Studio Notes

February felt like experience...
What I mean by that is I feel like life happened to me more than I happened to it this past month. This is good and bad. Good because I wasn’t really in my head and was present, bad because I did not progress my goals as much as I wanted to. January was full of intentions, and in February, those intentions fell somewhat flat. February was full of laughter and travel, then illness and stagnation, celebration and reward, then endings and question marks.

I did not paint as much as I would have liked, I got laid off, and (even though February is the shortest month) I felt like time was slipping through my whole being, not just my fingers. However, I did get to travel to and enjoy the sun in Florida, I did get to dance a lot with Jared, I did get to laugh at the wit of the people that I’ve chosen to surround myself with, and I did get to spend some time with my brother. For those experiences, I am thankful.

With everything going on in the world lately, I found myself asking, “What does it all matter? Isn’t the point to be in the moment and dance like there’s no tomorrow?” In the next flickering thought, I found myself asking, “what if there is no tomorrow and all the paintings in my head die with me?”

As January closed, I was reminded that life is “a balancing act.” The dancing and laughter shared with my people is what gives me the fire to create; it’s okay to just experience and not always have to “do.” At the same time, I know that I show up to those experiences half-heartedly if I find I am not pouring my ideas back into life and making life experience me. This is a declaration to leave more than I took.

Featured Work

The Erudite Fire (2025)
Acrylic, oil, oil pastel, soft pastel, 30” x 40”

This is the first face I ever painted. Because of that, this painting sat on my easel for over a year as a work in progress as I was too fearful to make one stroke of my brush and mess it up. I had SO many ideas in my head for this painting that I was choking on - I had no idea which one to execute. Even when I did decide on which idea to execute, I worried I didn’t have the skill to do it.

And so, the red man (Peter, we named him) stared me down every morning and every night for a year. I decided I was tired of waking up another day with this mirror staring back at me - silently screaming at me to bring him (and in turn myself) to life. I decided to live, to create, to “do.” I decided to engulf the painting in flames, the knowing feeling that surrounds you and burns within, the feeling of being consumed by awareness, the intuition that tells you that you are both learning and instinct, larger than this: The Erudite Fire.

Looking back, this piece taught me that I need to create more bad art so I am less frozen, less afraid to make the good art. Which is a timely reminder for how I am feeling reflecting on February and moving into the coming of Spring.

How I long to be

asleep under your quilts,

sweating out the fever I built up in my head.

Waking to the sound of windchimes

and your humming.

Feeling your weight slope at the edge of springs and cotton,

and your hands gently wiping the sleep from my eyes.

With worn cloth and hot tap.

— Olivia Hale

February 2026

In February, I found myself inspired by:

Listening

✥ Handle With Care by Conducta

Reading

♛ Just Kids by Patti Smith

Looking at

♰ Medieval-inspired art, filet crochet, boxing boots, and leather tattooing

Eating & drinking

✣ Sardines and Cabernet Francs

Sitting with

⚔ Plumes of incense smoke

A question I’m holding

How can I breathe deeper?

Until next month,

Olivia