Links

Sometimes They Fall Down, 2007, Oil on Birch Panel, 18x24

I thought I'd post a few links today to some blogs that I have been reading lately. Because, you know, y'all should do whatever I do. Heh.

Elijah at Art and Critique has done a series of reviews of my work, including several posts concerning individual paintings. Go on over and check out what he says, not just about me, but about other works of art as well.

I came across Sheree's blog a few weeks ago and am really liking it. She has a wicked sense of humor and I like her outlook on life, frustrations, thankfulness and all.

Marjojo left a comment on my blog once and I went to check her out. Her work and writing is filled with such soft intensity that I couldn't help but be hooked. No pun intended, even though much of her work is crochet.

Dorothy linked to me in a recent post (she is one of my lurkers) and when I checked out her blog, I was blown away by her photography. It's incredible. Go check it out and make sure to look through the archives.

Also, while I am posting links, please check out The Blogger Show page here. The opening for the New York show is in less than two weeks (Saturday November 3rd, 6-9pm, Agni Gallery, 170 East 2nd Street, Storefront #3, NYC) and I sure look forward to meeting a number of people who have been a virtual part of my life for the last few years. I also hope that readers/lurkers here will come out and say hi to me and Doug. The opening should be a good time!

Sunday is For Road Trips

Two Trees in Front, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

Sunday was the perfect day for a road trip. I decided to go visit Gary at his Open Studio, which is only about a two hour drive from our town. This time I took my son, Julien as he was very interested to see a potter's studio. He has taken pottery for years and LOVES his throwing class. He is deeply disappointed to be missing the fall pottery session due to playing on the football team. A football playing potter-our kids are well rounded! Anyway, Julien is pretty good company when he is not in his I-know-everything mode. I tortured him with my ipod on the way there and he tortured me with his ipod on the way home. Every time Lucinda began to sing he let out a loud, irritated sigh and I was lucky enough to hear each and every song ever recorded by Weird Al Yankovic. Heh. I never expected that I would ever have to listen to "Like a Surgeon" or "Eat It" ever again. I nearly wept with relief when he switched over to his other playlist that included The Beatles and Modest Mouse.

We had a lovely visit with Gary and his wife Maude. They are very nice and it was fun to see their purple house as well as Gary's studio and work. He gave a couple of demonstrations on his pottery wheel which were cool and my son is all jazzed up to throw a pitcher or a tall vase rather than the bowls he has been doing. Oh yeah, and we did a little shopping!

The late afternoon light was incredible on the drive home and I stopped a number of times to take pictures (which elicited more deep sighs from Julien). Good timing because I have to begin another batch of paintings today for the Pittsburgh show today and I could really use some new images.

Ok, I did my social thing, now it's back to work!

The One Where I See the Future

On my way back from Roxbury last Sunday, I drove past a number of barns and other structures that I have painted in the past. I always have my camera with me and whenever I go anywhere, I usually take at least a few pictures to use as future reference. This is a photograph of a building that I took last June.


A couple of weeks ago, I finally pulled it out and thought I'd have a go at it.

I liked the cupola and in the past have tried to include them in paintings with little success as I have a tendency to get too fussy with them. However, this time I thought I'd include it, but as an element that is no longer really there. So this is what I did:


Now for the eerie part. On Sunday when I passed the building I nearly drove off the road. No cupola!


The building is being gutted and possibly demolished, but on the very day I saw it, it looked a lot like my painting.

You can pretend that you hear the theme from The Twilight Zone now.

Imagine

Used to be Bigger, 2007, Oil on Panel, 18x24

I have been playing around with some alterations to the barn imagery. It began with an aerial photograph of our property that hangs in our kitchen and which I look at often, enjoying the history of our property.


It was taken in the fifties or so, back when this was a real working farm. The photo was given to us by Clyde, who grew up in this house and who now lives about a mile down the road. As you can see, the barns in the photo are pretty extensive, however now, only one piece of that whole structure is still standing. The other structures are long gone and a newer silo is now standing next to the remaining barn. But in the last few months I have become enamored with the "ghosts" of the barns in our community that I see everyday. I've gradually been looking through my barn reference photos with a new eye, imaging what may have once been there. And since I alter so much of the reference that I work from, it hasn't been a big stretch to also imagine what might have been surrounding the structures that I like to paint.

So I have been occasionally adding scratched in barns or houses, clunky additions, and structural elements to some of my barn paintings, portraying what may have been, what is and what could be there as well. This is the first one I did and while not a barn, it was an encouraging start. I have been pleased with the continued results, and several of these pieces, including the one above, will be included in my upcoming show at Boxheart Gallery in Pittsburgh. The scratched in "ghost" elements are actually very subtle and the challenge is to get the painting and composition to work, whether one can see the additional elements or not. That takes a bit more planning than I am used to doing, but I am enjoying the challenge.

Barn Lady

A funny thing has been happening lately. I have been the recipient of many photos of barns. No less than three different people have recently sent me photographs of barns that they have taken. Surely everyone who knows me, or reads my blog must think of me when they see a barn now. Heh. Clearly I am now the Barn Lady.

Actually I love this. I have hundreds of pictures of barns that I have used for reference but even though I usually see at least one barn wherever I go and always get pictures, I can't be everywhere. And there are an incredible number of barns in communities throughout this country, not to mention the whole world. So I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness of those of you who have taken the time to send me photos. New reference is always good and when it comes through someone else's eye, it's even more fascinating to me.

And to the rest of you - bring it on! I would be very happy to see more barns (or multiple barns) and many of them will surely find their way into a painting. So go ahead and email me jpegs if you like.

The above barn is my great Aunt Minnie's barn in Ohio. Aunt Minnie (sister to my grandmother and to my Aunt Esther, mentioned here) was the best aunt ever, full of life and spirit and endlessly interested in everything that I did. Our yearly visits to her home were a bright highlight in my childhood and her confidence in my abilities was of such value to me. She died almost eight years ago at the age of 95 and I still think of her often. I am not sure if the barn and property is still in her family, but this will always be Aunt Minnie's barn and I am sure it has more than a few stories to tell.

