Mystery Portal: Capturing Time & The Importance of Community

Today is the opening day of Mystery Portal, my first solo art exhibit at Ghost Gallery in downtown Seattle. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for ages, and I can’t believe we’re finally here! In working toward this show, I’ve learned so much about myself, the creative process that aligns with where I’m at now, and also took note of many things I’d do the same and differently next time. I’m excited to share it all with you. 

Before I begin, I invite you to join me at my art reception on Saturday, June 15th from 5-8pm! I look forward to being there and seeing some of my favorite people together to gather around this special collection and chat about life and art. The show will be up from today until July 8th, 2024 so there’s plenty of time to see it if you can’t make it to the reception.

I will note that not every artist is obligated to share their creative process and thoughts behind their work; most of the time I think letting it be a mystery is quite wonderful. In my journey, however, I’ve gained so much from practicing vulnerability and letting others into the inner workings of my heart and mind. For almost 2 years, I ran a Patreon page where I shared entries straight from my journal, sketchbook pages, and immersive videos for a generous community of paid subscribers before deciding to pour my energy barrier-free platforms. For me, the act of sharing my ideas behind my art is part of my sacred work as an artist. 

a sumi sketch from 2021

So let’s dive in, shall we?

Perhaps it’s the Virgo Moon in me, but I began my journey for this project with a helpful foundational mindset: rather than focusing on how the artwork I create will be received by the public/my future self or if it feels in line with work I’ve made in the past, I treated these pieces as if I were creating a time capsule; each piece of artwork may act as a memory of where I am in the present moment in my identities and roles as a

• Mother and primary caregiver to a rambunctious, curious, constantly-on-the-go toddler, 
• partner in a securely attached relationship,
• Filipino-American still adjusting to life in a rural town in the U.S. and still getting used to my home and art studio, 
• American citizen grappling with yet refusing to accept the dizzying reality of imperialism and genocide committed by my government and people in power. 

Walking into this project with this awareness of the present and how it will intrinsically influence my work whether I am aware of it or not has brought more ease and less pressure on my creative process. I kept reminding myself that my work is allowed to evolve because we are always evolving. 

Next, I spent a lot of time with past sketchbooks excavating what ideas, themes, inquiries can be used for the show. I stumbled upon a page in the sketchbook I used during my last month of pregnancy with the words “MYSTERY PORTAL” written in big letters. You can read more about this page and how it became the seed to this body of work here. 

So at the beginning of the year when I saw an Open Call to be featured for a solo exhibit at Ghost Gallery in Seattle, I jumped on the opportunity to apply. This gallery is one that I’ve admired for a long time. Owned and curated by Laurie Kearney, walking into her gallery has always felt like stepping into a magical world filled with eccentric goods and unique artwork you didn’t know you needed. I was thrilled when she accepted my art proposal for a June showing, and spent the next few months dreaming about what the collection would look like and how to portray my central theme. 

What I didn’t expect was for the path to creating Mystery Portal would be a mystery in and of itself. Unlike past art projects or my design background that was filled with planning, sketching, and iterations, this body of work unfolded intuitively, allowing my materials to speak to me throughout the process. My vision for the collection was vague up until the end, and there were many moments I leaned on others for support. Besides my partner, I knew I had to release the myth that the artist must be a solitary figure and really lean on my community for support. Through sessions with my mentor, Agustina Fernandez Raggio, loving conversations with other artist friends and caregivers, as well as through writing and reflecting on my own journey as a mother, I found wells of inspiration for this body of work that I couldn’t be more grateful for. My heart had asked for community and I’m so happy I listened. 🥲

Creating nowadays always involves a little human at my feet 💛

Fairly early on in my process, I made the decision to simplify my life and work within the boundaries of paper & paint. Ceramics will always be a huge part of my artistic journey, but I came to accept that in this stage of parenthood and life balance, painted paper collage accommodates my role as a caregiver much more than ceramics. Similarly when I was living in Uruguay, I fell in love with paper & paint for its flexible nature – I didn’t need a ceramic studio or even a painting studio to keep making work. All I needed were my sketchbook, one or two brushes and paints, and a folder or some way to easily store my paintings as we traveled from place to place.

These days, I found that mixing paints and spending time immersed in their color gave me a lot of control and took my mind to another world of feeling and wonder, outside of our mundane routines. After each piece would dry, I was able to spend time with them even with my toddler around, unlike ceramics which can be either very toxic before they’ve been fired or incredibly fragile (RIP to all the ceramics I’ve lost to strong toddler hands). Each composition was formed in wild spurts– picked up, put down, adjusted, readjusted, stacked, moved, put away, taken out, composed again… the process felt alive and completely embedded in the work of caregiving. I used to spend hours in the studio alone, but today that’s simply not my reality. Motherhood and caregiving have challenged me to push the boundaries of what is possible and to continue creating even if it’s for only 3 precious minutes while Isa is distracted. This has taught me to work quicker and more intuitively than before, and I can truly say I’m so very proud of the work that came out of these past few months!

a snapshot of life: parenting a toddler

In the next posts I write I’ll dive a bit deeper into each of the three types of work I created in the collection: the figurative work, the portals, and the largest piece I’ve ever made: “Maternal / Eternal”.

Thank you for spending time with me here in my journal pages. This format of sharing excites me because I imagine it’ll allow me to loosen my dependence on the toxic hellscape that is Meta, and I know my elder artist self will thank me for it in the end.

If you have any questions about my creative process or the creative process in general, don’t hesitate to reach out here! I love connecting others on the artist journey.

xxx lexa