Spring 2025: Issue No.08
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring
Hello! It’s been a while since my last newsletter, and with winter officially behind us, I wanted to check in and share some new art + highlights. Life has been picking up speed this spring!
Sparrow House will be a quarterly newsletter, giving each season the space to unfold. I’m excited to reconnect and share what’s been inspiring me lately.
January began with the heartbreaking loss of the legendary David Lynch. I don’t often dwell on celebrity passings, but like many artists, weirdos, and cinephiles, this one hit hard. Losing someone so full of magic—especially just a week before life in the U.S. took a drastic political turn—felt especially devastating.
“I don't think of death as the end. I think life is an ongoing process, and death is just a change in consciousness.” —David Lynch
My first experience with Lynch was Fire Walk with Me, the 1992 prequel to Twin Peaks, before I had seen the TV show. I had fond memories of Twin Peaks from when my cousin first told me she was watching it—we had stumbled upon Who Killed Laura Palmer? signs in a downtown Manhattan bookstore, and I was intrigued. Years later, I finally immersed myself in the series and could truly appreciate it, even though the prequel had already revealed the killer. Eventually, I got to experience The Return (2017) in real-time, making up for having missed the original run.
Since then, I’ve explored his films, books, and documentaries, hosted Twin Peaks photo parties with friends, and even costume Zoom calls during quarantine. His work is incredible, but for me, it’s Lynch himself who stands out—I deeply admire his unwavering respect for the art life.
“There's so much darkness, and there's so much room to dream.” —David Lynch
Inspired by David Lynch’s artistic life—and my own apprehension about the future—I’ve felt moved to take action. One big change has been relocating my workspace. After over 4 years of sharing an office with Tim (and 15 years in our previous homes), I’ve finally carved out a solitary art studio. Now, tucked into a basement nook, it’s just me down here—even Fluff prefers the upstairs kitchen, where his dream of endless chicken has more potential to come true. I miss having a window, but there’s nothing quite like having room to dream.
ROOM TO DREAM
The challenge of moving to the basement nook was knowing I’d be giving up natural light—a significant sacrifice in an apartment already lacking windows. The bedroom is on the other side, without a door, and next to my work nook are home storage, cleaning supplies, laundry, and an overstock of toilet paper. The space isn’t perfect, but the truth is, it’s actually working. After a rocky start to the year, I’m making serious headway on my goals. I’ve given up on design beauty and focused instead on getting things done.
I don’t think I’ve had a creative space to myself in nearly two decades. My workspace has always had to double (or even triple) as something else—often a communal area—while Tim and I worked side by side, or back to back, in previous setups. Each space has been beautiful in its own way, but I never truly acknowledged my need for complete solitude when creating. It’s become vital to my process.
CATCHING THE BIG FISH
Having a room of one’s own is ideal—and important—but it shouldn’t dictate whether you capture ideas. Even in chaos or when time is scarce, keeping track of them is crucial. Back when I worked at Borders, I’d scribble ideas on discarded receipts, thinking of it as a butterfly net for the future. David Lynch, on the other hand, compared it to catching a big fish, as he explores in Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity (2007).
"If you get an idea that's thrilling to you, put your attention on it and these other fish will swim into it." —David Lynch
I love hearing about other artists’ creative processes—the mundane, the quirky, and everything in between. One common thread is that every artist, in some way, relies on a routine. From time to time, I revisit Mason Currey’s books on audio while I draw, fascinated by the creative rituals of artists, writers, and musicians. I especially admire how much solitude Octavia Butler needed to get her work done. And she was a GENIUS, so there you go.
One reason David Lynch: The Art Life (2016) is a favorite of mine is its glimpse into his quirky artistic habits—long hours alone in his studio (oh, how I relate) and stretches of eating the same meals: tuna on lettuce for lunch; chicken and broccoli for dinner.
While I love variety, the working artist in me understands the comfort of simplicity—freeing the mind to focus on creativity rather than dinner plans. Daily Rituals revealed similar routines: Freud’s wife even put toothpaste on his brush for him, while Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) famously lived on oysters, grapes, and champagne.
I tried the Lynchian lunch myself—swapping tuna for chickpeas since I’m vegetarian—and it was delicious! But it didn’t feel like a go-to for me. So, in the spirit of Lynchian inspiration, I asked myself: what lunch would be The Andrea?
What would your Lynchian-style lunch be?
HIGHLIGHTS
📣✨ EXCITING NEWS! ✨📣
I’m thrilled to share that I am now represented by Chelsea Hensley at Mad Woman Literary!!! I will focus on publishing-centric illustration and can’t wait for what’s ahead. I’ll be posting a new KidLit postcard to celebrate next week, but in the meantime, you can have a look at my updated portfolio.
