Almost Gone

Almost Gone, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Well, obviously my studio time got a bit off track over the last few days. However, I did manage to get nearly all of the work done that I had planned. I also have a really nice piece going that I had hoped to send along to The Harrison Gallery, but alas, it is not quite resolved and so it will have to wait until I can get back to it. Since there will be no funeral for my mother, just a private memorial in September, we have decided to go on our family vacation as planned. Doug and I really need to spend a nice quiet week without computer, phone or television, on a lake, enjoying the company of our children.

I will be back in early September, and hopefully ya'll won't forget about me and my little blog here!

A Peaceful Ending

Me and mom at Silver Lake in Rochester, MN, around 1965.


In Berne, MN, at my grandfather's retirement party. I was about three and a half.


Mom and my sister, Christmas 1979.


With my son in 1995. I really love this photo.


These are some of my favorite photographs of my mother. She didn't like how she looked in any of them, which is a trait she passed down to me. Heh. But I think she always looked beautiful. She was a young single mom at a time when being that was incredibly difficult, and she did her best to raise my sister and I. She made many mistakes, as we all do, but she was tenacious in her efforts to stay connected with both of us and our children. And at the end now, we are still connected.

Sue, my mother, died peacefully at her home on Tuesday, surrounded by what she loved, her husband, their pets, family pictures, and the belongings that she spent so many years collecting (I am just a regular pack rat, but she was a wacky, crazy, totally unchecked pack rat!). I will miss her, but am also relieved that she is not suffering any longer.

I can't begin to tell you all how much I have appreciated your kind words, thoughts and prayers through all of this and my family has been touched by all of your kindnesses. Saying thank you seems insignificant, but it's all I can say right now.

Thank you.

Juggling

Red Roof, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Well, despite being pretty busy the last few days, and being terribly lazy about getting started in the studio, I did manage to get quite a few 8x10 paintings finished up. I am juggling a few deadlines right now, and they are all on this Friday, mostly because on Saturday we are going on a week long family vacation to the Lakes Region in New Hampshire. So this is what I have to do before we leave (doesn't count packing or cleaning the house):

The Harrison Gallery has been doing a bang up job selling my work lately and they need more paintings in their inventory. So I need to ship them at least four, although six would probably be better.

I am in a group show, called Upstate Landscape at a local gallery, the Smithy-Pioneer Gallery in Cooperstown, NY. I have to drop off about six pieces on Friday, and the opening is on Monday. We will miss it, which is unfortunate, because we usually know so many people at their openings.

The Blogger Show needs to have jpegs by August 31, of the two pieces that I plan to put into the show which is in November. So, um, I have to paint those paintings this week....

And the local arts org is having their annual Arts on the Lawn sale and so even though I have decided not to participate this year, I probably will end up doing it anyway. Since the events starts before we get back from vacation, I will have to drop off the work before we leave.

I have about 15 paintings in progress (five are essentially finished) and will totally be holding my breath this week, hoping that I don't screw up more than one of them. Heh.

After a bit of trial and error, I have a pretty good system for keeping track of all of this stuff. I have a calendar next to my desk which has the deadlines written on it, plus as a back up I take notes on a notepad on my desk. Cause sometimes I don't even feel like actually turning my head to look at the calendar. I also have a Day Runner type month-in-view calendar in a binder which I use to map out shows and projects for the upcoming year. Although I don't refer to that very often, it's great to have the overview easily available. And I always add the opening receptions that I have to go to, to the FAMILY MASTER CALENDAR, centrally located in the kitchen. That way the kids can see when the 'rents are going out of town!

The interesting thing I have found is that if I write everything down, I always remember all of it and rarely have to check the dates. If I don't write it down, I forget the info entirely. So I take special care to write the important stuff down leaving the rest to mysteriously disappear into the recesses of my shrinking brain.

Cool!

My name has moved from being somewhat obscure in the new acquisitions page on my NY gallery's website, to the home page right along with the other artists.

I think that is a good sign.

Blueberries

My son and I spent the morning picking blueberries at a local farm that has over 5000 blueberry bushes. In late summer the public can go in and pick their own blueberries for 1.60 per pound. Despite complaining the entire time, my son kept pretty good pace with me and we picked about 14 pounds! We are going to have a killer blueberry cobbler for dessert tonight, and the rest of the blueberries will be washed, measured and stored in the freezer in two cup portions. I will use them up over the winter, for muffins, breads and other baked items.

We have four blueberry bushes of our own, and they have been quite productive this summer. Each morning I go out and gather a good sized handful to add to my yogurt. But they are young plants still and it will be a few years before we get a big enough crop that we can store for the winter. Blueberries are a favorite fruit around here so finding a way to keep eating them without buying them from the grocery store is a must.

