my dearest kariny
always wearing those doc mary janes
priestess of silly little drinks and a
fun little time
fun little time
❀
my favorite painter, the one who teaches me most about doing what i said i would.
here she was starting two pieces at my apartment because her bedroom was too far to make paintings as often as she’d wished to.
here she was starting two pieces at my apartment because her bedroom was too far to make paintings as often as she’d wished to.
♡
♡
that is to say,
brighton, the summer after we vowed not to go in the waters unless they were dominican
spf was our bestie
★
a sleepover under the light of sunsets sold, never has anyone gotten me so hooked on reality tv like her.
in my apartment.
here shes unknowingly cuddling an eighth of oui’d held within jenna rink’s caring stomach. to the right was just after she helped me walk an 80x80” painting home even after having worked & gallery hopped with a friend prior. id told her to rest and not help after having such a day, i’d had extra hands. but she insisted, saying she had already committed to helping me, and there was no question that she would follow through.
here shes unknowingly cuddling an eighth of oui’d held within jenna rink’s caring stomach. to the right was just after she helped me walk an 80x80” painting home even after having worked & gallery hopped with a friend prior. id told her to rest and not help after having such a day, i’d had extra hands. but she insisted, saying she had already committed to helping me, and there was no question that she would follow through.
all my nearest and dearest were over, she could barely keep her eyes open.
☼
summer ‘21: the class that made us understand how inseparable we are. jacob mason macklin was teaching a painting class at woodbine and we had to hear what he had to say about painting. this was the first time in our friendship we routinely saw each other: once a week, for three hours, staring at each other and mixing the colors of the other’s topography. it was a delight to come to know her features more closely through jake’s process. the class lasted 8 weeks and, after it ended, we didnt see each other for two months. it was mutual agony and we realized we very simply had to start seeing each other far more consistently
☽
☽
the first time i slept over at her house, the first time i saw her room. a postcard from the ana mendieta show we went to together at galerie lelong watches over her dreams.
her bedroom was truly just a studio with a bed, and soon after this, she took the bed out to make bigger paintings
it truly was the most exciting thing ever to be able to bear witness to all of her trinkets, treasures, and tools
to understand the things she chooses to keep, and how she chooses to hold them
her poor old laptop that only turned on if plugged in and immediately reached sauna temperatures
♡
last summer, found her reading americanah waiting for me to see the alice neel show. she’d seen it already but intently wished to see how i’d react seeing them for the 1st time.☽
bouncing around nyc together. never have i met someone so willing to do anything with me. who Gets it like We? this one in the middle is her in the reflection of a broken tv we saw on the side of the street. we were late to where we were going having been so interested in the texture of the glass
☼
the fortnight that changed our relationship! yo estaba en la casa de mi bisabuela en Baní, y ella regreso a la isla a visitar su familia al mismo tiempo. ella viné a la casa de mi familia para una semana, and we truly did nothing but watch orphan black for 8 days straight. despues, yo fui a la casa de su familia para otra semana. it was unbelievably special to meet her whole family and be in the spaces that made her.
at playa chiquita (deben que llamarla playa brava, ese dia el mar me quito el traje de baño entero)
the kids we met at the beach that day. they lived nearby and went there every day. the smaller one had the brightest natural blonde streak in his hair from the sun. the smaller one saved me when the waves almost killed me.
★
to my best friend, the one i do everything with, the one i share everything with, whos design is just like mine: it is more than a delight, it is an immense gift it is to know you, learn you, and be surprised by you every day. i will always cherish the time we spend dream sharing, treat having, gallery hopping, sunbathing, cyanotype making, figure drawing, crying, pancake making, movie watching, book sharing, diary reading, etc. etc. to simply share space with you is all i could ever ask for. love you
devin, a true cowboy, and my dear friend.
