you’re looking out the studio window, and see a guy wearing a kilt walking through the plaza below.
makes for a nice mix of naked toddlers, guitar playing/bike riding homeless guys, and people enjoying a nice lunch al fresco.
way to catch those breezes guy!
As promised, I am actually finishing some things here…
getting ready to send out another small mailing to some local and not so local consultants/galleries,
and brought three new paintings home.
I’m almost thinking I should exhibit them locally at some point in addition to trying to market them.
at any rate.
Here are thumbnails, and they will be added to the “Vines” page on the right as well.
I am counting up the number of times that my studio has been in the proximity of sudden downpours/floods/roof leaks…. and I think it’s about 5. At least three in the current location.
One of the perks of working in a historic building is the unique character of the place… real brass fittings on the casement windows, old marble in the bathroom, high ceilings, solid plaster and stone walls… it used to be the post office….
but…. the downside of working in a historic structure is that you never know when something is going to go haywire.
Just a couple days ago, an air conditioning unit on the roof blew a compressor, and consequently leaked water into the rooms below, and into the basement level as well.
I’m down the hall and dodged it.
A few years ago, the bathroom right behind my studio had a pipe burst- and water went into my neighbor’s studio, soaked the floor, and also poured into the main gallery below… my studio . . . nada.
The back stairway has leaked, another earlier AC leak went into the rooms next to my former spot in the building, even the 100 year flood, when I rented a space across town, and the rain poured down a driveway and under my door-
only an inch of water to mop up- but no big problems.
I am like a cat with 9 lives, only they are keeping me and my work dry so far.
(knockin on wood here)
Started a couple new pieces yesterday- really just a few lines with paint to get me in the mode to jump in.
I’m busy finishing up the last two remaining large ones, thinking I’ll be home more after my husband gets his heart valves worked on this summer. Now, since it’s so hot, I’m going to go find some water …. to jump into!
well, it’s that time of year, when the garden and the studio seem to be both clamoring for my attention.
iris at the beginning of June
We have large plot that runs along the driveway, (which has gotten smaller over time) and for years, it was the main source of summer veggies, strawberries and flowers. Now, however, there are two trees at the east and west of it that have probably grown at least 15 more feet in height.
One is a cottonwood in the neighbor’s back yard that towers over most trees on our end of the block. Suffice it to say, that when I track the sun now, this same plot maybe gets about 3 hours of full sun max in a day…… so not the best location for tomatoes, and other yummy things. So, there are pockets in other flower beds that hold my Roma plants, and to make up the difference, we now subscribe to a local organic CSA- Grant Farms- which supplies us with copious greens and other tasty veg.
My enthusiasm for spending hours weeding has waned over the years too. But it must be done- preferably after a good rain.
While weeding and harvesting in the yard takes up some time, I’ve also been weeding out other items in the house, and also think of this as a way to describe the process when I am working on a painting! (more on that later)
Downsizing has become a mild obsession with me- after seeing a few episodes of “Hoarders”, working with some hospice clients who have spent years stocking up on stuff, and seeing the stacks of papers in files in my mom’s house. It all makes me nervous about getting my possessions / art related stuff / kid stuff / stuff stuff, down to a leaner level.
Some of the bulkier items have gone by way of Craigslist- four wood crates that I built to ship paintings years ago. A remnant of the days when I was eager to ship out entire shows.
Weeding out old dried up playdough, I realized I’ve been hanging on to a lot of my daughter’s old classic toys- the Playschool Farm, (love the door that moos when you open it!), and other goodies- yikes a whole box of Barbies and assorted fashion accessories! Everywhere I turn, it seems, there is something that I was “saving” for some future time when- ??Who? would be around and want to use it?? uhh, not any time soon.
It takes a shift of mind to realize when you are hanging on to things, friends, fantasies, ideas, whatever- long past the boundaries of common sense or usefulness.
The same holds true for painting.
I’ve already been at the point many times when it doesn’t phase me a bit to ditch or destroy old work. Not cuz it’s bad even, just because it doesn’t move me forward… or feel like something I want to keep so i have examples of work I truly loved.
This same eliminating/weeding out now occurs when I paint.
I find myself starting a piece with way more density and information, and over time, carving away at it/ painting out things that might be quite nice, but aren’t really necessary.
Looking for only the right leaf, branch, space of air. I sense that I am having a change of aesthetic , calling out from the wall, and that’s why I paint – to see where it leads me next.
This used to be a big dark blue painting!
Sometimes, I am amazed how long it takes to come to the final stage of what a painting wants to be…how it will be resolved… what conclusions I eventually come to.
When I began to work into this painting again, it was about the time I decided that the larger paintings would feel better in human environments if they were lighter and filled with air, not gravity and density.
Several other paintings will be coming home soon. I’m trying to wrap them up before starting on another transformer cabinet project in August, and dealing with other events.
A few evenings ago, I was in the mood to do up the studio and outside area for a First Friday walk.
This means, dragging in small work from home, setting up my panel walls, hanging things, printing up little cards with prices, and several other small tasks.
Also, the inside of the studio gets a bit rearranged- cabinet with the glass palette on it shoved to one side and covered, paintings “in progress” hung all on the end wall, and things made a bit more inviting to people to walk in and look around. (a basket of treats never hurts!)