Tomorrow we are going to the farmer's market to stock up on all of the things that our garden failed to produce this year (ahem, I blame Doug) that I can also freeze, like corn, peas and beans. I am not sure I want to tackle canning this fall so mostly I am going to stock up on foods that can go in the freezer. We are also going to buy some meat there (not much as we don't eat a lot), from a friend of ours who sells pasture raised organic beef, pork and chicken.

Oh yeah, this is an art blog. Huh. I have to spend the rest of today painting and in fact, will have to work Saturday and Sunday as well. I have to do this because I have been procrastinating terribly and only working for a very short period of time each day. Right now I am regretting my enjoyment of a few leisurely days. It would be ok if I didn't have any deadlines, but well, I do and yet I still procrastinate. I have to finish up at least 10 pieces by next Friday. Yikes.

Oh and go check out my website. It has been long overdue for an update and I finally just got the info out to my web person. There are a lot of new paintings up, although you have probably seen most of them here at some point. At least they are all in one place now though, and you don't have to wade through all of this yakking to see the pictures. Heh.

Back to Work Finally

Pink Hollyhocks, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Today was the first real day of work in my studio in over a week. I should have gotten right back to it on Monday, based on how much I have to finish up by next Friday, yikes, but I kept finding other things to do on both Monday and Tuesday. Getting back to painting can be tough for me when I have taken too much time off, or if something dramatic has happened, which is the case this time. My chair feels funny, the easel needs adjusting, the colors look different. Everything just feels odd.

But usually I decide to close my eyes and just dive back in. This always works and today was no exception. I felt as if I was really back home finally, that I was wrapped in the comfort of creating something, anything. The end results didn't matter. Well they did a little bit because I do have to send new work out soon, but while I was painting I didn't think about all that. I did some very nice underpaintings as well as added color to a few pieces that were in progress.

And so I am back on track. For the time being, anyway.

The piece I have posted today is an oddball for me I think. I almost never use white, and I sure used it here. Doug liked it, I didn't. But it made the cut anyway (I trust his opinion, usually anyway) and is hanging in a group show at the Smithy-Pioneer Gallery in Cooperstown, NY.

Nothing Like a Good Book

View Along Armstrong Road, 2007, Oil on Panel, 12x16

My flight last week to New Mexico had two stops, including one plane change, so there was a lot of sitting both there and back. Before I left though, I took care to choose a good book. I thought it would be a really good distraction for me, plus I could read without any distractions. Nice, huh? I have always been a prolific reader, usually managing to finish at least a few books per week. But in the last few years with all I have going on, I am lucky if I can read a full page before I fall asleep each night. This annoys me to no end and I miss being able to breeze through books that seem so interesting. Reading this little each day makes it so difficult to follow a plot line or to really feel what the book is saying. However, despite the fact that I can hardly read one book each month I have not stopped buying books that interest me, and I am guessing I could start up my own small town bookstore with the number of books I have stacked next to my side of the bed, all patiently waiting their turn for me to get to them.

I have been itching to read a book that I have had on hand since practically the day it was released. "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. And then Bridgette mentioned the book to me awhile ago thinking I'd like it and boy was she right! It was the perfect book. While I didn't read so much on the way there, I finished the entire book on the flight back home. It's about the author's family and how they spent a year eating only local and in season foods, or food they grew or raised. The purpose was to order to cut back their reliance on the foods that use incredible amounts of fossil fuels to get to our supermarkets as well as to support local food growers. It's a fascinating book, full of research combined with their experiences and certainly has inspired me to make some changes in what we buy and when we buy it. We already do some things, we try to grow our own food (try is the key word there, heh), we have the eggs and I do buy local food especially during the summer when the farmer's market is open. I mostly cook our meals from scratch and I do a lot of baking as well. But I confess to buying too many packaged foods, mostly crackers, pasta, and cereal, and I have a tendency to buy a lot of bananas and other fruits and vegetables out of season.

So I am all charged up now, and Doug and I are going to make a more serious effort at growing a better and more productive vegetable garden next year. This year the garden got away from us and while we had great greens for awhile plus strawberries, garlic, zucchini and the tomatoes are looking good, the rest got eaten by pests or smothered by weeds. Since I want to grow so many other things, I am putting together a new plan for the garden, which will be a ton of work (um, starting next month). But good worthwhile, albeit backbreaking work.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. It is well researched and sure highlights how messed up our food system here in America has become.

10 Things That Have Made Me Cry This Last Week

Bear Left, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

I have never been much of a crier. In fact before I had my babies, I hardly ever cried. After my oldest was born, I could easily burst into tears during a car insurance commercial, I was so sensitive. Much of that has passed now, however, the last week's events has really put me back into new mommy territory again.