and the shore kept trying to hold us
and the shore kept trying to hold uswhen we went to the beach last summer
at the
opening of an lovely group show i was
in that summer
opening of an lovely group show i was
in that summer
all images except the last row are made with kodak vericolor that expired in 1994
kariny was at a bad bunny concert that night and i never want to forget devin saying it was a good omen
essential to a cowboy, her boots and belt
at rockaway
i’ve never met anyone with more swag, vigor, kindness and passion than devin. it almost feels wrong to see all those words as individual parts of a whole, and not inherently melded by devin’s effortless alchemy of selfhood
from one of our photo walks. all we spoke of this summer, with such feverishness, was how to push our work further
details from her apartment on 15th last year:
we met after having won the same grant from a collective that no longer exists. im grateful to have bumped into her online and made that connection tangible, it is so easy to pass someone by. i feel so deeply supported, inspired, and driven by our relationship. i have learned so much about commitment to one’s gifts, belief in self, and showing up for the people you love from devin. i want more than anything for her to receive her flowers, and SOON. her drawings and her mind are no joke. she is a star soaring so high people cant see her from the ground they insist they belong on.
mishi and beri beri having a little treat from what has come to be our favorite place we always run into by accident after gallery hopping, tres leches cafe.
the best cakes and $2 coffee that couldnt
be more delicious
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from her first week in new york as a resident. on the right we were at champs, obviously, and shared cinnamon pancakes like the
very many times we had done when
she was just visiting.
we only live three stops
away from each other now, and it is
a gift to be able to see her as often as i do
![]()
♡
the best cakes and $2 coffee that couldnt
be more delicious
from her first week in new york as a resident. on the right we were at champs, obviously, and shared cinnamon pancakes like the
very many times we had done when
she was just visiting.
we only live three stops
away from each other now, and it is
a gift to be able to see her as often as i do
♡
the first time she came to stay with me, in april. prior i had only known her through makenna, but a love shared with mak is enough to lay ground for trust. she needed a place to stay and i obliged. sharing space with her was an experience of such ease and communication. there was and remains silly, fun, beautiful, and encouraging and open energy shared between. we smoked way too fucken much that week tho lmfao
a moment from two weeks later, she came to new york again for a group show and stayed with me. i learned so much about fortitude from her that week; ‘never stressed
never bothered’ was her response
every time something blocked
her path. she always just
walked around it.
this was a quieter week.
the last time she’d barely slept,
drinking in all there was to do and
all new yorkhad to offer. experiencing her
in these two forms also led to lessons
in balance and rest. bereket offers
the people around her such
unrelenting love and
support, a
commitment that
is expresse as so inherent
it is unquestionable. it is immense
to experience a love so full and light
at the very same time.
we share blood already
but ive chosen you as
family just as well.
in the sequin dress intended for mak’s music video shoot the day after. it
was irresponsible to sew it to
star’s proportions so close
to the MV shoot,
was irresponsible to sew it to
star’s proportions so close
to the MV shoot,
.
but star wears clothes with such accordance
to the sensation garments imply
that i knew the images we’d
make would be grand.
star damn near lived with me this summer
she didnt like being at home, so we made this her
home, until she was able to build her own this autumn
home, until she was able to build her own this autumn
day
or night,you remain the best dressed in our family
we didnt get along as kids,
i guess we lived so far away from each other we never had the chance to. so this summer meant a lot for our care
it’s a gift to have you as a main pillar of support in my life right now. i see so much of myself in you and still learn so much about what it is to show up for someone, what it is to be family. star’s dedication to the people she loves shows in her actions and her presence.
i am reminded of the bond my grandmother and her father had,
cousins with nothing but fondness for each other.
all i know is that i am so excited to see the
way we grow and change with
each other.
(also...sharing closets
with you is the best ever!)
i am reminded of the bond my grandmother and her father had,
cousins with nothing but fondness for each other.
all i know is that i am so excited to see the
way we grow and change with
each other.
(also...sharing closets
with you is the best ever!)
my lover, my friend,
in your absence you remain...
