The month of October came and went. As is the case when I am in experiences that consume me, I can only be present with them. The idea that I could capture those moments in real time and document them are not something that I’ve ever been able to do. Like any good introvert, I get easily overwhelmed. So if it comes down to making the choice between experiencing or recording time, hell I’ll choose experience any day, hands down.

There were so many things about October that held great importance to me and the only thing that I can do now is go back and reflect upon it.

The show that was Murmurations opened in Raleigh at the Visual Arts Exchange on October 6th and closed on the 26th. Poof it was gone. But it was a tremendous experience to be in the company of such extraordinary talent: Heather Evans Smith, Lori Vrba, Melanie Walker, Greg Banks, Anne Berry, Addison Brown, Brooke Caudle, Heidi Kirkpatrick and curated by Tobia Makover. This show was pure energy…a melding and dance of moving parts that magically came together to weave a comprehensive narrative of memory, legacy and family. An honor to be a part of it.

And that same week was the click photofestival which was a total joy and a lot of hard work. I met insanely talented and lovely new friends as well as Keith Carter who graced my cheek with a big ole kiss. When Keith Carter tells you he loves your work and asks if he can take pictures of it for teaching purposes, you casually nod your head yes while your insides burst into flames. A honor of the highest sort.

I was juried into the first annual click photobook exhibition that opened at Horse and Buggy Press in Durham with my accordion foldout book, Names. That was a very welcome surprise since book making is a direction that I want to continue to take, learning as much as I possibly can.

On October 19th, my solo exhibit Sweeping the Graves opened in Durham at the Suntrust Gallery and will be there through December 8th. There were openly moved people viewing my work through tears and smiles…it was all any artist could ever hope for.

And my series Prancing Snowflake still on The Fence exhibit in downtown Durham through the end of November….an embarrassment of riches.

So there you have it. October. I turned 58 years old in October, six days later my grandson turned 2. This is what puts life in perspective.

Thanks for reading.

Peace and grace.

a dear friend wrote to me yesterday to express her condolences over the loss of my corgi girl, Molly Dodd. her words were her truth and they were heartfelt...she knew my heart was hurting, she wished she could make it better, and she loved me. her letter was a soothing balm. in her simple and loving words, she expressed the three universal truths that we all long for in this world:

to know we matter.

to know we aren't alone.

to know we're loved.

grief is only ever about love. without it, grief would never exist. i just wish love didn't have to bring grief along... grief is such an inconsiderate asshole. 

after we said goodbye to Molly, we turned down the road and a giant murmuration of birds was in front of us. tim stopped the car and we watched them ascend.

cry heart, but never break.

summer,

i'm always happy to see you and i'm always happy to see you go. you have your charm, don't get me wrong...but i don't mourn for you when you leave like i do when the fall and spring leave. i've had to learn how to love you. you're a prickly season, full of heavy memory and complicated history.

Thrilled to be a regional winner of the fence which opens in New York City on July 19th. This is the largest outdoor photography exhibit in the United States and will travel across the U.S. and into Canada. 

Truly honored to be published in this brand new publication, The Hand owned by Adam Finkelstein. This magazine is new to the art world and is full of innovative works by cutting edge artists pushing out the boundaries of photography based two and three dimensional work. You can check out the website here: www.thehandmagazine.space 

Congratulations to Craig, Michael and Holly for your newly published books of poetry and prose. It's been a real pleasure to work with you and many thanks for allowing my art to grace the covers of your wonderful work.

thumbing through the guest book at my show....this.

I'm not only completely honored to be published in the new Diffusion 9, but to share pages with my inspiring and kind hearted friend, Heidi Kirkpatrick. You can purchase this edition of Diffusion here: 

http://diffusion.bigcartel.com/product/diffusion-ix

February 23 - April 22, 2018 Cary Arts Center, Cary, NC

Well.....it's up! The opening is tomorrow night and I hope that if you're reading this and you're local to the Raleigh/Durham area, you'll come by and say hi! Feeling very blessed to work with the lovely Megan Bostic and Heather Lewis and much appreciation to the town of Cary for giving us this wonderful opportunity to bring a difficult topic to the public minds and hearts. It's a beautiful venue and they have been a class act all the way.

"The great miraculous bell of translucent ice is suspended in mid-air.