1. Obviously, finding out that my mother doesn't have much time left started it all off.

2. Telling my husband about that, over the phone, because he had just left town on a business trip. In fact, every time I told someone about it, I choked up. Poor UPS guy, surely he regrets asking me about my trip!

3. Random thoughts about what I would say to my mom when I'd see her.

4. Seeing my mom in the hospital, sitting up, wearing an orange baseball type cap. Actually, I cried and laughed a little at that sight.

5. Hearing that the miners in Utah hadn't been saved yet, on Wednesday night when I got to my hotel. And that it would be awhile before they could get to them.

6. Seeing my sister for the first time in nine years, got me a little teary eyed, but the make-up stayed on through that one. I am the big sis and didn't want to completely fall apart on her right away. Heh.

7. Both of us being hugged in my Uncle Jim's arms, at the same time, and the tears really poured out when he wouldn't let us go for a very long time. I don't think I have been hugged like that with my sister since maybe 1971.

8. Talking with everyone in the hospital room about how many people responded to my last blog post about my mother.

9. Having my last conversation with my mom and saying goodbye, for what I think is probably the last time. The details are personal, but I think you can all understand that one.

10. And then I cried again when I saw everyone crying when they saw me crying after I came out of her room. Kind of a round robin kind of cry I guess.

11. Later that night I welled up again at dinner while the mariachi band was playing us a beautiful song. Something about sitting there with my uncle, my sister, my husband on the last day I would see someone we all loved. That moment really got me.

I guess it's 11 things that made me cry. Or maybe even 154 if you count the fact that nothing much seems to make me cry lately too. Luckily, though I am still laughing and there was much of that in the last week as well. But I imagine there will be more crying ahead for me and for all of us. In fact, in writing this I find myself tearing up. I am overwhelmed by how many of you have offered us, a family that most of you have never met, your good wishes, sympathy and prayers. We all appreciate it so much and feel humbled by your kindness.

Thank you all so much.

Happy Anniversary, Doug!

Across The Field, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

As is typical, Doug and I forgot about our anniversary until just a few days ago while we were in New Mexico (more about that trip Monday). Last year I wrote about our silliness concerning our anniversary so I won't go into it again.

However I would like to point out that even though this date wasn't our first choice (you'll see why if you read last year's post) it does seem to have some very interesting karma attached to it.

My great Aunt Bertha and her husband, Uncle Walter, share the same anniversary. Of course I did not know this when we went to get married. How many people know the wedding date of their seemingly ancient relatives? I don't even know how long they were married but I am guessing at least 60 years, until sadly, Uncle Walter died a few years ago.

And Doug's parents also share the same wedding anniversary. They got married when his father got out of the military after WWII and were happily married until his mom died in the early 70's. We also didn't know the date of their marriage until Doug was going through an old box of papers a few years ago.

So I guess, that despite the fact that DOUG IS OUT OF TOWN TODAY ON BUSINESS we should stay married. Gotta keep up with the good karma!

Goodbyes

I will not be posting again until next week. As some of you may recall, my mother has been struggling with lung cancer this past year (I wrote about it here) and I just found out that she doesn't have much time left. Last month she had whole head radiation after more tumors had developed in her brain. Once that was over she had several different infections and now the lung tumor which had basically been eradicated by chemo has tripled in size over the last few weeks. She only has the use of one half of one lung. Her doctor says she has anywhere from a few days to a few weeks at the most. So on Wednesday, the members of our small and scattered family are headed to New Mexico to spend a few last minutes with her.

In the early days of this blog, I had about 12 hits per day, tops. And most of those were from my mom. I realized I would have to self-censor a bit, but nonetheless we had some humorous exchanges after my description of my college days. Good thing I didn't write about everything! Anyway, I was always comforted to see her IP address in the stats each day and sometimes several times each day, knowing that she was interested in hearing what I was up to. I have missed that in the last few months as she has been too ill to do anything. She has missed this little community too. Every time I have talked to her recently, she has said that she hopes to get back to the computer soon in order to check up on me. She also began to read the blogs of some the regulars here and struck up an email friendship with Bart which she really enjoyed. He was so kind to her and even sent her one of his drawings recently.

I can't believe she won't be here anymore.

I'll Need New Long Underwear!

Bee Balm Forever, 2007, Oil on Panel, 12x16

Right smack dab in the middle of a very stressful Saturday, I got a letter via snail mail from the Vermont Studio Center. Just like the acceptance letters that colleges send out, I knew the thick envelope meant I was in! Thick means yes, thin means no.