Retrieving Art and Music

Two Trees In Front, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

Sunday I took a break from working in the garden and drove down to Roxbury. A few weeks ago I received word that the gallery would be closing at the end of November and so I wanted to retrieve my work from their inventory. I have been exhibiting there for almost two years and it was a good experience. I had a three person show and a solo show, plus my work was included in a couple of group shows. Sales were modest, but pretty good considering the gallery is located in such a small community. I found several new collectors (yes I mean you, Brian) and showing there really helped raise my profile in upstate NY. But as I move into galleries in larger cities, it becomes more difficult to continue to sell my work in the smaller areas. So losing this gallery doesn't feel like a bad thing for me, however, it's unfortunate that Roxbury is losing such a good fine arts venue.

The ride home was excellent. It was a nice, sunny day with great light and I stopped several times to take photographs to use as reference for future paintings. And holy cow, my iPod was really throwing out some good songs. At one point it played a string of seven songs, each of which break my heart in totally different ways.

"Jack and Diane" John Mellencamp back when he was John Cougar. Reminds me of high school.

"Martha" Tom Waits. Oh the pain of talking to an old lover!

"Welcome to the Jungle" Guns N'Roses. Gotta love totally raucous noise once in awhile.

"With or Without You" U2. I can't even tell you all how much I loved Bono in the 80's. He was my man, my one true love. I know he would have loved me too if we could have made eye contact, just once...

"Car Wheels on A Gravel Road" Lucinda Williams. Everything that Lucinda sings breaks my heart.

"It Ain't Over Til It's Over" Lenny Kravitz. Love the sound of this one and well, I loved Lenny too. I am very fickle, sorry Bono.

"Hallelujah" Jeff Buckley. Showcases Jeff Buckley's incredible voice and heart and makes me feel sad that he is gone.

Then I skipped a few and came to "Gimme Shelter" by Patti Smith. I had a sore throat trying to keep up with Patti (not possible) by the time I pulled into the driveway.

A very good day.

Odds and Ends

The last few days have been dark, dreary and rainy. I actually love those kind of days, however a few in a row can really put a crimp in my ability to photograph my work. My prime photo location does depend on at least a little bit of sun and we haven't much lately. So the stack of paintings waiting to be documented will have to wait for another day at least and today I will make do with putting up a few other things.

Doug and I went with the girls to the local Pumpkinfest a couple of weeks ago. Growers from all over the area bring in their pumpkins to get them weighed. This year the winner weighed 1376 lbs! If you are truly fascinated by all of this, and who wouldn't be, haha, you can see more results here. There were also the obligatory craft tents and baked goods for sale and we saw nearly everyone we knew there. We go every year and it is always a good social event. The next day the local huge pumpkin participants hollow out their pumpkins and there is a regatta race in the lake, along with another set of crafts, activities and food booths. We skipped that this year, although it is pretty surreal to watch adults paddling around a lake in a big pumpkin.


I took some pictures of our yard (plus one gratuitous shot of Penny, our dog) and house last Sunday when we did actually have some sun. My heart bursts when I see all of this fall color, even though it is never as good in a photo as it is in real life.




And last but not least, my work has been reviewed at this blog. I am feeling a bit big headed today, as it is a very flattering review where so much more meaning is given to my work that I ever thought possible.

Have a nice weekend. We will be busy in our garden, trying to prepare it for next spring as well as for planting a few winter crops in a straw bale cold frame. Wish us luck on that. Heh. We need it.

How We Met

Doug and I in 1990. He is holding the camera and looks more jowly than he actually was.

In September of 1988 I was coming off a very bad summer. I had spent far too much time mooching beer from my friends at the bars in Center City, often walking home at 2am because I didn't have a dollar and change for the subway. I was incredibly poor, even losing weight because I didn't have money for food. I couldn't find a decent job and only managed to get through the summer by borrowing $800 from my great Aunt Esther, (a true low point for me, borrowing money from her) who was very disappointed in me because I hadn't actually gotten my degree. I lived in a really dark and depressing upstairs apartment in a rowhouse in South Philly and it was maybe the hottest, most humid summer ever.

Finally in September I called about a listing posted on the college job boards. It was a temporary job doing assembly at a small holographic company on North Delaware Avenue. I worked there for about 2 weeks, along side a guy named Mike (his favorite band was Toto and he had the best mullet ever) assembling holographic calculators that were to be shipped off to The Sharper Image catalog. A guy named Paul supervised us and there were two other guys, Mike and Bob who were partners in the company. Mike handled sales and marketing and Bob did the graphics. They were all very nice and a lot of fun to work with and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. During the few weeks I was there I kept hearing about Doug, who was out in Utah but I never did meet him while I did the assembly work. About a week or so after that job ended, I got a call from Paul who said that they were looking for a secretary, a permanent position, and wondered if I could come in and talk to the owner, Doug. I was pretty sure that I would be a terrible secretary and that that kind of job was totally beneath me, but I also was desperate for some income and so I said yes.

Holographic Design was located in a beautiful loft space in a converted warehouse space. Across from the building was a sauerkraut factory that emitted the most disgusting smells in the summer. Open vats of sauerkraut we often sitting on the street in front of the door to the loft and oh my god, the flies! Neither of us can eat sauerkraut to this day. When I went in for the interview I recall walking up the steps to the reception desk, idly wondering if he might be someone that I might like (as in like, like), where Doug was talking on the phone. However when I saw him he didn't seem my type, as I usually preferred guys who were jerks, and I could tell right away that he was nice. He seemed too old (um, 31, practically ancient, heh) and maybe kind of square. So I forgot about all of that silliness and we talked for awhile. He asked me if I could start the next day and I said ok. Later on he said he felt like there was something going on between us during the interview and that he was flirting with me. I have since learned that he is terrible at flirting, which makes it all the more cute when he tries it.

