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Every year I envision summer as this bucolic period when I catch up and get to relax a bit. Not this summer! The crazy move/remodel has overtaken my life and there are still many details to attend to. I wonder how long it will be before I have a week where I don’t pick up something at Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn or Bed, Bath and Beyond. I know that if I don’t specifically schedule time, I will not have time to just be. With all the stress from the move and remodel, I’ve had to resolve some sleep issues. One…
I’m down to the details of finishing my studio and I am looking forward to more creative time and less shopping, installing, returning and measuring time. One important addition was my “tracking” board, a 3′ x 4′ magnetic dry erase board. I wanted a 4′ x 6′ board but they were enormously expensive. I learned that all dry erase boards are not equal and the reason you have “ghosting” on your dry erase is because of its quality-who knew? This one is magnetic and just high enough quality to not ghost. I am visual after all, so this literally keeps the…
YES! My tribute quilt for Pokey Bolton’s ” Live Your Brightest Life: A Tribute to Yvonne Porcella“ exhibit is finished. It took me much longer than expected but I should have known that my re-entry into normal life after the move and remodel might take time. I am thrilled that I was able to submit. I was not a direct friend or colleague of Yvonne’s, yet she directly influenced me. It has been my belief that you know someone has been influential if they impact people far beyond their own circle of friends. In a note which is to be sent…
I am so happy with my new studio! It’s so much more comfortable to work on my computer, and with everything well organized, finding things is a snap. When I get weary of computer work I amble to the next room and work on Yvonne’s quilt for awhile. I go back and forth between the two rooms, keeping my productivity much higher than it was before. Did I mention how much I love my new space? And there are some new additions this week that I adore: My new “short girl” chair is uber comfy and my feet are now flat on the…
One of my favorite art books is Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking (David Bayles, Ted Orland). It is not a how-to book, nor is a book about inspiration. It is about the work of making art. It explores the process of making art and why it doesn’t get made. And it addresses those voices in our heads-we all have some voices: –That is just bad. -Who do you think you are? -Her work is way better than yours. -Okay, so you made one good thing. You can’t make another piece that good. -You have no talent.…
I’m done, I’m done-my unpacking is done! I finished after 16 straight days of hard labor and it was worth it. I am shocked to report that everything I needed fit to into my Studio, with room left over. Which means that I probably over-purged. But dang, it feels good to have everything clean, organized and unpacked-from the garage to the bedrooms! What a feeling of accomplishment to see this hall cleared of boxes and shelves! And waaaaay down at the end of that hall, underneath the new skylight will be my SAQA gallery: I’ve collected these over the years from…
What a week! I have been working on unpacking 11 hours a day for 2 weeks now and I see some light at the end of the tunnel. I think I will be done in 2 more days. Then I will have to play catch-up with all the rest of life like groceries, errands, cooking and cleaning. Maybe, be still my heart, I could actually sit at the machine within a week!? I know I have made at least 15 trips for containers. I am trying to maximize the use of my cubic feet of storage, so I need just…
We have made the move into the “new” house, our remodeled old home. What a brutal task this is-the second move in 5 months! The move came in waves-the first was all of our things from the rental, followed 6 days later by our things in storage. I was able to get the rental unpacked before the second wave…except my studio. That’s another story. For a brief moment in time, my kitchen looked like this. And then the next wave hit. I have always been amazed at how much better your home can look in photos. Yes, my kitchen is…
We’re moving back into the house this week so I am writing this early for posting. I just made a pivotal decision this week: I submitted my entry to a gallery show for this fall, precluding me from entering the “normal” quilt shows like PIQF. This is a change in direction for me that I am going to try to see if I like it. I’m excited! I want to see my work in more art-oriented venues than quilt show venues. There’s a real trade off with this decision. My acceptance rate will probably go way down because it is generally much more…
If you can’t decide between a root canal and buying a new car, go with the dentist. I needed another car. My 10 yr old Acura MDX was in what I call The Second Stage, that stage where it needs multiple things that cost $2500 or so. I was okay with a leather seat that was so cracked that its innards were visible. I was none too happy that my phone could no longer Blue Tooth with my car but I could live with that. And I could get over the heavily stained floor mats. But when I hit that $econd $tage,…