Slow Road

Rained Out

24x24 

acrylic on canvas

NFS

This is the other painting I have in my gallery show right now that is not for sale. It is one I am keeping. I don't think the photo does it justice, so I may have to take a new shot of it when the painting comes home. I was on my way to talk to the manager of the store where I work part-time when I decided to stop in at the gallery. I was feeling teary and I hoped that being there might brighten my spirits. It worked! I discovered red dots on two paintings that I didn't know had sold! So the count is at 17! I am beyond grateful. Speechless. My private goal was to sell half the available work and that has been accomplished!  I really need the joy right now that this brings. I browsed through the comment book where I found some wonderful notes from kind friends and gallery goers. When I receive the book at show's end I will post some excerpts.

This painting was started on site at Spruce River on the last day of the Emma Lake course in 2007, suddenly the sky opened up and the rain came down. I had to scramble to get everything packed up and back in the truck... some areas of the painting actually did start to bleed! I took it back to the studio and finished it a few hours later using memory, emotion and intuition. Then I really packed up everything and headed back to Saskatoon. 

I really have not felt like blogging these days. Well, actually that is not quite true. I have been thinking about it a lot, but just haven't been able to motivate myself to sit down and type. My kids and I have the Grey Cup on, go Riders! At the moment they are winning 27-19 against Montreal. So I decided to start typing with the game going on in the background and while the kids play/ watch. John is out with his buddies probably biting his nails with 7 minutes remaining. I love blogging and it has already opened up my world so much, but at the same time everything seems just a bit harder right now. I haven't been back to the studio and I am a bit concerned that I will be facing a painter's block when I return. I really don't know what I want to paint or focus on next. I guess the first little bit will be spent setting my workspace up. I am having difficulty standing for more than 45 minutes before my lower back starts aching, so I am not sure when I will physically be able to get back at it. In the meantime rest is the order of the day.

P.S. The Saskatchewan Rough Riders lost the Grey Cup due to a penalty right at the end of the game. Bummer. Poor Sammy cried. He doesn't think it's fair and they should change the rules.

The Reality Of It All

 Portal

7x7
sold

I found out earlier this week that another painting has sold! So that makes fifteen and I couldn't be more thrilled or appreciative. I don't think I will ever get used to the incredible feeling I get when I discover that not only does someone enjoy viewing my work, but actually loves a piece so much that they would want to spend their hard earned money to own it and live with it on a daily basis. It fills me with gratitude. When the Curator and I hung the show we both agreed that the space needed a few more pieces just to make it look full enough, so I zipped home to get a couple of abstract reflections that we had not included at our final cut meeting and I also brought two paintings that I was keeping for myself. This was one of them. Well the day of the reception came and a lovely couple that bought a painting at my last show wanted another painting to put with it. This is the one they wanted and with a bit of gentle persuasion (she was good at it), I agreed to let them have it. I'm a bit sad it isn't mine anymore, but I know it will look good with the one they have which is of the same dimension and called "Low Storm". Here is "Portal" shown at the gallery above the table with the guest book and you can also see on the wall the three paintings from my last post.

So the accident has affected me much more than I initially realized and that is why I haven't posted anything for over a week. I spent so much of the first week hyper-aware of the kids and how they were doing; making sure they felt safe and not too disrupted by the events that I forgot about myself a bit. Also, I think I have been feeling that because we survived such a horrible crash with very few injuries, I really shouldn't complain or feel anything but thankful when there are people that have been so much more worse off in accidents. In the end, however, the emotional side of my brain has won out and the rational side of my brain has been put on the back burner. I have had difficulty stopping the tears for the last few days and more aches and pains have appeared this week. The air bag and the impact have done a bit of a number on me and there have been moments where I just feel desperately sad. My boys are doing well, but they are nervous at intersections and ask often, "Mommy, is this where we had the crash?" and Tommy has been so teary at bedtime. They have both had bad dreams, but don't want to talk about them. I cannot believe that they had this frightening experience and it has been sobering to realize that John and I can't necessarily protect them from horrible things. I feel utterly panicky when I allow my head to go awful places, like what if something happened to them? What if they weren't here with me anymore? It is too much to even imagine and yet I know that there are parents who have been in this tragic position.