Anyway, I did not get the Full Fellowship that I applied for but I did get an artist's grant which brings the fee down to an amount I can handle (I probably wouldn't have gone otherwise). Doug, the best husband ever, was slightly bug-eyed for a few minutes, realizing that he will be trapped staying at home with the kids for a whole month. But he came around and is really happy that I was accepted and will have this opportunity.

I have to publicly thank Kesha also. I never even considered applying for a residency before, mostly because I didn't want to leave the kids for so long, not to mention Doug's business traveling schedule. I found Kesha's blog on the very day she wrote about her recent residency there and while reading it, I realized that I actually could leave my life at this point for a month. I asked her a bunch of questions, she answered them, I applied and viola! I am going to Vermont for 27 days of uninterrupted artistic bliss. Um, Vermont in February, which is one of the months I actually requested. Smart.

Think it might be cold while I am there?

No More Free Time!

Purple Zinnia, 2007, Oil on Panel, 4"x4"

One of my favorite things is to see the studios of other artists. So you can imagine my delight when I came across this blog.

I feel so much better after seeing spaces that have about nine million more items in it than my space has in it. Clearly, I am not the only artist/pack rat out there.

You can see a post about my studio here. It's still pretty much the same except much messier and more crowded. heh.

And I am off today to pick up my daughters, who have been away at camp for twelve wonderful days. Despite having a list of projects to do while they were gone, I ended up not doing any of them. I did, however, realize that they are a surprising amount of work, based on the fact that I had very little daily stuff to do while they have been gone. No picking up clutter, much less laundry, no major meals to cook and fewer dishes to wash. I have had a plethora of pens on my desk for the last twelve days and every time I look for the kitchen scissors, they are exactly where they should be. Also, no hugs and kisses goodnight, giggling, reading out loud each night or messy art projects at the kitchen table (the boys are beyond most of those things, they are way too cool!).

Ok, ok, I can't wait to get them back home!

Contracts, Contracts

Magenta Hollyhocks, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Well, yesterday I mentioned contracts, and so I thought I'd talk about my experiences with them a bit further. Without being specific, of course.

One of the benefits of working in some different environments before setting out to work as a full time artist is that I learned a bit about business. Not a lot, but enough to get by without getting ripped off. And I knew from doing some basic research (thank god for the internet) that having a contract was really important if I would be sending my work off to a gallery.

I thought I would feel awkward bringing up the topic, but I quickly found out that I didn't and that if I didn't ask for a contract, reputable galleries or non-profits would be asking me to sign one anyway. A good and fair contract helps to protect both parties and if the gallery won't offer one, I suggest running the other way.

But what is a good and fair? I will mention the points that I look for and that are usually standard.

1. Geographical Designation. This can seem constricting, but it really works to my benefit as well, to limit the area in which I can show my work. There is enough competition, why compete with myself too? And being loyal to one gallery is important to me. I am not at the level where I have an exclusive dealer, so most of my contracts require a 50 mile radius, town or city limits and one is exclusive to the whole state. I look at each circumstance and decide if they work for me, and usually they do, thus far anyway.

2. Commission. The going rate in most commercial galleries is 50-50, 60-40 (favoring the gallery in some cities like NYC), and 30-70 or so (favoring the artists) in non profit spaces. If you have some clout these can be negotiable, I suppose, but I am not there yet. I can say though that I would probably not work with a gallery if the terms were 60-40 on their side. I won't say they shouldn't get that but I would prefer to not get less than 50%. Also standard are discounts to collectors, museums and designers. Usually the discount is 10% to be split evenly between the artist and gallery. Additional discounts are absorbed by the gallery. I also have an agreement with a few of my galleries that I have the right to accept or decline higher discounts.

3. Payment terms. Standard is payment to be made to the artist within thirty days. Exceptions, and they should be noted in the contract, are payment terms granted to the buyer. I am lucky enough to have several galleries that seemingly mail a check to me the moment that they get paid and they have my undying loyalty. I learned from an office job I had once that if payment is not made within 45 days, it becomes less likely that it will be made with each week that passes thereafter. So if I don't receive a payment within thirty days, I make a "gentle reminder call", and if it goes past 45-60 days I get downright pesky. I have only had to do that once though, thankfully.

4. Shipping. Generally the artist pays for shipping and related expenses to the gallery, the gallery pays for shipping back to the artist. UNLESS the artist requests work to be returned in which case there may be a fee required to be paid to the gallery, in addition to the shipping expenses. Also, if the artist terminates the relationship, the return shipping is then the responsibility of the artist in that case. Follow? I was once offered a contract by a gallery whose contract stated that the artist was responsible for shipping to and FROM the gallery. This was non-negotiable on their part so I turned down their offer.

