn’t successful at (namely keeping up with a newsletter oops!) and my family and I have been facing a lot of financial difficulties. My partner lost his full-time job in January and was unemployed until October. He has found a stable job, but it is only part time, so it doesn’t do much more than slightly lessen our difficulties. We struggled (and are still struggling) with food and housing insecurity. Our car has been out of commission since early fall, which has wildly altered our routine because now we have to walk everywhere. We’ve had help from many people, and for that we are so grateful. I don’t know if we would still have a roof over our heads if it weren’t for the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers alike. But it has been exhausting to continue moving forward when it feels like there is no end in sight, and we may never find stability again.

It feels strange and complicated to be so successful in one aspect of my life, while another part of it keeps falling apart in new and exciting ways. But I am proud of the work I did in 2025. In spite of everything, I grew as an artist. I feel confident in my voice and the art that I make, and I know that I have a lot of good that I can put into this world. For the first time I feel like I have a purpose, and it brings me more joy and fulfillment than I thought could ever be possible. I honestly keep waiting for this feeling to wear off, but I am excited and hopeful about my existence as an artist.

2026 brings a lot of new and big things for me that I never thought I would see. I am hesitant to set many goals beyond surviving, but I know there is a lot I am going to do. My artistic focus will be fulfilling my grant duties, and I plan to be doing less in-person events because of it. I also want to steer away from doing markets in general, as I’ve found they clash with my artistic intention. I love to talk with patrons and fellow artists at events, but at the end of the day I don’t create my work for a market, and I think they are very limiting. That’s not to say you won’t see me out and about, but there’s not going to be any regularity like there was last year.

I do hope not having to worry about keeping up with markets will give me time to focus on other things like documenting my work and maintaining a newsletter. I am very vocally not a fan of sharing my works in progress, or other behind the scenes things often, but there are aspects of my work I do think deserve the space to be expressed. As stressful as it was, I did enjoy the process of writing a grant proposal and finding ways to talk about my work that adds to the experience of viewing it. I spent a lot of time this past year talking about this with dear friends, and the context of (my) art matters. I want to give myself more of a chance to work on this skill and share it with others.

Over the next couple weeks, I will be revamping patron tiers for what seems like the millionth time in an attempt to find something that works for me. I am eternally grateful for all of the people who have stuck with me through my inconsistencies. Your patronage has helped me maintain a studio space outside of my home, which has been the biggest thing for me and my art. I would not be able to do what I do without any of you. Thank you.

I have a vague idea of what things will look like going forward, but I will save details for another newsletter coming soon. The biggest thing is I will be seeking patrons to further support the work I will be creating for my solo show in November. I don’t know if I will be able to offer monthly rewards beyond behind the scenes peeks at my work, but I’m very excited about this project and I hope you will consider sticking around.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and belief in me and my art. Art is foundational to who I am as a person, and I feel very blessed that I get to keep making and sharing it under my terms.

Please stay tuned for more updates on things to come, and have a Happy New Year 🎊

-felix 🌻