Catching up with Allison LaValley
Hello again! It’s been about a year since my original interview with MilspoFAN, and to be honest, my artwork took a backseat to a lot of other things in 2018. But the new year always feels like a fresh start and I have at least one big development that I’m especially excited about.
I did manage to have a solo show of my watercolor paintings early in 2018, but the momentum didn’t last for me, unfortunately. I bet many of you reading this can relate to the feeling of “holding down the fort,” and I found myself in that position a lot in the past year. Even in August, when we finally enrolled my youngest in preschool, I found that I was constantly using the extra time this gave me for any number of tasks other than painting in my workspace at home.
Allison and her painting "Bloom"
It is an extra challenge though, isn’t it? We’ve been back in the states for three years now, and we’re lucky enough to be staying here another three, but this wouldn’t normally be the case. It’s hard work adjusting to any new place, and usually we’re getting uprooted again just as we’re finally really integrated. That’s been one of the toughest parts about military life in my own personal journey. However, this time around I get to look forward to some continuity in my work and my life, and I’m very grateful for it.
So, that brings us to one of the things I am most excited about in this new year: a studio away from home. When I heard that a friend was losing her studio mate, I knew that I wanted to take over that spot. I’m looking for a greater separation between home and art, and I want to be more involved with the local art community since I’ve been gifted a few extra years. The studio is located in a neighborhood in Honolulu known for its large number of “selfie-worthy” murals thanks to the annual Pow! Wow! festival (http://powwowhawaii.com/). It’s home to a thriving art scene, and I couldn’t be happier to be surrounded by it! Since I’m not moving into the space until the end of the week, I’ll have to tell you how it works out in my next update, but what I’m hoping for is more focus and more freedom, even if I’m losing some time to the commute. Also, did I mention there’s a coffee roaster next door? It’s kind of a dream!
Allison's new studio
So this is me brushing off the cobwebs and getting ready to be more productive again in the new year. I hope all of you other creative milspos have something to look forward to in 2019 as well, and I’d love to hear from you if you want to connect with me through any of the links below:
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