This is a good trick in a space that is roughly 9 x 11 feet!
Actually, the evening went fast… as several folks came by that I had nice conversations with and it was busy a lot of the time.
Someone who had been admiring my work for a long time, was thrilled he caught me at the studio finally. We had a connection to Iowa, and he was very kind to appreciate my color sensibility and could see the process involved. Two aspects of painting that are a major preoccupation of mine!
One person was curious why I labeled some paintings “works in progress” because to him some of them looked finished- he was curious to know why I didn’t think so.
Briefly, I tried to explain how I still needed to make small changes in color, or how far advanced or recessive some elements were, and how important even these small decisions were to me. So much of the time spent painting is actually painting or scraping things out, and working in a reductive mode.
I think it helps for people to realize that the work doesn’t stop when you have arrived at an image, all in one pass over the surface, but continues to ask for refinement on some terms.
But they are nearly resolved. 
One painting- Brown Tangle (in the upper right) had been at home, and when I brought it in – thinking I would hang it to display the finished work- I realized- “heck, I need to open up some of those areas” so then it went back on the wall to be reworked.
( Luckily I am never prone to putting on any kind of varnish layer precipitously!)
Anyway, it was a pretty pleasant night.
Even though I price my work out of the studio very reasonably, I seldom sell anything locally, except for small items, and often to other artists, ironically – or to people who are visiting from out of the area. I know that feeling of being a bit looser with money when you are on a vacation!
Many local people who really appreciate what I do are just not accustomed to buying original works of art, and may not think they can afford it.
. . . to be continued
It’s been a while since I was in the studio for days on end… seems I injured my meniscus, and hamstring while stretching and jogging- didn’t feel too good to stand and work for a while. As someone who is NOT used to being unable to move around normally, it was a large drag, and humbling. I also had to rehab enough to take a trip with my daughter, so now that the memories of beach sunsets are beginning to fade, I will be getting back in gear here. Walking in the sand was very good for the tweaked muscles though.
by the gulf of Mexico
I have heard back from a few art consultants, after mailing out my 52 packets, so that’s a good start. Keeping thoughts positive on that front.
• • • •
Also came up with my design for the Art in Public Places commission that I will do this summer - Painting on metal electrical transformer cabinets to prevent rampant graffiti. 
I’m going with the cupcake / party idea, so lots of patterns on gifts and baked goods!
Hope it will be fun to do.
• • •
and today,
started to get some new stretchers ready for a group of new paintings-
life is good
will be sung by the Larimer Chorale on May 2 in Fort Collins. They are going to project images of artwork on screens during the performance, relating to the sections of the music.
They are also doing a fundraiser art silent auction for the first time, so another opportunity for me to use my small paintings for a good purpose. This is the one that is going to be in the show at the Lincoln Center…. it relates to the creation of the mountains.
Owl Canyon - oil on masonite - 1999 9x12
I remember painting this when my friend Jane Clark and I were out on one of our several painting expeditions. (Jane has been connected for years with the Legacy Land Trust, to whom I have also donated art work for their silent auction shows.) I am gradually making a dent in the large stock of small paintings from my past that were starting to overwhelm me!
Larimer Chorale is using the same model as the land trust, in giving their artists half of the proceeds if the work is purchased. Also, they are generously giving us two tickets to the event. Nice!!
Well . . . it is Wednesday after all.
But also the last step of putting together my packets for a mailing seems to be taking forever to get together. It’s time to choose the images, edit so they all look accurate and in a similar scale, and then perhaps add in a tear sheet of other images, like drawings. I keep telling myself that there is no “real” deadline, but maybe that doesn’t help. Yet, also want it to all work well together and be a great package.
Also, the Photoshop app is on my husband’s computer, and I need to pry his little fingers off the keyboard for a few hours to have access to that. Do other people run into an aspect of a larger project that seems to slow things down?
But, I’m making progress.
Brought a couple new paintings home to shoot, and hopefully…… next week it will all go out. . . . .
__________________
On Sunday, I loved the message that came from Academy Award winner, Michael Giacchino who wrote the score for “Up”..
. . “never once in my life did my parents ever say, “What you’re doing is a waste of time.” Never. And I grew up, I had teachers, I had colleagues, I had people that I worked with all through my life who always
told me what you’re doing is not a waste of time. So it was normal to me that it was OK to do that. But I know there are kids out there that don’t have that support system, so if you’re out there and you’re listening, listen to me: If you want to be creative, get out there and do it. It’s not a waste of time. Do it. OK?”
so, hopefully, lots of young folks were listening, and will take it from there!
unglamorous now, but soon to be transformed
this spring/summer I’ll be working on another Art in Public Places project in Fort Collins. For several years, various artists have been painting on the cabinets that house high power electric transformers around the city. It’s actually meant to cut down on graffiti activity, preventing a lot of expense in priming and repainting.
They prime the boxes any color we want, and then we go to town. It’s a real change of pace for me- working outside, with acrylics, on a cube! So, it makes me think in flatter, more decorative terms, and this year, I’m thinking cupcakes and gift wrapped packages- it’s a birthday party! Or maybe something more truly abstract and non-objective….? Haven’t decided yet.
Will post pics when it’s finished.
