Update

Today felt like a good time to reset the intention behind this space.

When I first started this blog, I always imagined it more as a journal than anything else, a place to document the day to day life behind the work. That’s why it’s called A Western Artist Journal in the first place. Going forward, expect more of the real everyday moments here, the work, the process and the life around it.

There are some big shifts happening behind the scenes that I’m really grateful for. My husband will be home from deployment soon, which means the weight of everything at home won’t be sitting solely on my shoulders anymore. At the same time, a long running house project of getting the floors finished is finally done. It’s hard to explain how much mental space that frees up, but it’s significant. For the first time in a while, it feels like I’ll be able to give more of myself back to my art.

I also realized I never properly shared the last couple of Western Mini pieces. February’s was a Milky Way over the Pacific Northwest painted from memory, from the way I remember the night skies as a kid. March’s piece focused on ranch rodeo: a cowboy on horseback mid-throw with his lasso. Both of those meant a lot to me in very different ways, and I hate that they slipped by without a proper mention here. I’ll be revealing April’s Western Mini within the next few days.

Outside of the studio, I’ve got some trips coming up that I’m really looking forward to. Partly for romance, partly to just reset and breathe a little. I’m hoping to come back with a lot of new reference material including fresh landscapes, new light, different stories to pull from. I’ll be sharing more about those as they get closer.

If you follow me over on TikTok (Merc McDowell Art @chaosinakiss), you might remember me talking about wanting to do a “365 in analogue” project this year. I’m going to start documenting that process here since I don’t really feel like it's right for my TikTok. Right now, it’s been… a little heartbreaking, honestly. A lot of my old cameras didn’t survive moves the way I thought they had. But I’m not giving up on it I’m figuring it out as I go repairing some myself but others I’m slowly taking in to a repair shop.

There are also a couple of quiet things in motion that I’m excited about. I’ve started conversations with another artist about collaborating on a few pieces. It’s still early, and these things take time, but it’s something I’m really looking forward to seeing develop.

For now, I’m settling into this new rhythm of more time, more space, and (hopefully) more consistency in showing up here.

MERC