So after an emotional week I couldn't get through a four hour shift at my part-time job on Thursday night. I ended up leaving after two hours... in tears and in pain. I saw the Chiropractor on Friday (yesterday) morning and she put it into words... as she watched me cry through the entire session. She said I had a near death experience with my family and I needed to take care of myself. She said my body would not heal until I got rest and some sleep. So a new game plan was made. I went home that very day and slept all afternoon when the kids were at school. I took today off work without guilt (I usually work Thursday nights and all day Saturday). I went for a massage this morning and slept again this afternoon. Tonight some of my most wonderful girlfriends are gathering at one of their homes to eat yummy food with me and let me cry... and I am pretty sure they will also get me laughing. I made the painful decision to not be part of the studio's Open House tomorrow. I have always wanted to be part of it, and this year I thought it could work out, but this turn of events has got me too low on energy and I was unable to paint in a productive way the last two weeks.... and the majority of my work is at the gallery right now. It just isn't in the cards. I am trying to put a positive spin on it by saying to myself that next year I will have my own space in the studio to showcase my work the right way. And now this means that tomorrow I will be free to take the kids to the Santa Claus Parade! For the remainder of November I will not go to the studio. I am going to take my afternoons to rest, nap and do any treatments that seem necessary for my recovery. December will bring better things and a studio space of my own in which to create. I hope I will feel better and be able to approach my art with freshness at that time.

I still have lots more to share... like how I spoke with Irene this week, the wonderful woman who was there with her husband at the scene to help me and my family before the emergency crews arrived. She confirmed that we rolled one and a quarter times. And some amazing things the kids have said about the accident. And about the outpouring of friendship that many people have shown my family since this happened. And about my grandma's necklace. And so much more... but my husband has BBQ'd a delicious steak dinner for us, so I must go enjoy it and appreciate him.

Thank you for reading my blog and stay safe...please wear your seat belts and make sure the kids in your life are in the right car seats.

My Upcoming Show

What a delightful treat... I went to the studio yesterday morning and was able to stay for about 4 hours this time! Woo hoo! I worked on my big abstract reflection and then took a bit of time to tweak some other paintings and sign ones I thought were finished. I left actually feeling like I might have a handle on the show I am preparing for this fall. It was a good feeling for sure.

What show? Well, I have a solo show in an actual gallery here in town! It's all extremely exciting and feels so official! At least official compared to my other two solo shows which were held in a local coffee shop; one was in spring 2004 and the other was in spring 2008. The coffee shop was an excellent location for a newbie like myself and a great first step, but the owner really had no standard for the art she agreed to show other than the subject matter had to be restaurant appropriate. She didn't even look at my work before it went up and she wasn't even there when I hung it! Anyways, I took a painting workshop in the summer of 2008 and a fellow student reminded me of a gallery in town, St. Thomas More Gallery, that is a big supporter of student art and emerging artists. She encouraged me to approach the curator which took me 6 months to do, but in Feb. 2009 somehow I got the nerve up to talk to her. I had to submit jpegs of my work and she responded very favorably! That was one of the best emails I ever recieved; the acceptance from her gave me some sort of validation that I needed. And it really does feel more official. I am having a solo show in an actual gallery! It makes me giddy!                     

 

 The Muse

40x30"

acrylic on canvas

sold

 

 Water Striders- Big Broadway Number

40x30"

acrylic on canvas

NFS

 
Above are a couple of the pieces I will have in the show for sure. Others are still being decided upon and I will post them as they are finalized. They are both 40"x30" and done in acrylic on canvas.

Man, even though I have no readers it is still nerve-racking to post these images! I actually haven't told a soul that I have started a blog... I haven't even shown it to my husband yet! Just the remote possibility that someone would find this blog and consider commenting makes me aware that I am opening myself up to potential judgments and criticism. I am just now struck with new-found admiration for the artists I have come across in this blogging world and appreciate even more their willingness to share their art and really "put it out there".

Speaking of judgments and criticism, when I looked at my beloved Edward B. Gordon blog yesterday I was stunned to read that somebody had the nerve to tell him that his subject matter is trivial! What the...?! Seriously?!! I would like to know the context of the conversation, maybe then I would know if I actually had the right to be as offended as I was when I read that. Actually, I probably have no right to be offended at all since it has nothing to do with me, but I'm a Leo and I'm loyal, what can I say? Honestly, the only explanation that makes sense is that this is a person who has looked at Mr.Gordon's paintings, but has not actually seen them. The beauty and worthiness he sees in the moments of every day life are so far from trivial... I'm just exasperated by the notion...