Anyway, I started to work there and I really enjoyed it. Turns out I was pretty good at answering the phones and handling customers and I learned to use their newfangled Mac Classic computer. And within a few days I realized that I really liked Doug, that he was totally my type and that he was the guy for me. I didn't know much about his personal life, other than that he lived upstairs from the office and that he seemed to work all of the time. One of his partners was married and the other was getting married, so I just assumed that Doug must have a girlfriend or something and I recall that I didn't want to know, because I would be devastated to have to keep working there and see him getting married. I remember sitting at the bar at McGlinchey's one night, pouring out my sob story to a friend of mine, that I was in love with my boss and surely he has a girlfriend, waaaaaa. But I got the real scoop soon enough. I was invited to go out for drinks with everyone after work on Doug's birthday, October 10, which was about 2 weeks after I began working there. We all went to the bar at Society Hill Hotel and during the course of the evening I found out that he was unattached. My crush spiraled out of control! Doug went off to have dinner with his father and I went home feeling incredibly giddy. On that evening I had picked up a few vibes from him and anything seemed possible.

Over the next few weeks we hung out a bit after work, often along with some of his friends, and it was all very casual. I showed him my work and he seemed very impressed, and I learned that he had a BFA in Photography and sculpture from Tyler, so I was impressed. I guess I knew he was interested in me but I wasn't really sure until we went to a Halloween party at the photographer's loft next door. It was a costume party and everybody was fabulously dressed, but I did not wear a costume, other than my usual all black of course. Doug felt he had to dress up somehow, he was wearing a red shirt and a brown tweed coat and then he strapped a big round Fresnel lens to his face, which made his face look HUGE. He looked like a complete idiot! At one point during the evening he put his arm around me, bumped my head with the lens and that was it. I finally knew for sure that he liked liked me.

As we began to get closer we kept it quiet. None of my friends, including Cecily, thought Doug and I were right for each other. And eventually his partners found out about our relationship. That went ok at first, I don't think anyone thought it would last and it was excellent office gossip fodder, but after awhile things got a bit difficult and Doug's friend/lawyer began to give him grief about what a bad idea it was to date an employee. I didn't handle the situation very well with his partners either (I was only 23, and very stupid!) and was much less sensitive than I could have been. In 1990 or so, Doug decided to partner up with another group, which involved a move to Connecticut. Mike and Bob didn't want to relocate so they left the company and found work elsewhere. Doug asked me to go along with him and I joined him there after a few months. We rented a big, old beautiful house in Milford, CT and in 1993, five years after we met, we got married in the living room of that house by a justice of the peace. There have been a few bumps and a near divorce, but mostly our years together have been blissfully happy, despite our scandalous beginning!

I love you Doug, happy birthday, oh and thanks for hiring me for the secretary job, starting salary 10,000.

Atlanta

Early Red, 2007, Oil on Panel, 24x36

So the trip to Atlanta was great! Well, except for the traveling part. I had to meet Doug in NYC so after the kids got onto the school bus, I drove 2 hours to Hudson, and took the train into Penn station. Doug was waiting for me there and since we were running late we decided to take a taxi to the airport. It wasn't the worst cab ride I have ever had, but it was close and I kept my eyes closed during most of it! We got on the plane, which then sat on the runway for over an hour. Arrgh! The flight attendant gave everyone extra peanuts at snack time and so we all felt better after that. Heh. But the actual flight was fine, as was the next cab ride to the hotel. I didn't have to close my eyes during that one. And the trip back home was nearly the same, but in reverse. Instead of the cab ride in NYC city though, we took an air train to another train in order to get back to Penn Station. And from there we had a few hours until we had to catch the train to Hudson, so we took the subway down to Soho, where we checked in on Doug's showroom, visited Multiple Impressions and then we walked over to Arcadia to check out the paintings there. I believe that the only mode of transportation we missed in those three days was a boat and the space shuttle.

Anyway.

We arrived in Atlanta kind of late on Thursday and so we had room service and went to bed early. The next day we got up and walked to the nearby mall. Doug needed a few things and so we wandered around, had lunch, shopped and looked at some paintings in a mall gallery by Paul Stanley from the band KISS. We didn't like them but the girl working there assured us that his work was very sought after. Hmmmm. Okay.

We then walked down to Twinhouse Gallery so that I could say hi before the actual opening. Our hotel was only a bit over a mile down the street, however it turns out that Atlanta is not exactly conducive to walking. Plus it was hot and very muggy and so we were pretty icky by the time we got there. What a first impression I must have made!

Later on we arrived at the opening around 7pm and it was in full swing. In fact it was packed. The show looked awesome and it was pretty cool to see one of my paintings (Early Red, above) hanging in the front window! We wandered around a bit and then Neil and Karen came up and introduced themselves. We all immediately hit it off I'd say, and Doug and I spent most of the evening talking to them, in addition to several of the other artists and other visitors. I spoke with a woman who wanted to buy one of my paintings for her husband, plus I met a number of others who admired my work. So that was nice. After the opening ended at 9pm, we went to the pizza place next door with Karen and Neil to chat some more. We all have so much in common and I can't believe how wonderful it was to talk with people who do what I do, paint, and try to navigate through the business side of art as well. I miss that in my real life at home. We finally left at 1:30am! I can't even remember the last time I was out that late. They gave us a ride back to the hotel (thanks again!) and collapsed. I think we are getting old.

The next morning we met with Susan, the gallery owner and she took us to breakfast where we had a classic southern meal, eggs with cheese, grits, hash browns, toast, and lots of fat and grease. She gave us a quick tour of Atlanta that left us wishing that we had could have at least another day there, and then took us to the airport in plenty of time for us to make our flight. It was nice to get to know her better though and I really have to thank both Susan and the director, Tiffany, for their hospitality.

I am so glad that we went on this trip. It was important for me to attend this show, meet everyone and become familiar with this particular gallery's dynamic. And getting to know Neil and Karen was just the best. Since Neil has now admitted his part publicly in getting me into this gallery, I want to sincerely thank him for that. Thank you Neil! I have met such lovely people here in art blogland.

We are home now, and getting back into the swing of things. Thanks to our good friend and super nanny, Mary Jo, our kids had a great time while we were gone and probably didn't even miss us.

