I did not know owls could sploot.

Pieces of cultural criticism like this can be depressing, or they can serve as a reminder that practically no time has passed, and our expectations for rapid, permanent change are based on media cycles,not reality. Keep leaning on the arc of history, y'all. It bends slowly, with a lot of pressure.

A serendipitous choice of podcast episodes introduced me to this essay by Felix Gonzalez-Torres that, though speaking to the social climate in my birth year, remains 100% relevant to our present moment in the US.
www.e-flux.com/criticism/23...

Meme featuring a video still of Will Byers crying to his mom with the caption "Americans posting about how fascism is bad," above an image of Will Byers dismembering demogorgons with his mind in front of a burning Humvee with the caption "Americans wielding organized strikes and boycotts against the corporations funding the fascists"

Big props to the folks walking out and striking tomorrow. I'm lucky enough to work for an organization that supports small businesses, and me walking out on them feels counterproductive. But, I think the rising awareness of the economic power people hold en masse is a big deal.

Ooh, yeah I bet. Part of me wants the stories to be true, and the other part of me (the frequent hiker part) is like nah, I'm good with no murder kitties around 😅

A painting of a pastoral landscape with the full moon (rising? Setting?) hanging perfectly centered just over a horizon of rolling hills. In the foreground, a rectangular field of daisies rolls out in front of the viewer like a wide carpet, its undulating edges contrasting sharply with the green fields surrounding.

Harald Sohlberg, Meadow in the North, 1905

Mountain lions basically have cryptid status in southern Appalachia - they are officially not here, but plenty of folks will *swear* they've seen one.

Do not make the mistake I did and buy a standard DVD player to check out DVDs from the library if you have a uhd tv. Free movie night ruined by 480p 🥲

Dark feathers leave dark spots on the skin when plucked. And we like to see no reminders the thing had feathers 🫣

I don't have personal experience with this, but have heard some positive reviews of getting a virtual assistant to help with whatever can be done remotely.

What a weird lil' guy (compliment🥹)

Over the years, I've become increasingly convinced that the Democratic party establishment literally has no intention to win and govern. This is just more evidence to add to the stack.

Sigh. Public knowledge of winter squash varieties ain't what it used to be lol

oh nooo that one's a red kuri squash and they're tasty 😭😂

Lots of folks celebrating the Democrats' victories last night and I'm with ya, but gotta say - if Democrats don't follow up their redistricting push with a commitment to ban gerrymandering once they hold power, they're just digging the fascism hole deeper. #prop50
#gerrymandertoendallgerrymanders

Abstract ink drawing made up of a fine grid of undulating lines which converge closer and farther from one another to create the impression of a larger grid pattern.

new drawing
10.25.2025(untitled)
ink on paper
11 x 14 in
#contemporaryart

My small, petty protest rn is reporting every single ICE recruitment ad on YouTube for violence and discrimination. Try it. It's useless, but it is soothing.

I have one that I grew from a friend's cutting. It only grew a little sprig of a vine like three years in a row and I thought it didn't have enough sun, but this year it was like I HAVE GROWN STRONG and now it's trying to take over my entire yard 😂

ink on paper abstract drawing in a grid pattern with widening and contracting line spacing

ink on paper abstract drawing with columns of gridded lines resembling weaving

weekend experiments, working little to big, bit by bit, row by row
.
.
.
#abstraction #contemporaryart #drawing

And I'm lucky - I'm financially stable, white, able-bodied (knock on wood), and not parenting or caretaking. What an absurd barrier to put up in front of an artist facing any combination of additional challenges by slapping an arbitrary age limit on resources.

When Artists Are Too Old to Be “Emerging” If the art world is serious about equity, it has to stop equating emergence with youth and start building structures that reflect the multiplicity of artistic timelines.

Big opponent of chrononormativity here, as an artist "emerging" after 30. 👋 Some of us just have to wander the desert awhile before getting into a practice alright? hyperallergic.com/1042641/when...

Queen Agnes Abstract painter Agnes Martin sought isolation in New Mexico to stoke her obsessive practice. She found vibrant community.

Love this.
I feel like Agnes Martin's story is a masterclass in managing to maintain a vibrant creative practice, a successful career, and deep human connections, despite enormous challenges.
And I def would've made a pilgrimage to get lunch with her 🫶

soft grids at Greensboro Project Space — Leah Smith July 29th - August 2nd, 2025

Posted some install shots of my recent solo "soft grids" at Greensboro Project Space. This was just two weeks ago but it already feels like it's been forever! I've been catching up on life things but can't wait to get back to it in the studio.

Serious question: Have you ever held a tarantula? Bc that was what (~95%) cured me of hating spiders, ironically 😆
It seems like it's going to be terrifying and gross then it is SO. FRIGGIN. COOL. Highly recommend.

They call them June beetles where I live and they usually have a giant mating swarm on my lawn a couple days a year. :) My mom was visiting when it happened this summer. I came back in from the porch and announced "it's June beetle mating day!" 🙌 and she's like "okay...". Not everybody gets it 😆

I wrote a thing about my current body of work, and a little about the way I navigate in the studio generally: www.leahsmith.studio/blog/2025/8/...

Hey chat, does Bluesky like a really satisfying tape pull vid? Got one right here 〰️

Ooh! Is it a wooly maple aphid? Those are my fave tiny floating fae creatures.

This isn't "battling homelessness," this is battling homeless people...

👇this👇
excellent thread