This January, Pearl Van Geest and I got shot out of a cannon as we landed in North Bay on January to begin the installation of Wild Waysides: Queer Ecologies and the New Natural at the White Water Gallery.

As 2024 winds down, I’m struck by how much this year has held: milestones in my artistic career, meaningful personal moments, and experiences that have enriched my understanding of the world and secured my place in it.

It’s just past 10 PM on Lake Muskoka, where I’m spending the weekend with family. The house is quiet now—everyone else has gone to bed. Outside, the moon is nearly full, its light washing over the trees and the lake, and I couldn’t resist stepping out to take a few photos.

Looking is a new exhibition at the Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, Wisconsin, running from September 20, 2024, to January 12, 2025. The show features twelve artists from across North America, including myself, exploring the theme of “looking” and how observation shapes meaning and perspective in art.