Oh yeah, I forgot to take my camera to the opening so I have exactly zero pictures of the event, the art or my painting in the front window. Typical.

To Atlanta

Contrasts, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

I am feeling rather hectic today as I have about a million things to do. Don't worry I won't list them. I am leaving for Atlanta tomorrow, in order to attend a group show gallery reception at Twinhouse Gallery. I was going be taking this trip alone, but Doug will be coming along after all, so this will be more fun. And I already expected this to be a good time. The gallery owner and director have been so nice and friendly to work with, plus I have heard through the gallery grapevine that Neil and Karen Hollingsworth plan on coming to the opening so I look forward to meeting them. Oops, I hope I have not said too much, it can be so easy to jinx an event like this. Heh.

And this morning while I was loading the washing machine, it occurred to me that this will be the first gallery opening for a show that I am included in, that is in a gallery in a large city. While I have had a number of solo and group shows in the last three years, those galleries have all been located in either small towns or tourist areas like Cape Cod and with just a few exceptions, their openings were not usually jam-packed. So yet another first for me in all of this. Should be interesting!

I will give a full report on Monday.

Google Searches 2

Fall in the Air, 2007, Oil on Panel, 12x16

For some reason my stats have risen quite a bit lately. Some of the hits are coming from other blogs and repeat visitors have also increased, which is very nice. And it seems like a few people have recently "found" me and are reading through the archives (very flattering). But many of the unique visitors come to me by way of searches and there have been some really good ones lately.

-squeeze down by tracey
This one made me kind of nervous, so I never did check why they ended up here. I do take comfort in the fact that my name is spelled incorrectly, so it's probably not someone actually looking for me.

-where does the seam go on a girl scout sash
I suppose I mentioned that I mistakenly sewed patches onto my daughter sash, and the sash was upside down, with the seam at the top. Sheesh! I take comfort here too that another mother was also confused.

-tracy the male model
This one left me speechless. And a little creeped out.

-how to become a working artist without a degree
I imagine this one came to me because of the working artist phrase in my profile. However, maybe it's a good time to let y'all know that I never did actually get my BFA. A combination of a nasty department head, excessive student loan debt and NO. MORE. MONEY. EVER. kept me from going back to get those last twelve credits. One lousy semester. However, UArts seems to think that I am a graduate since they keep sending me desperate requests for donations!

-pastel sketches of syringes
This one made me a bit nervous too. I can't imagine that ever being a topic here, so hopefully it was just the word pastel.

And of course the ever popular hits leading to a few posts I wrote about my son's dead hamster last year. These are always good, yet disturbing as well. America's hamster population clearly has some health issues.

-hamster lump chest
-how to cut hamsters teeth with clippers
-hamster bleeding mouth
-growth on hamster lip
-limp hamster
-bumps on hamster back

I wish I could help these poor people and their hamsters but I am afraid that I have no information about these conditions. I can describe how to cut a hamster's teeth though if anyone needs to know. Really, it's one of my many skills. Read here about it. That post could be the best description of my present lifestyle ever, by the way. It pretty much covers everything.

PS See Google Searches (#1) for more good searches.

Barn Talk

The Clearing, 2007, Oil on Panel, 24x24

Since my mother died last August, I have been lucky enough to get back in contact with several members of our extended family. We have all had some lovely communications about our family members and shared past and it has been very comforting to me. Turns out this blog has been a good way to connect and to stay connected.

One of my mom's cousins, often emails me to remark on something I have written here. Judy married my grandmother's brother's son, which makes us cousins twice removed with with some kind of lemon twist. Heh. My grandmother used to have a great understanding of the intricacies all of those relationships; to me we are all just cousins. Jim and Judy live on the same family farm in Ohio that my grandmother grew up on in the early 1900's, along with her three sisters and brother. When I was young, I loved to hear the stories of their childhood and their life on the farm (I should have paid more attention to the farm part!). Their lives were incredibly difficult on a daily basis but they all grew up to be very strong and educated adults and knowing that part of my family's history helped ground me when I pitied myself and my own disrupted childhood. My mother, sister and I traveled to Ohio quite often in the late seventies and visiting the farm was fascinating. I loved to imagine the events that my grandmother had described and to envision where they must have taken place in the house, barns and land. I was envious that I couldn't live in a place that I felt so connected to through my grandmother's stories. Perhaps that is why things feel right for me now, here on this farm.

But I digress. Judy recently sent me an email which was quite possibly the best compliment anyone, but especially her, could have given me. It read:

I enjoy your paintings, but being surrounded by old barns, I just marvel at your love of painting barns. I have been looking at my old dilapidated barns, trying to find what kind of inspiration you get in painting these barns.

Jim keeps fixing and slapping paint on these old barns every summer. I'm sure he probably has that same feeling about barns that you do, of course in a different way. You certainly paint beautiful pictures, and I must say, I look at barns a little differently. I even notice barns I never noticed in the neighborhood before.

To have any kind of influence whatsoever on how a person sees a barn, especially a person who has been around them nearly all her life, is just the most incredible feeling ever. Inspiring others is not what I have intended with my barns but is instead one of the loveliest and most meaningful surprises that I could have as a painter. Those surprises don't come everyday, but when they do, wow!

And after I thanked Judy for such a compliment I did what any pragmatist would do, I told her that I would LOVE a few photographs of those barns to use as reference. I am always looking for good barn references.

Caught Up

Double Purple, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Yesterday I shipped new work out to The Harrison Gallery and I also have a number of paintings ready to go to Gallery 100 in Saratoga Springs next week. Both galleries have sold a number of my paintings in the last few months and need more for their inventory. The Blogger Show pieces are finished and are just waiting to be packed and shipped in October.

Finally now, after wrapping up those details, I can devote the next next month to preparing for a solo show in Pittsburgh at Boxheart Gallery. This one has been on my schedule since early 2005 and it seemed like a show that would never arrive! I have about six paintings finished but need to do about 15 more. I am not too concerned about being able to do that ( I just began six more yesterday) and I even think I won't have to work on the weekends. Meaning my life might be kind of normal. However, I suppose more things will come up, I do have to do some small works for a holiday show at Gallery 100, a small painting that will be used for a holiday card for a friend of mine (more on that in another post) but I can easily fold those into the mix over the next few weeks. And as soon as the work is finished for the Pittsburgh show, I have to begin again for another solo show in January at the The Harrison Gallery.