5. Insurance. This was another non-negotiable point in the previously mentioned contract. They didn't insure the work in their possession! Occasionally this may be the case in a nonprofit, and I might agree to it in that case, if there are other benefits to showing there, but there is not a chance in hell that I will ship my work off to a commercial gallery that will not take responsibility for it while in their possession. Very unprofessional in my opinion!

6. Pricing. Most of my contracts have an item about keeping the retail prices the same in all markets. I am fine with that although I can see how, if my prices go up, I will price myself out of some of the smaller galleries that I work with. But it doesn't look good to buyers if they notice that work is priced lower in some galleries than others. And believe me, there are people who notice those things and will ask about it!

7. Termination. There should be a reasonable termination clause, equal to both parties. Mine range anywhere from immediately to 120 days. Also, the contract should have an expiration date, at which time the artist (or gallery) can choose not to sign another.

8. Copyright. The artist should own the title to each piece until it is purchased, at which time it transfers to the owner. The gallery usually has the right to reproduce the image for PR purposes and there is usually some sort of copyright statement. I have to admit here that I am a bit foggy on the whole copyright issue, but all of my contracts have the same statement regarding it so that seems fine to me.

These are the main points usually covered in a standard artist/gallery contract. As I said, some negotiation is possible and in fact if the gallery won't make any reasonable concessions (like in the example I gave above) then it's my guess that there will not be a very good working relationship. And some additional points in a contract would be periodic inventories, signed consignment lists and designation of expenses for exhibitions (it should be the gallery's responsibility, unless you are comfortable with a different agreement).

I have contracts with all of my galleries, except one. I should follow my own advice and request a contract, but I have to say that my instincts are very positive in that case, however if that changes, I will immediately request one. I pay close attention to my instincts, frankly. I have turned down several exhibition opportunities and representation offers over the last few years, based on "hinky" feelings. Often those feelings those been confirmed by the contract and/or discussion with other artists.

I think it's also very important to not sell yourself short. A few years ago, I was desperate to get things going and had to struggle to accept only respectable situations. I can't tell you how painful and disappointing it was to turn down that bad contract offer. But when I did, I almost immediately received two good offers. I totally believe in good and bad karma by the way. That gallery has closed and I am still showing.

The reaction to the request for a contract is important to gauge as well. I worked with a gallery once who didn't have a formal contract, but when I suggested that I would feel more comfortable with one, the director was kind enough to write up a letter (on the gallery's letterhead) noting the gallery's terms. They have been a dream to work with and I am not surprised by that at all.

At first I thought that maybe I should have a lawyer look at the contracts first, but I realized that most of the contracts I was being offered at the gallery level I was at, weren't very complicated. I have casually discussed them with a friend who is a lawyer and he said the same thing. But if there are stronger exclusivity points or other more detailed terms I would suggest seeing a lawyer.

This has gotten pretty long! Please feel free to add your comments or experiences regarding comments. I would have known little about this stuff if I hadn't heard about other artist's experiences.

New (to me) Gallery

Crowded Garden II, 2007, Oil on Panel, 9x18

Now that it's official, I can say out loud that I am being represented by Twinhouse Gallery in Atlanta, GA.

I was previously represented by another gallery in Atlanta, and while they were just great to work with, unfortunately my sales never really took off there. I decided to leave them and literally within a few days, a friend of mine let me know that he had shown his gallery my website and that they were interested in talking to me. I waited until the loose ends were tied up with the previous gallery and then sent some work down to Twinhouse so they could "try me out." They all seem excited about my work and feedback from customers has been good. So we signed contracts (always sign a contract!) and I have sent them a few more pieces. You can see my artist page here.

I am looking forward to this opportunity to try Atlanta again. And I am also in very good company as Twinhouse also represents Neil Hollingsworth, Jeff Cohen and Karin Jurnik, several artists and bloggers whose work I respect.

Photographing My Work

Crowded Garden 1. 2007, Oil on Panel, 9"x18"

Well, back to more current issues today. I have been meaning to answer Giselle's question from last week concerning photographing my paintings.

Because of the layers, the saturated colors and the translucency of my paintings, they can be very difficult to photograph. Professional photography really isn't an option for me for three good reasons:

1. cost
2. convenience
3. there are no photographers anywhere near us

Number 3 is obviously the clincher.

