April 2025: The Fool’s Journey

This morning, my favorite conspiracy-theorist friend posted, Happy New Year! I decided to engage, expecting an April Fools! response. Instead, the reply was that April 1 is actually the real New Year’s Day. Curious, I did some research and came across an article by Bruce Stambaugh. (Read it HERE)

According to Stambaugh, King Charles IX of France instituted the Gregorian calendar in 1564, officially moving New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Before that, the new year was celebrated from March 25 to April 1, aligning with the spring equinox. It makes sense—people wanted to mark the end of winter and the return of longer, sunnier days. However, as the new calendar spread across the Western world, some resisted the change, and they became known as April Fools!

This got me thinking about the Fool’s Journey in the Tarot. The Fool, represented by the zero card, embarks on a path through the 21 Major Arcana cards—a journey of self-discovery, growth, and transformation. It’s a reminder that we humans shape our own reality. From calendars to culture, economics to governance, we are constantly creating the world we live in.

Artists do this quite literally—through paint, music, and literature—but in truth, all of us are creators. My hope is that, like the Fool, we embrace the unknown, take leaps of faith, and journey forward into a better future—one that we are building together, step by step.

Creating JOY: An Act of Resistance

Opening Friday, April 4, 5-9pm

The Groove Artspace, 309 Gold Street SW, Albuquerque
April 4–26, 2025

The  Groovy Vender Market can be found in the back. This month’s musical guest is Brian Shelley on jazz guitar. Food is available to purchase. Below are my contributions to the show.

The first painting, Hexagram 46: Pushing Upwards (30×30 mixed media on panel), illustrates the dynamic of growth and perseverance. In the hexagram, the bottom three lines (the trigram for wind) push upward beneath the top three lines (the trigram for earth). Much like a plant breaking through the soil, true growth is possible when one’s roots are firmly grounded. In the artwork, the tree is depicted growing from the African side of the globe, widely regarded as the birthplace of humankind. This reinforces the joyful growth when roots are deep and nourished—both in nature and in the journey of humankind.

The second painting, Hexagram 51: What the Thunder Said (30×30 mixed media on panel), draws inspiration from traditional Japanese depictions of Thunder Gods, who are shown playfully interacting with the double trigrams symbolizing thunder. In this hexagram, thunder represents a sudden shock—a powerful, chaotic force that disrupts the present and sparks new beginnings or growth. What better symbol to embody joy and hope amid turbulent times?

The third painting, Hexagram 58: Joy (30×30 mixed media on panel), portrays two lovers reaching out to one another across the double trigrams symbolizing lakes. These lakes, while connected, remain distinct and independent, embodying the essence of joy as described in the I Ching: a state of genuine connection that thrives on openness and mutual respect, free from dependency or control. The doubled-lake trigrams highlight how joy is amplified through authentic communication and mutual understanding.

These works are part of the Art of the I Ching series, which merges symbolic and mythological imagery from diverse cultural traditions with the core principles of the I Ching. Also known as the Book of Changes, the I Ching is an ancient Chinese divination text that has shaped Taoist philosophy and influenced Chinese thought for over two millennia.

The series incorporates the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, each consisting of six lines—either broken (yin) or unbroken (yang). These hexagrams are more than mere symbols; they represent a profound system of cosmological and philosophical ideas, illustrating the dynamic interplay of yin and yang that governs the universe. By weaving together mythological imagery from various traditions with the hexagrams of the I Ching, the Art of the I Ching creates a visual dialogue that bridges ancient Chinese wisdom with global cultural narratives.

Celebrate Spring with Birds and Flowers!

Celebrate Spring at The Next Best Thing to Being There during the First Friday opening on April 4, from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. My two contributions to the show are below, both metal prints from the House of Cards series.

Nine Leaves on the Wind, archival print on aluminum, 12 x 18 inches

Women’s Empowerment

The Women’s Empowerment show is still running at 3017 Gallery, located downstairs at Artisan’s (3017 Monte Vista Blvd NE, Albuquerque) through April 7th. Below are the event advertisement and my two contributions to the show.

Other Projects

YOUTH MURALS
I am just wrapping up a year of working with other teaching artists (Angel Estrada, Alina Pozas, Eamon Quigley) and students at Garfied, Hayes, and Van Buren Middle Schools as part of the Harwood Art Center’s Youth Mural Program. Click HERE to to see the murals.

ILLUSTRATING CHILDREN’S BOOKS
I am currently illustrating the third children’s book in the last 12 months, due to recommendations from a lovely poetry friend.

This one is about the adventures of a Pickle at a Picnic. The other two have been release on Amazon, Buffy and the Giant Shoes by Karin Stangl and I’m Still Hungry by Luisa R. Alvarez.