Right now though, today, I am reveling in the feeling of being caught up.

Extreme Makeover

Mr. Wilson's first haircut. None of us are entirely sure that we got the right dog back from the groomer.

I am NOT a Morning Person

Purple Weeds, 2007, Oil on Panel, 6x8

Kesha left a comment the other day, aghast at the possibility that I could possibly be a morning person.

I'd like to assure everyone that I am not a natural morning person at all. In college, I thrived on all nighters, and rarely went to bed before 3 am. I hardly ever began any work in my studio before 11pm and I still have fond memories of how creative I was between those incredibly surreal hours of 3-5am. Of course I slept later than I can now, and most of my classes began later in the days with a few notable (and painful exceptions). One thing I did learn from all of this late night activity, was to never use an x-acto knife after midnight. The possibility of losing a finger or a good chunk of skin really goes up when using tools with blades late at night. Just so you know.

Although I have long ago ended the all nighters, up until we moved to NY four years ago, I tended to be up late (midnight or so) and sleep in just a bit in the morning (7 or 8am). But we moved here and for some reason I began to just wake up at 6am. The kid's bus comes at 7:30am and I like to have a shower before I have to get them up. The pets need food, the dogs need to be released from their crates and the chickens are waiting for their food. And then I have to use the time that the kids are at school effectively (not that I always do) and so I have no choice anymore but to jump up every morning and be fully functioning within minutes.

So I do it, but it is under duress. And I suspect that working and functioning against my nature is why I am often so dang tired by late afternoon. And to really seal the deal, I seldom go to sleep before 11pm and I absolutely cannot sleep past 7am, even if I don't HAVE to get up. Crap. Plus I find myself trying to schedule things for the morning, when I have more energy.

Double crap.

Back to Figure Drawing (again)

Heavy Sky, 2007, Oil on Panel, 6x8

One of my new year resolutions last January was to attend the local figure drawing sessions each week. I went exactly once and then life got in the way. Snowstorms, a traveling husband, exhaustion, one thing after another gave me a reason not to go each Monday night. It is beyond difficult for me to leave the house in the evening anymore. I am not sure why, but I suppose it has to do with how full my days are and how much I need down time at the end of them. Or maybe it's age related. Heh.

But finally I decided that this is the time. I need to go. I am going to the Vermont Studio Center in February, where they have figure drawing sessions every day for three hours and I intend to go to every single one of them. The thing is though, my figure drawing skills are very rusty and I don't want to embarrass myself. Well, any more than usual, that is.

All day yesterday I planned to go. Then around late afternoon I started to rationalize. I don't have to go, I can start next week, I have other things that I really need to do, my night driving vision is bad, I am tired, waaaaa. So after dinner, I decided to buck up, quit whining and just go.

And as always, I am so glad I did! (when will I ever learn?) I did have a rocky start though. The model was a male. I don't mind drawing a male model, it's just that I so much prefer to draw the female figure. After seriously considering leaving early, I made some mental readjustments, settled in and got to work. I did some really horrible gestural warm ups and then managed to eke out two not awful drawings from 15 minute poses.

The process, not the results, is what made me feel giddy as I drove home. Which is why I feel comfortable posting them even though they are not my best drawings. I am still feeling the love.

I Got Nothing

Blue Line, 2007, Oil on Panel, 14x18

Nothing to talk about today, that is.

The weekend passed in a haze of soccer games, yard work, cleaning, and cooking, all superimposed on the most heartbreakingly beautiful fall days ever.

During all of that, I decided yet again, to rearrange my daily schedule so that I get to work in the morning and leave the afternoons for catching up in the office, including writing my posts and reading blogs. Um, starting today. Surely I will stick with it this time, right? ha. I did ok this morning, although I didn't get to actually painting until about noon. I did get a good walk around the block in first thing, which is something I have been neglecting lately and then I had to putter around a bit before I could settle in to work (sometimes puttering is totally necessary).

Maybe I'll do better tomorrow though and get started earlier.

But watch out, I begin my downward slide into negativity and pessimism each day around late afternoon and so my posts may reflect that. Heh.

Returns

Slight Slant, 2007, Oil on Panel, 14x18

So naturally, the very day that I started to feel very full of myself about how well the art thing has been going lately, I had a bit of a reality check. One of my galleries is sending back all of the recent flower paintings I did in August because they have not generated any interest. They were originally painted for a local group show, ahem, where none of them sold either.

I am choosing to see the good in this situation though-the gallery was willing to try new imagery by me, which is always a plus and another gallery I work with has requested flower paintings, so I can send the work off to them (third time is the charm?). I know that the markets are all different and that what sells in one market may not sell in another. I go through that all of the time with the barns.

But that said, it does still sting a bit to get them back, knowing that they didn't appeal to this gallery's visitors. Kind of dashed my fantasies about an immediate sell out of inventory, ya know?! I admit to secretly hoping for that every time I deliver new work to a gallery.

And for now anyway, it's taken a bit of the wind out of my sails, concerning the four flower underpaintings in my studio that are waiting for their color.

PS. If you'd like to see the flower paintings, they can be seen in the blog archives in late July and early August.

It's Honey, Honey.

Continuing on with the farm updates (super exciting, I know) Doug's beehive is flourishing. He started with 12,000 bees last spring and he estimates that there about 60,000 bees there now. They have been very productive, probably because of my flowers, heh, and there is plenty of honey, honey. We will probably fill at least fifty of these jars!

This is the first jar of honey that he extracted from his hive and you would think that Doug had negotiated world peace the way he is prancing around the house with it. Sometimes though, it's the little things......

Dogs, Cats and Chickens Everywhere

So Mr. Wilson is unbearably cute. He is much fun, and it hasn't escaped me that it's been just like having a toddler in the house again. I am forever fishing odd things out of his mouth, he LOVES to be held and carted around, and house training is taking way too long. He does sleep way more (and through the night!) than any of my kids ever did though. Heh.