So I am lucky in that Doug has a background in photography and for the first few years we tried all kinds of set-ups, including taking the shots under lights as well as outside in natural light. None of those worked very well, and the images required a lot of work in photoshop in order to get them to actually look like the painting. Finally, we found one spot in our house that has the perfect balance of reflection and natural light, provided it's a relatively bright day, of course. So I take all of the photographs here, in our tv room:



Quite professional, eh? At first we used Doug's old digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix 990, which I believe was one of the first models ever made. Heh. It had gotten a lot of use and finally you had to squeeze down on the battery area while pressing the shutter in order for the camera to record the image. Then a few years ago, for Christmas I gave Doug a super duper way cool Canon EOS 20D digital camera, and we began to use that for the photos. Doug showed me how to use it and I know just the basics, enough for me to be able to take the shots that I need to document my work. I do have my own digital camera, a Canon PowerShot A610, which I use for taking reference photos and for personal use. I have tried to use it for the paintings but the photos didn't have the quality or clarity that the Canon does. So one of these days I may have to buy my own 20D, and maybe Doug can have his back again!

Once the shots are taken, they are downloaded to my computer and into photoshop. Doug had previously handled all of the photoshop work, but he is always busy with his work and I didn't like having to depend on him for all of that. So I have gradually learned how to download the images, save and label the files and how to use photoshop. Sort of. I can handle the basics, and luckily because the spot where I take the photos is so nicely balanced, the photos don't need too much work. This is what I start with:



Usually all I have to do is crop and skew, lighten the image, and maybe slightly adjust the hue/saturation, brightness/contrast levels. Then I save it as a jpeg twice, one at 72dpi and one at 300dpi. When I name the file, it has the title, the dpi, and an excellent suggestion came from one of my gallery directors, which was that I include the size of the painting on the label as well. I can't tell you how handy it is to have that info so easily available. Then I save each file in a folder according to the year the painting was created.

At first I sent the digital files to a company in California that made slides from them. But I have gradually stopped doing that, as I really have no need for slides anymore. If I do send out images anymore, I email them or load everything onto a CD. And competitions are accepting digital files more and more as well.

Anyway, I have this system down pat now and while it can be a pain in the neck, as all documentation work can be, I can literally have a finished image in less than ten minutes of actually painting the last stroke. And although the painting looks better in real life (and thank god it does, how awful for it to be the other way around!) I think the images are very good representations of my work.

Besides I am happy that my work keeps a few secrets, only to be revealed in person.

Too Much Information

Orange Poppy, 2007, Oil on Panel, 4x4

After rereading my last post about being in college in Minneapolis, I realized that my allusions to stupid behavior could be taken to sound a bit worse than it was. I never did anything to hurt other people (though I guess I did make a few hang up calls to my ex-boyfriend, which was NOT called stalking then), and there was no illegal behavior, with the exception of underage drinking. Mostly I was self-destructive, making a fool of myself with a bit of loud and obnoxious behavior, public vomiting (riding the subway can be difficult at the end of an evening of drinking) and feeling the need to drunkenly blurt out my entire life story to anyone who cared, or who just happened to be nearby. I spent many Mondays tracking down people in order to apologize for my behavior over the weekend, and unfortunately it took me a while to take that as a sign to stop drinking to excess.

I guess I could have qualified as an alcoholic, and I believe that I did meet a few of the criteria. I didn't really like the taste of alcohol though and so I drank for social reasons, to feel less self-conscious around other people (I never sat at home and drank by myself). But I also drank in college because many of us felt it was what artists did in order to be "real artists." Um, real smart.

The summer after I finished college, I really went overboard and was at the bars every night. The drinking began to affect my daily life and I also had several black outs, which were considered funny in my crowd at the time, but secretly I was horrified and ashamed of myself. I probably could have developed a more serious drinking problem but I met Doug that fall and found better things to do with my time. It was no big deal to stop drinking and while I still had the occasional drink, I never returned to getting totally smashed at the bars.

After a few years, I stopped completely when Doug and I decided to start a family. And now, perhaps I would have a glass of wine once in awhile, except that I have had a stomach ulcer and it's best to for me to simply avoid alcohol altogether. Doug drinks socially and many of our friends do as well, but I am totally fine with just drinking water. I do still manage to say really stupid things though, and sometimes even offer TMI about myself to whomever is seated next to me. Heh.

Today's image is one of the series of flower paintings I have been working on for a show at a local gallery in Cooperstown. I will put the rest up over the next few days.

A Year and a Half in Minneapolis

Long Field With Tree, 2007, Oil on Panel, 9x18

While glancing through my stats today, I noticed that someone had linked to my blog via Studio McCann. Not familiar with that site I went to check it out. Turns out the artist is Shawn McCann, who lives and works in the Minneapolis area. He also attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, which is where I went to school for a year and a half back in 1983-84. He looks younger than me though, so I don't think we were there at the same time.

