It’s been a hell of a year already, hasn’t it? How are we doing out there?

I live just outside Los Angeles, where the January Santa Ana winds had me packing my Go Bag more than once during the week-long firestorms. While waiting for an evacuation notice I took the chance to rethink what I packed. I kept things simple with comfortable, useful clothes but decided it was time to scan my heavy photo albums so that next time all I would need to grab was a thumb drive. I joked with my partner that we were "putting our affairs in order." (Luckily we were spared from the fires but I’m heartbroken for all those who’ve been impacted by them.)

Scanning those old albums was a cathartic trip through my life, from birth to the dawn of cloud storage. It turns out my brain didn't hold on to all the smiles and happiness the way my photos did, so I ended up editing my memories. I came away with more love and joy than I remembered. While I recalled most of the big events—backyard house parties, travels, art shows—I was surprised by a primitive piece of artwork in one of my pictures. It turns out, it was the seed of my comic series Pulp Fission: Classic Comics Reconstructed. Back in 1993, I was already using elements I still work with today: small appliances, clouds, spokesmodels, and speech bubbles.

During the last repacking of our go bags, I grabbed just one piece of my art—“The Heel.” Not because I was attached to it, but because it had recently sold and hadn’t been packed for shipping yet. I thought I had a good sense of what would sell, but once again, I learned I have no idea what truly resonates with people. The new owner, a trans woman who’d never bought original art before, felt such a powerful connection to it that she had to own it. My inspiration came from seeing women in comics always wearing heels, a symbol of crippling sexism in footwear. I aimed to empower women in their struggle for equality. What I didn’t realize is that this piece also spoke to the empowerment of sexual expression. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s so personal. I’m happy to say that The Heel is now on her wall, making her feel seen.

On February 15th, I’ll be showing a piece from my Pulp Fission series in its first group exhibition at Shockboxx’s Annual Intergalactic show. The piece "Office Romance," explores the relationship between two female co-workers outside the office. If you're in the LA area, come check it out at the opening in Hermosa Beach. Shockboxx always puts together an interesting collection of work. The show runs until March 8th.

3100 Webster St, San Francisco, CA 94123

One of my New Year's resolutions was to do something new with my art. An opportunity to show my work at the Startup Art Fair in San Francisco landed in my lap right on time. From April 18th - April 20th I’ll be at the San Francisco StartUp Fair, sharing a space (Room #318) with the talented Mark Wagner. The event will be at Hotel Del Sol and will run simultaneously with the San Francisco Art Fair, just a few blocks away.

Between now and then, I’ll be cranking out new pieces for the Pulp Fission series—lots of fresh, sexy, naughty, queer and funny work coming your way. If you're in the San Francisco area, come visit us in room #318 and say hello!

Hoping to see you out there.

Stay safe, my friends.

-Julie

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