He has folded nicely into our household however, and the other pets tolerate him quite well. He tries desperately to play with the cats, but they just stare at him like he is deranged. Once in awhile if he pesters them enough, one of them will turn and bat at him with a (declawed) paw, their version of playing and he completely overreacts by yelping and whimpering. I call him a drama queen. My kids correct me and say he is a drama king, since he is a male. They don't understand certain subtleties yet.

Anyway, as you can see in the photo, Mr. Wilson is in dire need of a haircut. There aren't any pet groomers in our town, but a friend of mine was able to get Mr. Wilson in with her dog next week. Some groomers in the area aren't even taking new customers. Good grief, who knew?

Penny is coming around. At first she completely ignored him, but now they interact and I think she enjoys his constant adulation. He follows her everywhere and when we go on our walk Mr. Wilson finally has a good shot at keeping up, because they are both on leashes. Sometimes the constant licking and pawing at her face is too much and Penny very politely stands up, ensuring that there's no chance that Mr. Wilson can continue bothering her. He keeps trying though!

Our new chickens will soon be laying eggs, I think. There are eight-three Buff Orpingtons and five Araucunas, which are the ones that lay blue or green eggs. I have been keeping them in a dog kennel, separate from the other hens until they were big enough to go into the other hen house. Before we left on our vacation I put them in with the other hens and things did not go well. The older hens harassed them so badly that they huddled in the hen house and wouldn't go outside, but we had to leave them there because we needed the kennel for Penny while we were gone. When we got back the new hens had managed to crawl under the screen under the roosts (where the poop falls through) and were all crammed in there, totally terrified. We got them out and put them back into the kennel. A couple of them actually had chunks of skin missing from their backs and one had a terrible gash on the back of her head. I was very disappointed in my older hens and told them so. Now I am trying to figure out another solution. I have a few things that I can try and if all else fails then we will just set up a more permanent, separate hen house. The good thing after all of that is that the new hens like me better now (I saved their lives, after all!) and now approach me and let me hold them. We are patiently waiting to see our first blue eggs.

The older hens clearly have their pecking order established and the new rooster in charge is much nicer than the previous one (Penny killed him) was. He never attacks me, which is a definite plus, and with the exception of rough sex, he is kind yet firm with the ladies. Ok, the rough sex is bad, all of the hens have bare spots on their backs from where he um, holds them down. BUT, I have been recently letting them free range in the late afternoons and I have noticed that many of the hens have feathers growing back in. I guess he has other distractions now. We didn't let them free range before because of Penny, but we spent a few days working with her, making it clear that the chickens are off limits (she is very smart) and now she just sleeps on the front porch while the chickens are just across the road running free. We don't entirely trust her though, everyone knows to keep an eye on Penny and/or the chickens while they are out. I love seeing the chickens wandering around the property though. It seems right.

Oh, and the cats are exactly the same, fat, lazy and shedding everywhere. Once in awhile they get all worked up, chasing each other around the house and knocking things off the tables and shelves. Then they collapse and nap until feeding time. Typical cats.

Connections

Deep Blue Barn, 2007, Oil on Panel, 12x16

I have been trying to catch up on my paperwork. I have a great system for tracking my work (I wrote about it here) but it doesn't really work unless I actually, you know, write the info down. At least once. Somewhere. I am about a year behind on updating the individual inventory sheets and it is really starting to bug me. So I have been spending a little bit of time almost every day trying to catch up.

I have been able to put together some numbers though regarding sales and it's been interesting to see those.

2005

I painted about 225 paintings or so, and they were mostly VERY small, 8x10 and under, although I did begin to work a bit larger throughout the year. I was still developing my process, plus lining up shows and gallery representation that year. I sold 94 paintings, however most of those sales were from an open studio sale that I had in order to clear out my work space. My total income was crap, less than zero after deductions.

2006

In 2006, I painted approximately 230 pieces. I know this sounds like a lot and I guess it is. But a number of those weren't quite up to gallery standards (and I have stacks of returned paintings sitting in my studio to prove it), and of course I do tend to work on a small scale so the pieces really add up. I sold 114 paintings in 2006, or to be more precise, my galleries did. And my income doubled from the previous year, although after deductions for materials and travel, my net income was still well below poverty level for a family of six. All in all though, 2006 was a huge step forward for me, I was crazy busy the whole year and was happy about the sales.

2007

Even though I was pleased with 2006, I found myself feeling embarrassed about how low my prices were in comparison to other similarly accomplished artists and also since my paintings were selling so quickly, which is often a sign that prices are too low, I raised my prices in 2007. Sales actually rose even more when I did that and so my income this year is lovely, and my gross is double what it was last year at this same time. I have sold about 80 paintings so far in 2007 and have painted about 110 paintings. That lower number is important to me because it reflects higher quality (I have added many fewer panels to the sand down pile this year, and very few unsold paintings have come back from the galleries) and also that I am painting at a larger scale and with more skill (hopefully), which were some of my goals.

I don't go crazy tracking these numbers and trends, but I do keep an eye on things, even if I am so behind in tracking each piece. Of course I am very pleased that the trajectory of all these numbers is upwards, but even better is that I am still painting what I want to paint. Maybe a little bit more than I would otherwise (actually, the hard work has been good for my focus and development). I am still feeling as if I have much more to say with what I am doing now. So it's all good.

And I can't deny that the sales don't give me a thrill too. Not so much because of the income, although that is certainly nice, but because I really appreciate the fact that there are people out there that feel a connection to my work, enough to let me know by contacting me, and enough to put down money for a painting. That connection feels as good as being able to do whatever I want.

Guess I 'm Doing OK

Fields, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

Even though I feel like I have been spending too much time on the computer since the kids went back to school, looking back at this last week, I see that I did actually accomplish quite a bit.

I have cleaned the house. Not super thoroughly, but good enough for now.

I sorted through the girls clothing and delivered the outgrown items to a local charity program. I also washed nearly every single item in our entire house; clothes, towels, sheets, bathroom rugs, even the dog's bedding.