So this morning I have been awash in memories of my time at MCAD and of living in Minneapolis. I moved into an off campus apartment there within a month or so of my high school graduation and just spent the summer hanging out, looking for a job, and waiting for classes to begin. As I recall, I had about $20 a month for food, and I was always in debt, typical art student! I worked for awhile as a cashier at the nearby Kmart, and that totally sucked in every way possible right down to the blue smock I had to wear. When school started I began work study and I was assigned to the school library. I liked this job. While incredibly boring sometimes, it was great to have access to such beautiful books about artists, many of whom I had never heard of. The other students began to move into the dorms and I spent that fall drinking way too much at the endless parties on campus (this was the old days when the school actually paid for the kegs for our parties), making new and very interesting friends, and learning about art. I had woodshop class, metal working (I still have a little scar on my stomach where I burned through my clothing while trying to weld), color theory, figure drawing and a variety of other basic freshman art classes, all of which really opened my eyes to so many things I hadn't known or seen before. Not to mention the classic college all-nighters!

When it came time to choose a major for the second year, I had a tough time. I wanted to paint, but didn't really feel like the painting program there was right for me. I thought illustration would be good, but there was no official program for that (I think there is now) although the graphic design program offered illustration classes. So I reluctantly majored in graphic design. I kind of liked it, we did tons of typeface studies, by hand, no computers for that in 1984! I did take a class in computers but it was how to create programs, which I totally didn't understand and I think I actually got an F in that class. But most of the instructors were cool and I really appreciate the experiences I had in graphics, which have been useful over the years.

There were many visiting artists, but the two I remember most were Vito Acconci and Alan Ginsburg. Vito Acconci gave a lecture in my freshman year. There was a boy I had been seeing, but we had broken up and were trying to be friends. We were sitting next to each other during Acconci's lecture and all he talked about was sex, complete with, you know, sounds. I still remember how embarrassed my friend and I both were! I would have liked to have talked to Alan Ginsburg as he spent a lot of time in the common areas talking to small groups of students, but I was never able to get in (story of my life!).

There were a lot of intense relationships with other students, both good and bad. I drank too much during my time there and also didn't really know how to handle social issues very well. I messed up things up with a several people and have always regretted that. But I do have wonderful memories of a number of people. Blaine and Susan who dated then and are now married with three children. Lisa, a fellow outcast, who collected more stuff that one can possibly imagine. She ended up using up all of that stuff eventually in her assemblage art, which is really impressive. Tom, my beautiful gay friend who worked as a model part time and had a flair for everything he did, and John who has been a lifelong friend. He moved to Philadelphia a year after I did and we were roommates (platonic) for awhile. We still talk now and then.

I decided to transfer to the Philadelphia School of Art (now UArts) because they had an illustration department that I had heard good things about. Also, I was feeling very uncomfortable about how I had handled the social aspect of my life at MCAD, and as was my habit, leaving seemed to be the best option. It turned out to be a very good move ultimately, but I have always felt badly about some of the things I did when I was 18 and very stupid.

Of course, I went on to do even more stupid things in Philadelphia, which proved that my stupidity wasn't completely age-related. Heh.

Gallery Walk in the Big City

A May Day, 2007, Oil on Panel, 24x36

I am still feeling the glow from our few days in New York City. Doug and I had such an excellent time with our friends Greg and Nicole, that we are almost ready to move to Madison to be with them forever. Well, not really, but I do so wish we lived near each other again.

We got into the city kind of late on Sunday and on Monday we woke up to torrential rains and very cool temps. So the four of us were all pretty much soaking wet when we got to the Ameringer-Yohe Gallery, which was our first stop. I wanted to see the pastel show by Wolf Kahn and so we spent some time there. But I must confess that while the work was nice, it didn't really blow me away or anything. It seemed a bit rote, which I was disappointed in. A few of the more abstract pieces were lovely but once I enjoyed those, I preferred to sit on a bench with Nicole and catch up on what our kids are doing. I suspect we were some of the more irritating visitors to the gallery that day!

We then visited a few more galleries, none of which I specifically recall, except for Forum Gallery, as we had gotten way too far into chatting to really be thinking about the art we were looking at. However, Doug and Greg were good boys and were actually discussing the art.

The rest of Monday was more walking and talking, more rain, a subway ride, lunch, art and then we spent quite a bit of time at Doug's showroom in Soho. Alas, my gallery was not open and so we made do with looking at one of my paintings hanging in the front window (cool!). Then we had the best pizza ever at Lombardi's in Little Italy. On the way back to our hotels, we cheated death in the most harrowing cab ride any of us had ever experienced. And I am not kidding either.

