This summer didn’t go as expected, I got a call the evening of Tuesday, June 4th, It was Miguel. He had been going out to the burbs to play basketball in an unofficial league his friends had started. He had been running down the court when he felt someone hit him hard on the back of his ankle causing it to snap, but there had been no one behind him, and he knew immediately something was wrong .
Miguel’s mom and I arrived to the ER to find him in the lobby waiting to be seen, sitting in a wheelchair. After about an hour Miguel was called over for evaluation, then about another hour later again into a room for results. The doctor, ruled out broken bones as she poked around the back of his ankle. Two med students entered the room and wrapped his right foot. We we’re told he needed to keep it wrapped and dry and that we should see a specialist ASAP.
We left the hospital at about 1am, tired and with vague answers. When we arrived home, I grabbed the spare crutches we had collecting dust in the garage, cleaned them up and Miguel used those to climb the back porch stairs to get into the house.
A few days later we were seen by a specialist. With one quick examination he told us without a doubt it was an achilles tendon tear and assured us that, although slow to recover, it was a pretty common injury. We had two options, we could go the route of surgery or let it heal naturally with scar tissue, either way it would take about 2 months to start walking without crutches, 4 months to start PT and a full year to recover completely. The doctor told us we had 2 weeks to decide before surgery was no longer an option.
Miguel’s birthday was in a few days and his childhood friend, John and his fiance, Konako were coming to stay with us for a week from Hawaii. It was tough. When they left we made the call and Miguel went into surgery.
The recovery was rough, Miguel was couch ridden for about two weeks and then through the course of the summer had to learn how to walk on his foot again.
We both spent much of Chicago summer indoors, so when Flor messaged me saying we should do a plein air art session in their studio garden, I was excited.
Excerpt from that day:
Today I had a drawing session outdoors with Flor, and for the first time this summer it felt like I was communing with nature. I didn’t realize how much I needed this and how much I had neglected it, in light of how unexpected this summer has turned out to be. But it felt like a rediscovery, where I was able to flow again and it has given new life to my creative energies.
The playlist of music I was listening to as I sat and drew shapes from this cucmber plant. August 2, 2025
This week I’ve been working on an upcoming zine issue (PT Type) in collaboration with Chicago Graphic Design Club, as a result I’ve been thinking about typography . As I was walking around the garden space I was immediately drawn to the shadows of the cucumber plant’s tendrils and knew I wanted to spend some time with these shapes that felt calligraphic.
Experiencing magical moments in the garden
Flor in the distance drawing a geranium
My colored pencil drawings from today’s session
After the morning Plein air drawing session I went to Flor’s gallery talk at 65Grand gallery where I saw this piece (below), the top right corner features a flower from the cucumber plant I had been drawing earlier that day. The title of this piece is inspired by the sensation Flor de Piel, the literal translation is “flower of skin” but it’s meaning translates roughly to “on the surface of the skin”. It describes a state where emotions or sensitivities are readily apparent, like an aura floating on the surface of the skin. It can also refer to something being easily noticeable or exposed. If you spend some time with the piece you will begin to notice the elements of the body that make up the framework for the work.
Flor Flores. “A Flor de Piel Lips like Petals Enredadera”. 2025. found flower, soft pastel, gypsum plaster. 5-1/4 x 9 in
Flower, Wind and Dog show at 65 Grand Gallery in Chicago July 11 - August 9
Participating artists: Flor Flores, Daniel Hojnacki, D Rosen
One of Flor’s early Kiki works (pictured center)
Studio visit to Flor’s studio May 18, 2025
