What's New Monday
08.07.06 17:32
'What Are You Trying To Say" 10" x 10"
hello friends,
happy monday.
well, let's see..what's new around here, not much. It was a working weekend. Gabe and I took a break Saturday night to watch Space Balls at the Laurelhurst, but otherwise, my nose was to the grindstone, or...painty canvas, or.. you get the idea.
I'm having waves of panic lately that are starting to wake me up in the night with a sweaty jolt. Money worries, upcoming shows, the state of the world. Our house has taken on a new look lately. Chaotic with some dirty laundry sprinkled in. I've been trying to take life lessons from friends that stop working at a certain hour everyday and water their plants and eat dinner and stuff like that. People that change their sheets regularly, clean their refridgerators, oil their cars, pump the air in their bicycles, brush their hair, brush their animals, and floss.
Right now I'm in a bad phase I fall into when I get stressed out. I'm completely covered in paint, my hair is long and matted, I water the garden in death defying forgetful spurts, eat bits of bread and cheese, candy and iced tea (nutritious!) , I work frantically until it's too late and fall into bed for a few hours in a light restless sleep. Then I get up, put the same painty clothes on, and have at it again.
Well anyhow, I know it's crazy and not a good system. So I am trying to unpeel myself from it. I just ate some chicken tacos from this awesome place down the street, did the dishes and a load of laundry and I'm feeling much better. I also made a list of things that I'm hoping to accomplish in the near future, (ahh, sweet lists) and posted it above my computer. This helps me regroup in my mind when I'm feeling afraid and overwhelmed.
Also, I like to crank up the NPR and try to let it sooth me into a peaceful, smarty pants state. Hopefully I'll be able to remedy myself back into some kind of equilibrium before long.
Crafty Wonderland
08.10.06 14:54
Crafty Wonderland this Sunday from 11-4pm August 13th! Come by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood. I'll be there, with some little paintings I haven't posted yet and would love to see you. YOU, yes you!
Hey! Life is really turning around this week. I'm feeling calmer and healthier, and a lot less frazzled. My routine is shaping up. The pumpkins got planted, (thanks Gabe!) dinners were eaten, paintings were painted, and I got the tangles out of my hair. The hair was a major operation, let me tell you. Wendy sent me a package yesterday that was so nice! Full of yummy healthy snacks and a sweet photo of my very favorite New York dog . (Thanks Wendy, and congratulations with your show opening last night!)
High fives.
What's New Monday
08.14.06 13:10
Check out this amazing kid's book store in Beijing. Must. Go. Visit.
Happy Monday! I can't believe it's been a week already! I also can't believe it's the middle of August already too. This is nuts. Time is warping by like a snake on a slip-n-slide.
Crafty Wonderland was a great time yesterday. I sat around some really nice and crafty people that make everything from these books to these gorgeous necklaces. Really great folks all around.
I love the feeling of being set up at a show with my iced tea or coffee in hand, and preparing for a day of chatting and people watching. It's such an awesome feeling.
I have a few new paintings to post, but unfortunately that's going to have to wait until tomorrow. My camera is floating around in Gabe's van, and I forgot to retrieve it before he left the house this
morning. Doh!
So, until tomorrow. Adios tamales!
Tuesday
08.15.06 14:07
"Big Cherry Tree" 16" x 20" available on etsy
Tuesday, Tuesday. Nice. I am a little bit obsessed with the giant cherry tree in our backyard lately, and I can't seem to stop painting it. Or, my version of it. Sadly, the actual tree lost a limb yesterday. The branch just came crashing down, out of the blue, like a giant bark covered arm. The tree is over a hundred years old and spent a few years covered in ivy before our landlady rescued it. Or so the story goes. It's trunk is enormous and deformed, full of scars and twisted bark.
When I get obsessive about painting the same thing over and over again, I start to feel like all of those people in Close Encounters, (one of my all time favorite movies.) who frantically painted Devils Tower again and again. Do you think aliens are planning to land beside the cherry tree in our backyard? Is there someone I should notify about this kind of thing? A 1-800 number I should call or something? I need to know if there is something else I should be doing before I start crafting cherry trees out of giant mounds of mashed potatoes.