End of Year Ramblings, Reflecting on “CONSTRUCTION ZONE”, 11/17/2025

November 17th, 2025

Well, where do I even begin this blog post. It’s been nearly a month since the last one and I think a lot has happened though I’m having a hard time remembering what it all was. There’s a lot going on in general— I feel like I’m in a big hurry every day, leaving a big mess behind me everywhere I go. I’m in the throes of teaching this semester (behind on grading), I’m getting married in less than a month (then heading off on a 12 day honeymoon to the south of Spain), in between there we have Thanksgiving, then there’s Christmas. In general, it’s a lot of travelling and getting people together in a very short amount of time. So, time and attention to dedicate to my practice is in disappointingly short supply. 

I kind of hate short-term domestic travel, by the way. It’s somehow way more exhausting than long-term international travel. We recently were down in South Carolina for my dear friend Kristina’s wedding. The event was beautiful and we had a lot of fun. And then we got stuck down there because of the stupid government shutdown. We ended up having to rent a car and drive 15 hours back up to Queens. It really made me wonder: how did my father manage to drive us across the country twice when I was growing up? Huge respect for Jeff. Though I think driving in general is an abomination– another reason why domestic travel drives me crazy (no pun intended.) THE UNITED STATES IS FAR TOO HUGE!! Rental cars are always required! 

ANYWAYS... I digress. Let’s get back to what this blog is actually about. What kind of stuff have I been making lately? How has my (limited) studio time been spent over the past month or so? 

Much of my creative energy has been spent preparing for Diana and I’s show, “Construction Zone”. I am proud to say that much of the anxiety I felt leading up to this event was completely pointless– we pulled it off without a hitch! Eight artists besides the two of us showed up, well-prepared, with interesting in-progress works. They all generously shared their processes with the roughly 35-40 people in the audience– an amazing turnout, which was both unexpected and satisfying. The energy in the space was fun, open, and inspring. I think so many artists are really craving in-person spaces to talk about their work! Sometimes it feels like sharing a picture online and begging people to look at it is the only option. Let’s be real: no one is happy with that option. That was a major reason why Diana and I wanted to do this show in the first place– to help narrative artists, whose work is typically long-term, long-form, and created in total solitude, get outside of themselves a little bit. I know that for me it worked. I hope the other artists who presented felt the same way. 

I got a lot of good feedback on Frog Ephemera, my eternal work in progress. Reading it aloud with an audience, some of whom provided amazing voice acting for some of the characters, really helped me see how the work could be oriented in a more social context. It was also really inspiring and comforting to hear that so many people in the audience felt identified with the character of Froggie. In fact, putting together this event was a huge confidence booster for me both in terms of my ability to productively collaborate with others and my willingness to share my work with others. I am not even sure that I could fully describe the shift in perspective that organizing, hosting and participating in Construction Zone inspired within me. 

I wanna say that formerly I was a tadpole, safe and insular in a little mud puddle with all my known tadpole buddies. Now I’ve sprouted some legs– I can hop up out of the puddle into a larger pond. Or even onto the shore. Into some tall grass. Cross paths with the bugs and rodents. See what they know. See if they want to hang out. Bring them over to the mud puddle. You know, I’m becoming even more autonomous. I still have my familiar mud puddle, but I’m evolved… I can go wherever I want to go! Okay, so I’m writing this in a hurry before going to teach class in an hour. Maybe next time you’ll get a more well-constructed analogy. At least this one was cute. 

Aside from Construction Zone, my practice has been really focused on lithography lately. I’ve been going in every Tuesday and Wednesday to the print shop at the League. Last Wednesday I got to go through the entire process on my own, under Tomomi’s supervision. Tomorrow I want to try doing it on my own completely, with no guidance. My goal was to be able to make prints completely on my own by December, so it would be really awesome to feel like I’m ahead of the game on something. 

You know what I’m BEHIND the game on? Grad school applications. I’m not even sure if grad school is what I really  want or need right now. Especially after hosting Construction Zone, I can see the possibilities of working with what I already have. I just need to expand my capacity for social collaboration. Maybe that’s really the next frontier of my practice. 

Well, I’ve learned a lot this year. That’s for sure. Hell, I’ve learned a lot this MONTH!

Here’s a self portrait I did the other day, before my class was observed by another professor. Can you tell I was nervous? In the new year, I want to paint a life-sized self portrait. I’ve been doing sketches to figure out what expression that portrait will have.

On that note, I probably will not be updating this blog until the new year. I want to take a break from the “practice” and focus on living my life and being in the moment with my loved ones for a little while, especially leading up to and immediately after my impending WEDDING DAY?!  I am going to enjoy and savor these last few weeks of the year– I don’t want to spend them stewing in resentment and anxiety about not working hard enough. So I’ll be back in the New Year, most likely with some lofty resolutions and a lot more time to think! 

If you’re reading this: Remember to take some pressure off yourself and enjoy your holidays! 

Til Then, 

Finn