Tuesday was beautiful, warm, but not hot, and sunny. We decided to go down to Chelsea and go through the galleries there. So we wandered around and I think that all of us were most impressed by Dustin Yellin's show at the Robert Miller Gallery. I loved the sculptures and could see having one in my home. Which is not always the case with much of the work that I have seen in Chelsea (sorry if that offends). Anyway, we were all further impressed to see that most of the pieces were sold and that the artist would be having a hefty payday. Nice!

Oh, and we stopped in at Stricoff Gallery and I was very pleased to see the work of Jeff Cohen (former blogger) and Neil Hollingsworth. Beautiful, in real life too! Also, I was completely transfixed by this piece.

Unfortunately, around 2pm we had to leave Greg and Nicole in Chelsea to continue on without us. Doug and I drove to his showroom to pick up a few things and so I could stop in and visit my gallery for a few minutes. A half hour and a $60 ticket later, we zipped out of the city just ahead of rush hour traffic.

And while we were having a crappy rest area lunch we found ourselves longing for the nice lunch we could have been having with Greg and Nicole, discussing art and politics, comparing notes on our kids, laughing.

Us country folks were thisclose to turning around to go back to the city....

Country Meets City

On the Road, 2007, Oil on Panel, 24x36

Much is going on here this weekend. I have spent the last few days cleaning the house (well not really, but I meant to, I will just have to hit the high spots this morning, and Doug has to do the bathrooms this time), taking care of about 687 errands, doing all of the laundry in the house and last night the girls and I gathered all of their crappiest clothing and packed up their duffel bags. Today Doug and I are delivering them to Girl Scout camp where they will be for the next twelve glorious days. Glorious for us, anyway.

After dropping them off, Doug and I are going to catch a train into the city. We are meeting up with Greg and Nicole, our very good friends from when we lived in Utah (they live in Madison WI now). We have yet to make such good friends here in NY and so of course we are really looking forward to hanging out with them for the next few days. I am also totally looking forward to showing off when we just so happen to visit Multiple Impressions and see my work. Heh. Last time we saw Greg and Nicole, Doug was still all corporate, working for duPont and I was just barely finished with breastfeeding and diapers and was still organizing play dates and running an arts organization. Now I am painting full time, raising chickens, making cheese and reluctantly discussing the facts of life with the kids and Doug is selling fossils AND running a showroom in Soho. Things sure can take a turn, I guess.

Anyway, I will be back on Wednesday.

Drying Times

Bands of Color, 2007, Oil on Panel, 30x40

Jayne asked me a question about whether my paintings are wet when I send them out and also about using varnish. So here is my very wordy answer to her quick question in the comments of my last post. Poor girl!

Most of the time I like to work fast. So over the past few years I have developed a manner of painting that facilitates that need I have, but is flexible enough to allow to plan and consider detail, which is another aspect of how I like to work.

And my one of my limitations right now is that, for the most part, I can only work during the day. Since I have always liked to work with glazes it was fairly easy to accommodate that sort of schedule, with just a few adjustments.

So to start with, I use oil paint straight from the tube, and in forming the image I end up wiping most of it off, so it is a pretty thin base. After having a lot of difficulties with the drying times at this stage (read here), I found that Gamblin paints dry faster and since they have a color that I like for the underpainting, I was able to switch over. It takes about two days for the underpainting to dry, so I usually do them on Fridays and then they are ready to go by Monday.

The rest of the color layers are mixed with liquin, and they generally dry overnight. Unless I do a thicker, more opaque layer. And there are a few colors and/or brands of paint that take longer to dry. But for the most part I paint a a layer or so on each painting each day. Which is why I paint in batches. By the end of a week or so, I have anywhere from one to a dozen paintings finished. Depending on scale of course. And my energy level. Heh.

Anyway, when I am finished with the color glazes, the surface has some spots that are shinier that others, because in some areas I use Liquin more than in other areas. So to even it out I brush a clear coat over the entire surface. This is not really for use as protection the way varnish is, it just evens out the dull spots and also brings out the color. A more matte finish would make the paintings look entirely different.

I have read conflicting opinions about using liquin as a varnish in some of the artist forums. But personally, I have always used it as a last coat (except for some experimenting in college) and have never had any problems with it. The pieces that I coated with Liquin 20 years ago in college, still look great (well except for a few dings from being stored poorly in garages, attics and barns over the years, but that's a whole different issue). I can rework the painting if I want to or repair it if necessary, without having to remove and then reapply varnish. The last coat dries overnight, although if I am going to pack it up for shipping, I try to wait at least a few days.

I know that most painters apply varnish, but I have to say that having to do that might be a deal breaker for me! I am way too lazy to deal with varnish. Guess that could be considered another one of my limitations. Heh.