It rings to announce endings and beginnings. And it rings because there is fresh promise and wonder in the skies.

Its clear tones resound in the placid silence of the winter day, and echo long into the silver-blue serenity of night.

The bell can only be seen at the turning of the year, when the days wind down into nothing, and get ready to march out again.

When you hear the bell, you feel a tug at your heart.

It is your immortal inspiration." ... Vera Nazarian

Here's to a new year of beginnings, endings and everything in between. Peace and grace to you.

Dawn

just before he stepped out of the taxi and the wind gusted and his briefcase opened up on the street... like a choreographed dance, he tried to catch all his papers and stuff them under his arm but then his hat blew off and the bus rolled away and i never got to see how it finished. it was a year ago that i saw that in Chicago and i’m sure that man would never remember that this even happened on that particular day but i still think about that very alive moment in time when i was warm and dry and watching out the window taking a picture as he struggled.

Happy to see my cover art on this beautifully written poetry book by Ann Herlong-Bodman. My ninth cover with Press53 in Winston-Salem and so proud to be a part of this publishing family.

Douglas Beasley's work has inspired me for many years, so I was excited to hear that he took over the helm at Shots magazine. The first issue with Douglas and his new team's efforts arrived in the mail yesterday and I am beyond thrilled to be a part of it. 

The beautiful intensity known as my grandson turned a year old a couple of days ago. He is an unsettlingly wise old soul with big brown eyes that penetrate into the very core of your being if you happen to catch his gaze....but that's seldom because he's very busy unwinding life's mysteries on a perpetual basis. He has many things to explore and he's already behind schedule being the true Scorpio sun, Scorpio moon and  Mercury in Scorpio that he is.

I couldn't even begin to wonder about the depth of learning my daughter has had over this past year. She keeps those things close to her heart and she doesn't do the feels very comfortably. I imagine though, that this little guy of hers will daily challenge that approach.  I can see her grace permeating throughout her as only a young woman learning how to be a mother can embrace and it makes my heart explode with love and love and more love for her.

As for me, I have to acknowledge that Anne Lamott's book, Some Assembly Required,  has saved my life this past year. Anne never takes herself too seriously, but she is full of wisdom, humor and insight and she's not afraid to say fuck. For me, that's a perfect combination and it's one of the few books out in the world that talks about the personal journey of becoming a gram. Like a mantra, I repeat her words over and over....."We bless the full expression." 

"Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant-there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing-and keeping the unknown always beyond you."   Georgia O'Keefe

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art is hosting the exhibit: Georgia O'Keefe: Living Modern through November19, 2017 in Winston Salem, NC. It's a beautifully and thoughtfully curated show that highlights her sense of modern style in dress, art, homes and life. These are three shirts that she wore. She meticulously mended them when they showed signs of wear. Many of her clothes she sewed herself and her vision extended seamlessly from life to canvas to clothing.

Georgia O'Keefe wore Ferragamo shoes and had a pair in every color. Ferragamo.....

Find out more about this exhibit: www.reynoldahouse.org

 I loved making books in college and it's been so gratifying to return back to these roots after all these years.

The idea behind this assemblage of books speaks to the legacy of our names and their lingering energy long after we die. It is comprised of three seperate compartments that house an accordian book and a modified coptic stitched book with leather spine.

The images of the accordian book were printed on film and layered over letterpressed envelopes which held letterpress copper plates of names from the 1940's. By revealing the names underneath through the transparency of the images, the names can be read which allow the memories of that deceased person to return to the surface of remembrance.

Truly honored to be a featured photographer on the Motherfstop website, especially when there is a roster of absolutely phenomenal photographers featured. You can check them out here:

http://motherfstop.wixsite.com/motherfstop/single-post/2017/08/20/Dawn-Surratt

i can feel summer ending. i'm not sad about that. i'm not going to lie, it's been a tough summer. all the uncertainties and the ways that life is unpredictable have been crashing down around me since june. it's tested my foundations and i suppose that can be a good thing, but it's not an easy thing. all the platitudes that i effortlessly spouted off to others during my career as a social worker come floating back to my mind like karmic slings and arrows.

but now i see the light is changing and there is a shift in the earth's energy. transition again. i will welcome this one.