An illustrated spread about Milicent Patrick, designer of the iconic Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).
🏆✨ AWARD WINNER✨🏆
Our animated short Mistletoe had an incredible year in 2024 and an exciting start to 2025! It premiered at the Midsummer Scream: Halloween & Horror Convention in California this past July and has since garnered 1 award, 3 nominations, and selections at 7 national festivals.
Photos from Midsummer Scream (2024) with Andrea Schmitz in CA, and Triborough Film Festival (2025) in NYC. This experience has opened doors to new opportunities, a creative partnership, a lasting friendship, and a growing interest in collaborating on more horror shorts! We’re gearing up to work on our follow-up film in the second quarter.
🎬✨ NOSFERATU GOES TO THE MOVIES✨🎬
Robert Eggers' Nosferatu hit the big screen on Christmas Day 2024. When I first heard about it, I didn’t have high hopes, but my excitement grew after seeing the trailer (and I’m usually not one to watch trailers). For me, it lived up to the hype—I enjoyed it. However, when I sent our favorite animated pal Nosf to the theater to see it, he did not share the same sentiment. He’s got some thoughts to share in this mini-animation. Have a watch:Over the summer, we took a family vacation to Sunset Beach in North Carolina, only to return early due to hurricane weather and evacuations. Despite that, we managed to squeeze in some family time indoors, where we made Ouija boards and “hunted ghosts” with my niece. I also had the chance to screen Mistletoe (2024) for Tim’s family, along with Nosferatu: In The Beginning (2019), and my then 8-year-old niece loved both! She immediately started drawing her own version of Nosferatu, which will proudly live on my fridge forever.
Nosferatu in 3 ways! Interpretations, from left to right: Violet, Tim, and me.
🎶✨ MUSIC 🎶✨
Every year, Spotify Wrapped confirms what I already know: my most-listened-to band is Lord Huron. But in 2024, it broke this years-long streak, introducing a breakout band of last year: Ruen Brothers. I first discovered them in a playlist, and they quickly became one of my favorites. Although their album Ten Paces was released in June 2023, it was new to me, and the lyrics that first drew me in:“Comfy in my bed
Like a coffin in the ground
Bury me deep,
Six-feet down”
I know from interviews that they’re big fans of Roy Orbison, someone I listen to regularly. I love a crooner, and to me, In Dreams is one of the best songs ever written—something that David Lynch, the Ruen Brothers, and I all share in common. Shades of Blue might be their most Orbison—and oh, how I adore Henry’s voice belting and crooning in that track. Swoon. But this is my all-time favorite lyric of theirs:
🎶 FREE PLAYLIST 🎶
I’ve put together a Spotify playlist mix for you! It’s a collection of songs from Fall/Winter—and it’s a good one. Over 2 hours of music for your listening pleasure:
Recommended by David Lynch, I’m reading The Art Spirit by Robert Henri. Other books that have been helpful this year include: The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy by Anand Giridharadas, as well as The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control by Steven Hassan—which has been instrumental in helping me navigate my political anger.
Our friend Vicki from Providence, RI, stayed with us in Brooklyn at the end of February. We visited galleries, explored art, and reconnected after our last trip to Rhode Island in August. She brings out my extroverted side—something I hadn’t realized I needed so much! Check out her book, the first in a three-part series: Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire by Victoria Dalpe.
Left to right: Nick Cave's exhibition at the Jack Shainman Gallery, Nicolas Party’s Portrait with a Donkey at the Brooklyn Museum, Jack Shainman Gallery (Vicki for scale), and an author photo at Vicki’s reading to a packed KGB Bar for the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series. Once we had finished grieving the loss of our window (due to construction beyond our control), we decided to make the best of it by projecting windows in its place. It's been an atmospheric game-changer.
Turning window loss into an art piece.
After the inauguration, I was feeling highly anxious, depressed, and trying to make sense of it all, so I revisited the Star Wars trilogy (brushing up on ‘The Dark Side’), and have been returning to Lynch’s films after his passing. I’m keeping track of my watches this year on Letterbox if you feel inclined to check it out or share recommendations.
"I'm wearing dark glasses today because I'm seeing the future, and it's looking very bright.”
Until next time, may you find moments of peace out there. Even in the chaos of life, small pockets of joy exist. Wishing you calm through it all.
🖤, A
I tried making a Lynch inspired omelette with tuna, feta, and tomato but it was just too much to deal with. I have since modified it as a blue cheese and tomato omelette with some garlic bread toast, but I'm still seeing where it takes me.