First Time in 14 Months

That's how long it's been since I last painted. I did three assemblages in 2005, but no paintings. I finally started one the other day, and it felt like coming home.

Of course, this being the way life goes, it was interrupted by a doctor's appointment on Friday which left me exhausted, since I had to fast for a range of blood tests. This weekend I'm experiencing dramatic ups and downs in energy levels. I'm working on the painting, it is going well, but my stamina is in the pits. The test results will come back in a day or two, and we are pretty sure the diagnosis will be definitive, as it is clear something is wrong. I am exhausted after mild exertion, to the point of going very pale and cold, and my skin, eyes, and mouth have been exceedingly dry for quite some time and getting worse. The diet has quieted the joint pain and eliminated a lot of water weight, but the other problems are still quite pronounced. So I am sort of in waiting mode.

Our friends called up this morning to invite us over for dinner tonight and I am grateful. Steve made dinner for us last night. Two days without worrying about meal prep helps me to get some painting done in spite of the fatigue.

Anyway, the painting seems to be taking up where I left off, which was compositions of somewhat abstracted people in somewhat less abstracted settings. I gravitate toward this method because it offers both familiarity and mystery, and allows me to depict the mundane without the sentimentality which often plagues domestic or simple themes. The scene in this current painting is also very different, being a street scene, as opposed to an interior or a dream space. As of this time it seems to be attempting some kind of comment on the desire for security among unknown variables.

I am also still trying to formulate a grant proposal, but so far not having much luck with it. It's my own fault, but I am not giving up yet. I've also been reading a lot of articles online about developing a career in art, and saving the ones I like in a folder. A computer in the studio is a wonderful thing. I've downloaded RealPlayer and can now play classical music for free from an online radio station while I paint. I can hear the treble pretty well if I crank up the volume, and it's very soothing.

Yesterday at the coffee shop an acquaintance who bought one of my paintings a couple of years ago said she is moving to a new apartment and wants to commission me to do a big painting for her new space! So that makes twice in one week people have expressed a desire for my work--it gives me that little extra confirmation at a time when money is tight and health is iffy.

Ars Interruptus

The gessoed panel is still sitting there on the easel exactly where I left it at the last post, three weeks ago today. Two new things in the studio: an electric battery charger and a giant rosemary plant, both indicative of what's been going on around here.

I'm getting a little too heavy for my knees, and am determined to get this weight off before it gets any worse. I did a so-called arthritis diet a few years ago and it did help somewhat. Steve, too, wants to lose weight and so overhauling our cooking arrangements has been the project of the month. We've replaced suspect pots and pans with ones much safer to use, acquired a yogurt maker, joined an organic food co-op, and set up a nice-sized indoor herb garden. I've done this kind of thing before, when my son was little, even made his baby food from scratch, so it's a bit like going back 20-odd years in time. But the change has had a dramatic effect on both of us for the better.

In the meantime, though, little things started breaking or malfunctioning--parts on the stove, the fridge, both cars, etc. The cars have finally been sorted out, the part has come in for the stove, and all is manageable, except, of course, that it has all taken up a lot of time, time which I won't get back.

Thoughts on the passing of time have naturally occurred more frequently, as yesterday was my father's 80th birthday. Seems like yesterday that he was my age. He certainly doesn't look or act 80. But then at 50 he could run circles around me when I was only 20. My mother put together a nice surprise birthday party for him, and she reports that he was very pleased by the whole thing.

I have had art-related activities, though, the most significant being the state Art Association's grant-writing workshop for individual artists. I think I can put together something for my maiden grant-writing voyage. I've no great hopes of winning a grant, but I want to at least get started in the process of writing them. I did make some nice connections at the workshop, particularly with a rep from the state who does a lot of work with disabled artists.

Steve has put my portfolio on the gallery website. This move, long overdue, was triggered by a regional art event similar to the Cows on Parade in Chicago a few years ago. A portfolio was required for artists submitting their names for consideration by the committee and sponsors. We've both submitted our names. The selected artists will get a small stipend for their work.

We were recently contacted by a non-profit preschool for donations of art for a fund-raising auction. This is nothing new for us, as we frequently make such donations to various fundraisers, but this time was unusual for me because the organizer came to the gallery and studio and made a point of telling me that she is a fan of my work and has been following it for some time. While making a selection from what I made available for donation, she picked out one of mine and asked when it was done, and expressed familiarity with some of my other work from various "batches." This was quite a new experience for me and of course terribly flattering, to think that there is someone out there other than a friend or family member who is following my work.

If feels good to finally be back in the studio and thinking about art. Now I must actually start painting again. I know, I know....

While the Gesso Dries...

Have had second thoughts about doing the January Novel Writing Month in an official capacity. Instead I will either write as time allows or write in this blog while in the studio. It may make for some rambling prose, but I don't really care. The November effort was totally worth it, but if I am to stay on course and consolidate my efforts, I'm better off continuing it in this fashion rather than taking on another project or commitment.

The gesso is lumpy and had to be diluted to be spreadable. It left behind random dried bits on the masonite, but that's okay, it suits the directness of intent. Outside the studio, my mood is very lighthearted and happy and content. In here, however, I feel very serious. There's a set of work in a serious tone, in the sense of not lighthearted, which is simmering inside of my head. I don't know what I am going to paint, other than using a certain set of colors and brushes. It's going to be different than my previous work.

So Happy it's a New Year

The Holidays are finally over. December ended up going by in a blur of shopping, medical issues, and gatherings. We even ended up having a New Year's Eve potluck dessert party here, very spur of the moment. Today is for laundry and returning dishes and leftover desserts. We are committed to a better diet, and can't have all those sweets hanging around.

My New Year's resolution is the same as it has been nearly every year I can remember: do more art!