Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Lazy Days

I noticed today that most of my recent posts have not had much to do with art or painting. That's because I haven't been doing much of anything for the last few weeks, let alone painting. I have been puttering around in my new studio, gessoing some paper to do some figure studies on, gradually sorting through the last of my most crappiest junk in the old studio, which is looking pretty bleak and lonely these days:

Hard to believe now that I painted at least a thousand paintings in this spot:

Anyway, this morning I went and picked 12lbs of blueberries at a local pick your own blueberry farm. Last year the kids went with me, but this year there was a mutiny and no one would come along. So I enjoyed the quiet solitude of doing something so mundane that I was able to figure out how to solve many of the world's problems (o, if anyone would ever pay attention to what I say!) in the 2 hours I was there.

I think the girls and I will go and buy their school supplies this week which will be a real break with tradition, which is to usually get them the day before school starts. And I will try to finish up cleaning out the old studio so that I can get the walls painted next week.

Don't expect much art here for awhile I guess. I am enjoying a bit of a break from the mad dash to finish paintings that need to ship out asap.

On deck for tomorrow: Another super exciting post about our vegetable garden.

6 comments:

n warner said...

It is remarkable how prolific you are. Getting your fingers blueberry blue, relishing your garden, and advancing your kids' education with new pens and pencils are all necessary summer rituals. And as the artist stands back, we, your avid painterly fanbase get to see your private painting collection, and/or favs which are absolutely amazing, your gardens and your beautiful interiors. You've made a bunch of hay....ride on the
hay-filled, warm days of summer. Like youth, they don't last...I know very cliche, but oh, so true. The creme de la creme was the fair lucky you! - 'nuf said. :-)

Nina

Helen said...

Aye summer time is good to do other things besides making art :D Feeding the other bits of your life and enjoying a different focus for a while has to be healthy doesn't it! The berry picking sounds a divine way to spend an afternoon.

Tracy Helgeson said...

What a graceful and poetic comment, Nina. Thank you. I am enjoying this slower pace, and I am glad y'all don't mind hearing about it:)

Helen, It's true it is nice to use this break to catch and do other things. Love the berry picking especially and plan to do more tomorrow.

Unknown said...

Speaking of the world's problems....if only there had been just women running things all along.
I miss seeing your paintings but love seeing shots of your studio and inside your beautiful house. Oh those floors!

Making A Mark said...

Tracy - I'm really enjoying your "puttering" posts. I now want to have a "puttering" category too! :)

Everybody needs a break from what they do day in, day out for the rest of the year - otherwise we'd have a sad case of the screaming abdabs (well I would!)

I LOVE the idea of berry picking - doing things like that are so brilliant for giving the brain cells a spring clean!

Tracy Helgeson said...

I agree, Deborah, women should definitely be running things:) (Sorry, to my boy readers, gotta go with the sisterhood on this one:))

Katherine, yes, I have to say that I LOVE puttering, I can't say that I don't feel guilty about not painting, but I agree that puttering is important too.