We attended our son's middle school open house on Tuesday evening, where the parents were herded through their kid's daily class schedule in order to listen to a short presentation by each of their teachers. I found myself still making a beeline for a desk in the back row, still feeling self conscious when walking into a full classroom and having everyone turn and look at me, and I also found myself inexplicably happy when my friends would say hi to me, while passing in the halls. Some things never change.

I have spent a number of hours in the kitchen each day, peeling and removing the seeds from our nine million garden tomatoes. I have made a number of different versions of tomato sauce and they are now all in the freezer, ready for the coming winter. I have also been preparing peaches, zucchini and apples for the freezer as well.

I have been continually preparing panels as well painting each day. This week I finished up seven pieces, all of which have to be shipped out right away to various galleries.

Got a few walks in this week, which is lots of fun now with TWO dogs on leashes and have spent some time tidying up the gardens. There is still much to do with those though. Sigh. And I can't even begin to describe how much preparation we have to do in order to make our vegetable garden more productive next year.

Oh yeah, all of the usual daily stuff, dinner, writing notes to school, picking kids up, phone calls, running errands, etc. Thank god for multi-tasking or I'd get really off track.

And I have been trying to keep up with my reading, getting in almost an hour each day. Not as good as during the vacation, but better than before! Although last night I skipped that and watched a movie which I highly recommend, The Lookout. It was so good, and it was really nice to see Jeff Daniels, where has he been lately?

Anyway, I am being productive now, and it's a very welcome feeling.

Signatures and Other Such Details

Out In Front, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

Bridgette made mention of how I label my work the other day on her blog. I must admit now that I have changed things a bit and no longer apply the printed labels. I stopped using them for several reasons. One was that the back of the beautiful birch panels that I switched over to are so much nicer to write on and look much neater than the backs of the hardboard that I previously used. The hardboard was dark and so even when I wrote the info on it with a Sharpee, the writing was barely visible and so that's why I added the labels initially. So since the writing shows up better now and the written info is the same as the info on the printed label, it seemed foolish to do both. The other reason I was happy to discontinue using the labels was that they were so dang irritating to make up. No matter how many times I proofread them, invariably there were mistakes and I'd have to print them a second (or even third) time. Plus it's just another step that I don't really have time for anymore.

I should add though, that I still believe having a label on the back of an artist's work is a good idea, especially if it isn't possible to add your info any other way.

So this is how the back of my paintings look now.


I make a huge effort to write neatly. You'd think as an artist, I would have nice handwriting, but I don't and despite my best efforts, my handwriting is not very attractive. I also tend to write slower (or maybe faster?) than my mind thinks, so I have to concentrate in order not to make any mistakes with that permanent Sharpee. Alas, there a few of my paintings floating around out there with a crossed out word or two.

I also decided to change the signature. I toyed with eliminating it altogether, but not because the current fashion is to NOT sign the work. I was going to stop adding my signature because I was sick of doing it, finding a good small brush, making it look nice, yada, yada, yada. Pure laziness, frankly. But then after looking at some art in a museum, and then at a collection of work owned by some friends, I found myself looking for a signature, or at least some kind of identifying mark by the artist. I realized that the signature is an important aspect of art for me and so the signature stays. I did compromise though and stopped adding the year below my initials.


By the way, the painting I have posted today, Out In Front is the piece that will be included in the upcoming Blogger Show in NYC. I was reasonably stressed about which piece to enter, especially since my work is pretty much in country bumpkin territory compared to the other artists who are participating. But I decided to embrace my bumpkin tendencies, I do live on a farm after all, and enter a good old classic red leaning barn. What the heck, right? The trees next to the barn are nice, and I am putting up a close up shot of them.

Involuntarily Moving On

Setting Sun, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Note to self: Don't panic when you run out of your favorite color. It can be a really good thing.

I tend to work somewhat obsessively with colors. For example, nearly all the skies I have painted in recent months have been a combination of a blue and greenish yellow color. Before that I used Old Holland violet grey for all my skies and before that it was a cobalt blue mixed with a lighter blue. I usually use the same colors until I can't bear to look at them for a second longer, then I move on.

Sometimes however, running out of a tube of paint and neglecting to order a new one in a timely manner will force me to move on too. I recently ran out of Gamblin Radiant Blue and so yesterday, I reluctantly mixed a new version of blue green for my skies, with good results. And as often happens, which I tend to forget, I am feeling a bit energized by having to change things up.

This morning I ordered a few tubes of the Radiant Blue anyway, but I suspect that the mood has passed and by the time I get it, I won't be interested in using it. At least not in the sky.

So keep an eye out for some light blue barns. That blue is going to show up somewhere!

Upcoming Travel

Patterson Road Barn, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

Besides trying to get back into the painting groove (I have been partially successful; I have done some really nice underpaintings, but have yet to break out the color, always the most challenging part) I have been making what seems like a million travel plans. Well, it's only three, but still.

I don't hate traveling, but it's not something I love either. I like it best when it's rare, a short trip, and when the place I am staying at is more comfortable than my own home. Heh. Actually I am not really joking there, I am very finicky about where I stay. So sue me.

Anyway, I have decided to go to Atlanta to attend the opening reception of "Six of One," a group exhibition to introduce six new artists at Twinhouse Gallery. I don't really have to go, and they don't expect me to be there, but it's a new gallery for me and so I have decided that I should go. Unfortunately, Doug will not be able to go with me to this one. I think this will be the first time that he hasn't accompanied me to an opening where I am showing work. Hopefully, I won't do anything more embarrassing than usual without him next to me.

Next up is a day or two in New York City for the Blogger Show opening at Agni Gallery. Obviously, I am totally looking forward to this opening, to finally have the chance to meet fellow bloggers and to see their work in person as well. Of course that could be a bit risky and I am especially concerned that anyone I meet who reads this blog will realize how utterly boring, silly and middle aged I actually am in real life. Although I suspect my secret may already be out, hehe.

