Getting back to my regular schedule after all the chaos of being without electricity for days and recovering from a busy FestivAll weekend. Fragrant, ripening peaches and a day of painting sounds about right to me...
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Just wanted to share a new favorite blog of mine, "In the Make". It features great interviews by photographer Klea McKenna and writer Nikki Grattan which are derived from studio visits they have with artists and designers who are (for the most part) based out of LA or the San Francisco area. I particularly like their current interview with artist Val Britton, have a look!
An excerpt: ITM: What risks have you taken in your work, and what has been at stake? Britton: While in grad school a professor suggested that I try making bigger work. Because I had been making such small, compact, and complex work it was just an exercise to bring in some much needed looseness, to let things expand. When I started working much larger it opened up my mind and my work in ways I never could have imagined. I’m often afraid that my work is not very intellectual, because I allow myself to work intuitively and place a lot of trust in the moment, the materials, and my mistakes. But this goes back to listening to your own voice, and being authentic and true to making what you need to make even if it is not popular, not comparing your work to the prevailing trends. Often I feel like every piece is at stake of being ruined if I go too far and can’t take it back, but I feel like these are risks I have to take to progress in my work and discover what’s next. Letting go of preciousness has been an important lesson for me in taking risks." Love this! Actual eagles, that is - I just had to share! I'm currently obsessed with the Outdoor Channel's "Eagle Cam". It is exactly what it sounds like, a 24/7 camera that captures live footage of eagles! The camera lets you watch a bald eagle couple and their two babies in their home. The nest is 100 feet high in a sycamore tree, and they are living in the National Conservation Training Center campus that is located in West Virginia! I didn't get to see when the babies were hatched a few weeks ago (sigh), but I have observed them eating fish, clumsily flopping around the nest (which is 6 feet across and 5 feet deep, by the way!), and resting with their parents. Why don't you see what they are up to right now?
Just got my copies of the first drop of the West Elm Summer catalog in the mail and my work is included in it! Unreal!
North central WV saw some fairly severe flooding a little while back (our basement was included, ugh). On Sunday, Derek and I came out of hibernation and explored around at Prickett's Creek, which was hit hard.
Argh! Taxes! I have a lovely stack of receipts and bills that I am currently slogging through in a hilarious attempt to "not procrastinate". Ha! A bit late for that at this point...can you tell from my kitten's judgemental sniffing? She's totally disappointed in me. Or am I imagining it?
These are the receipts that I have gone through already. Time to track down the rest! I like to begin the new year with planning, organizing and cleaning (much to my husband's dismay, I have to add!). This year I have started with the office. We recently purchased a new glass top desk and a bookcase to store all of our mailing/promotional/office items along with our art books/resources. The thing is, my taste in home decor runs toward a minimal sort of look, but that doesn't translate very well when all the random-but-will-be-useful-someday stuff I have squirreled away overflows onto every surface in the house! I have been working on keeping things organized and finding homes for odd, miscellaneous things that crop up. I have purchased large and small boxes for different thingamajigs. At least now when Derek asks for a stamp or envelope, I know exactly where to go! Kind of sad that it has taken me this long to get semi-organized, but there you have it... Too bad I don't have a before picture (I would be too embarrassed, anyway) but here is the current state of our little office. Above is my kitten Yuki, snuggling in our other office chair that we keep tucked in the corner, getting it nice and hairy. The chair is handy to have and we like the kitten too :) I haven't mentioned adopting her yet, after what happened with Louis (our kitten who passed away earlier this year). My mom convinced me to adopt another kitten and we are glad we did. She's been wonderful.
The office still needs some work - especially a coat of paint (I'm considering a light grey?). Now I have to decide which room to tackle next! It's been frigid today, and we have had some ice accumulation. It's been a good day to stay inside and prepare some soup (and I do recommend this recipe, with the addition of some red pepper flakes!). Next, I think I will log some time in the studio and see what I can get into...Happy Weekend, everyone!
The fabulous Mary Zeran recently blogged about a topic very near and dear to my heart. Fear...rearing it's ugly head during the art-making process. I was reading her post and nodding vigorously, muttering "Ugh this is so very true." Especially for me right now - I have been stuck in a bad pattern in the studio (for a few months now) which goes something like this:
1. Make a painting. 2. Fall desperately in love with it. 3. Minutes later, realize it is actually mediocre at best and that it needs to be pushed, and probably MUCH farther. 4. Become consumed by fear that I will “ruin” it and end up never completing it, letting the piece sit in the studio until the end of the world. I currently have 3 large pieces sitting in this limbo of incompletion. It's time to remind myself that a painting is not "precious" and the whole point is to grow in my work and I won't get there using my current 4-step process. Berating myself for being back in this place of fear will do me no good. I think it's time to let go and throw caution to the wind! Pinterest is taking over my life. It was my sister who got me started. She's entirely to blame. I have wasted countless hours online, "pinning" all sorts of various (un)important things collected on Boards. I have one for my art. I have one for other people's art. I have one for recipes. I have one for "In the Studio". It doesn't end there...oh no! I have one "For the Home". One for "Outside the Home". Another for "Places I'd like to go". One called "Reminders" that remind me of things. I have one for favorite places I've been. I've created an entire board alone for what I have termed "Dessert Recipes" but has honestly become much more like an homage to chocolate cake. And it goes on and on and on...
I'm not sure why I've become so addicted, I don't really participate much in social media, except to do a weekly update on my Facebook fan page and Twitter. To put it in perspective, as I type this, I have 15 tweets...and over 500 pins! Perhaps an intervention is the only recourse? Or maybe I am not alone and you can follow me and I will follow you - that way we can support each other in our addiction! I hope everyone has been able to enjoy this last bit of nice weather we've been having (at least in WV, anyway)! Thought I would share some fall photos from a weekend walk along a local trail...
Last weekend, Derek and I went to Nashville TN. While we were there, we visited the replica of the Parthenon. Thought I would share a few pictures!
This past weekend my husband and I celebrated our 1st anniversary! At one of two Avett Brothers shows, at the Charlottesville Pavillionat Cooper's Rock State Forest, where we were married... |