Hello,
Hope November has been good to you.
On my end, there's a quiet energy around the office last month, buzzing silently in the background as coworkers start to wind down after hosting several large events, including the Asia Art Archive Library opening on 26th November. As the days grow colder, there's a deliberate attempt to keep things distanced and soft, where we tell each other how much we want to just hibernate for the Winter.
Updates
Yesterday, S asked if I was painting anything lately to which I realised — for the first time in a while — my answer was "no."
It's not to say I don't still have a to-do list of over 30 large-scale projects in my Notion; but I haven't actively made anything new.
My last two illustrations had been digital commissions I picked up in early November. The first being a reimagined tarot card that was featured as a matchbox in Joyce Cheng's latest music video, and then a bottle/can label design for Neonotic's seasonal Mulled Mala cider. Both were very rushed jobs that I finished in a couple of days and were actually quite fun to do. I've been exploring some new techniques digitally and it was the perfect opportunity to try them out.
I was actually especially happy that the illustrations seemed to be by-products of my biggest projects (my tarot cards, and my food-centric body of works). As someone who has spent the last 26 years struggling to define her art (style & subject matter — because there's a very strong need for 'branding' in this world), those two projects seemed to reassure me that I don't have to subscribe to just one style or one niche. It's a freedom that I'm very grateful for.
But other than that, I have not painted or drawn anything. Instead, I continue the theme of the year with packing and unpacking: I've finally finished packing all the decks for the Gwai Lenormand and have shipped most of them out (yay!)
Monthly Tarot Readings
Speaking of tarot, I've also written up the last Monthly Tarot Readings of 2022 and uploaded them onto my Instagram, so feel free to check out what December has in store for you emotionally (there was a vote between love, career, and general emotions on my art Instagram right before I started reading, and emotions won by a landslide).
Also do check back on previous readings to see if they rang true.
Writer's Retreat & a Poem to Share
Last Sunday, I was invited to a Writer's Retreat by H and being socially anxious, I dragged WCY to go with me.
Organised by the dim2 gong2 le1 group in collaboration with Migrant Writers of Hong Kong, the retreat took place in Mui Wo where we spent the day sharing pieces we wrote, and discussing what Hong Kong meant as a city, as a home, and as 'floating.'
I wasn't sure what I was expecting going in, but I ended up leaving knowing a new friend and with a renewed sense of wanting to write a little more seriously. (By 'seriously' I meant with actual editing and rewriting, rather than as a way to contain an idea or story).
And because I've already shared it at the Writer's Retreat, I'd also like to share a small thing I wrote in 2019 — perhaps the last edited piece I had written:
You will know it
When the moon is in the wrong place
and the door is closed —
the stainless dent on my back
is the trace of fingers that had
lingered,
a moment too long;
burned through the silver like acid,
crammed through the crevices
of my sealed-open palm,
forcing their way between mine,
thrown into a fish tank of
rusted shadows,
breaths of stale Red Horse in my ear
as if that would unlock my paling secrets —
all before I could say no.
But the moon was in the right place tonight
and the door was ajar.
And that stainless dent on my back
is the unseen scar
of a disarray
of thawed panic
where whispers of keys between our fists
punched a way out —
I said, no.
Saying Goodbye To Tinyletter
Speaking of writing, I'm also officially moving out of this Tinyletter stratosphere. It's more of a personal admin thing, but I've been thinking more about how to better structure my work and how to organise it both physically and online. And perhaps one of the easier ways is to do everything on the same platform — so I'm moving my past newsletters to my blog and backdating them, and will also be sending out new emails through Squarespace, where my website is hosted.
I've also been making small revamps to bananarolls.com, where now you can access my artwork not only as a chronologically organised archive of images but also as projects which also include an explanation of each one.
There's also a new section called 'Available Works' which has a focus on paintings that I have available for purchase.
Anyway, that's all I have for now.
Thank you for reading my tiny letters up to now and for supporting my work. I'll see you soon in 2023. Happy Holidays, friends.
Best,
Charlotte