And I just made the flight arrangements for Doug and I to go to Pittsburgh for the solo show opening reception at Boxheart Gallery on November 17. I have had this one on my schedule for almost 3 years (no exaggeration) and it's hard to believe that it's actually almost here. I am also looking forward to meeting up with a few fellow artists while there, including Susan Constanse and John Morris of Digging Pitt Gallery that I have corresponded with via our blogs and email.

The other portion of The Blogger Show, to be held at Digging Pitt Gallery in Pittsburgh, will have an opening reception on December 8. I will have a piece in that show, however I don't know yet if I will be able to go to that opening. I would like to, but I have to wait until it gets a bit closer to see how my studio time is going. I have a solo show in January and things could be a bit hairy in early December if I am still finishing up the work for that.

I am looking forward to these events, yet am also feeling a bit tired in advance.....

The New White House (sorry, can't find a before photo)

We have been really needing to get the exterior of our house painted. And so last summer, we made two decisions:

1. The was no chance whatsoever that we could do this ourselves. It's a big house, and hadn't been painted for at least 12 years. The wood was bare in many spots and scraping paint is kind of like fingernails on a chalk board to me. I scraped one side of the hen house last summer before retreating to my room with permanent goosebumps. Plus Doug is so busy and travels so much it seemed laughable that he could ever get the job done. So we hired a guy, who with his crew, did the whole thing in about nine days. Totally worth the expense.

2. What color? The house was a light yellow, with blue shutters. A combination I hated from the first minute I saw it. I liked the idea of taupe with black shutters and with off white trim to match the trim inside, however, I kept coming back to the feeling that the house should be a classic white with black shutters. I liked the idea of all our interior color enveloped by a white exterior (Our house is full of color; the dining room is a tomato red, the kitchen is a squash yellow, apple green in the office and a sandy brown in my studio. The kids chose blue, mustard, lavender for their rooms and our bedroom is a warm grey.) So that's what we went with. White. I did choose a few less conservative details. The porch floor is barn red and the porch ceiling is a natural wood bead board.

We think it looks beautiful and I still get really excited when I drive towards the house and get a glimpse of it through the trees. Ok, I am aware that I need to get a life. Heh. But the funny thing is that not one single person has noticed it, none of our friends who have stopped by or our neighbors who pass by each day. Sheesh! How can anyone not notice such perfection!?

And what's really exciting is that after four years, we finally have a step from the TV room to the patio. It was a 3 foot drop until we had the step put in a few weeks ago. Total luxury!

On, But Mostly Off

Those Cabins on Route 20, 2007, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Steven has asked me a few times, about whether I am on "on" or "off" as an artist when I am on a trip or out of the studio for a length of time. My answer is usually that I am somewhere in between on and off.

On this trip it was no different. As usual, my intentions were to be "on" and just have some fun with drawing and watercolors. I took a box of supplies along and for the entire week, it sat in the exact spot where it was placed on the night we arrived. None of us did anything creative, I am afraid. I actually looked at the box often, longing to pull out the supplies, but I just couldn't do it. I guess I really needed the break, which is puzzling because I haven't been working terribly hard this last summer. Maybe it was a break in advance; now that I am back home and have gone over my schedule, I see that I will have to work at least full time until I leave for the artist residency in February.

But still, I wasn't "off" entirely. I took a lot of reference photos. New Hampshire has some wonderful barns, and I have already incorporated some of those images into the paintings I started yesterday. I also have references for new landscapes, water imagery, including lily pads, which intrigue me, and a few new houses as well.

Most importantly though, I spent more time than usual just sitting around observing my surroundings and while I probably won't remember the details of what I saw, the feeling from all of that will show up in my work at some point.

Little Pond, Near Squam Lake. NH

View from the screened porch

I have never been a water person at all. In fact, after 2 near drownings, once in a river and once in a pool, I was mortally afraid of going into deep water as a child. When I was around 13 or so, and hanging out at the pool at the mobile home park I lived in, staying in the shallow end of the pool really became embarrassing. I was a good swimmer, but felt mortally terrified if I couldn't touch the bottom. However, personal embarrassment can be very motivating and one day I just dove into the deep end and swam to the shallow area. I still preferred to swim in pools, rather than bodies of water, but at least I conquered at least one issue that day. And I have kept swimming. I have done many, many laps over the years, especially while I was pregnant.

For the last few years, I have been feeling like we really needed to have a vacation on a lake. This seemed odd because of my pool preference, and also because I have never really done much boating or anything like that either (I get motion sickness very easily). But since I try to pay attention to my instincts, I told Doug we should do a lake vacation this year, since we had decided not to do a full on vacation in Cape Cod (I only go into the ocean up to my waist, by the way) this year.

And so, first thing on our first morning at the lake I found myself swimming along with the kids, from the landing outside our rental house out to a dock, in a very cold lake. Then before I knew it, I was in a canoe with my son, paddling around the lake. Luckily, my kids have not inherited my water fears (I was always careful not to show any of that to them) and they were very helpful in showing me how to use the oars, as well as helping me with the kayak, another experience I have missed out on. Always good to have scouts on hand, who have been kayaking, canoing and swimming for years already. Heh.

With the exception of the two days that it rained, we were in the lake several times each day. Doug took the kids fishing quite a lot and we played a lot of board games and cards. We spent a day shopping at the outlet stores in North Conway, and on another day we went to The Flume Gorge and I took the younger kids on a gondola ride at Loon Mountain, which was very cool (Doug and I did this last year on our little trip to NH) yet unbelievably terrifying. Doug stayed at the bottom with our older son who refused to go on the ride.

Besides spending so much time with the kids, my favorite thing about this vacation was sitting on the screened porch reading books! I read two whole books and got about halfway through The Great Deluge, which coincidentally, I started reading this on nearly the exact day that Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans. I am making an effort to continue to read more each day, mostly because this is a really good book and I'd like to finish it before I forget the first part of it.

Anyway, even though it was a great vacation, we are all glad to be home. I am having some trouble getting back into the flow of things, and am feeling distracted and a bit scattered. But I think things will be smoother when the kids go back to school tomorrow.

Surely you can hear my big sigh of relief about that!