Deep Breath

Whew!!! The boys bedtime couldn't come quick enough for me tonight. How do kids have that much energy? Seriously, non-stop all day. Tommy started Kindergarten this week and the teacher told me after school today that he was such a great listener and he just did so well. I was so proud because he is, well, a tactile kid; a do-er shall we say and I wasn't sure he could keep his mitts to himself. I think he used all his self-control at school because after school he couldn't for the life of himself not bug Sammy! I think all I said after school was, "Tommy leave Sammy alone. Get off your brother. Give Sammy some space. Sammy doesn't have to play with you if he doesn't want to. Tommy, stop sitting on your brother. Let go of Sammy's cheeks. Find something else to do. No you can't have candy." You get the idea. Just when I thought my patience couldn't take any more, something cute happened. We were upstairs doing the night-time routine. I was in my bedroom, Sammy came in and we both headed to the bathroom to see if Tommy was done brushing his teeth. I stopped just short of the door and couldn't believe my little fella. His toothbrush has a suction cup on the bottom of it, I guess so it can stand up by the sink when it's not in use. Tommy had it suctioned to the side of the counter-top so it was sticking out parallel to the floor. He was bent down moving his head back and forth, side to side, up and down trying to brush his teeth that way! I looked down at Sammy who was standing beside me and his face had this soft look to it. He simply said, "Cute". I took a deep breath, let it out, enjoyed the moment and was able to wrap up the night without losing my mind.

Untouched

22x28
acrylic on canvas

sold

I have been in touch with the gallery curator this week and we have nailed down a date for my opening reception. It will be on Sunday, November 8 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. I think it will be called Nicki Ault : Multitudes (A Collection of Recent Work). I had told her about the Walt Whitman quote and gave this to her as an option for the title as well as a few other ideas. This is the one she picked. Now that she has these details nailed down she is going to get working on the advertising. I am posting a painting today that will likely be in the show. It is one of the larger pieces I will have and it is done from a photo I took when I went on a hike with my kids through Boundary Bog near Waskesiu Lake in northern Saskatchewan. It is acrylic on canvas and is 22x28". I hope you like it.

I had a conversation with one of the artists (Jan Corcoran) at the studio yesterday to try to get an idea of what to include in the show and also what to do if I disagree with the curator. She said that quite often new artists want to put in everything; as much as possible and just load up the walls. Ahhhh, guilty as charged! Yup, that is where my mindset has been! Jan said that the curator wants to find some cohesion between the work so that it makes sense as a show. And she said to remember that less is more. I love learning! I am going to take a deep breath, release my grip and let the curator do her job and see what she comes up with. I will try to be vocal if there is something I strongly disagree with, but I am curious now to see what her vision might be for my paintings. Learning is good. Growth is good.