And Now... Art.

Items in an upcoming show...

Window

Knocked out the back wall and finally installed a new window. Not only will I be able to cool the space in the summer, I'll have a view of the bunnies that live just outside! I still have to prime and paint the walls and ceiling and move everything back into the space. Plus, there's the electric upgrade. I lament about the process and worry about how long it will take but I'm looking forward to some growth and stability in a workspace. The trench digging for the new electric and to help with the drainage behind the building went well but we had a little glitch as the Ditch Witch got stuck in the trench that was just dug and we bent the tine that held the auger in place. The gear still works but the metal is bent and the auger is out of alignment so that means money out the door for a repair. Boo-hiss.

Prep Work and Progress

Took about two days to clear the area. Did I mention how hot it was? For all my 3D work, you would think I would have a better sense of the layout when it's finished but I don't. Time will tell.




They guys doing the work are almost done. We still have some electric work to be done but I'll have basic electric until then. In the mean time, I'll be priming and painting and sorting out all my shit. Oy vey!

Getting my shit together

Sometimes I feel my moves to a successful career are glacially slow, but when I look back, even only recently, say, in the past six months, I realize I'm making real progress in moving towards the career and life I'm envisioning. The trick, so far, has been accepting that it doesn't happen overnight. To someone who is already handling a successful career, particularly in the arts, that may seem obvious, but when I think of the hundreds if not thousands of artists who wish for success but get discouraged and give up, it's not so obvious. For whatever reason, and I have to give my husband a great deal of the credit here, I have changed fundamentally from who I was 12 years ago. I have learned to plug away, stay focused (even if it doesn't feel like it), come back to a problem, organize (as much as possible) and trust my intuition. Am I making oodles of money? Hell, no. I'm still in the red but I'm making smarter investments.
This week we've begun renovations on our garage so I can work in a dedicated, functional, four-season studio as opposed to the ad hoc accommodations I've been dealing with for the past 5 years. It's not the final incarnation; we plan on a total garage/studio remodel in the future, but this will keep me from having to schlep materials, tools, greenware and finished pieces all over hell and creation and on a university schedule. It will also allow me to store and catalog my work. And, finally, it will prevent me from using the old stand-by excuse that I can't do [_____] because my stuff is not in one location. So we'll see how the work progresses. In the mean time, since I really don't have a space to work in , I am sketching and researching and planning my workload. Cross my fingers!

Wanna-be's

Just a gripe for a moment. There is a dichotomy between the stark reality of nature and the mimicry that inhabits the natural world. There is what is true and then what is put on for appearance's sake. We have insects that pretend to be other animals to keep from being eaten. We have birds and animals that put on a show to catch a mate. In the human world, we have dress-up and gender bending and costuming for all sorts of reasons. But what do you do when, in the human world, you run into a person who displays a certain creepy, wanna-be-ness? They don't just costume and put on a generic show to be flamboyant. Instead, they seem to mimic other, real people in their lifestyle, their possessions, their likes, dislikes, personality, interests, environment, occupation and so on. Why? Because they lack their own identity. They wish so hard to create a reality that doesn't exist that they pretend to be other people that they envy. It's weird. It's creepy. It's sociopathic. No, literally, as in a Cluster B, Axis II personality disorder like Histrionic Disorder. Awesome.

Update for June 2010

Been a long time since I posted something. The Adaptation show went off really well, I thought. We got a lot of positive feedback -- to the pieces in the show, individually, and to the concept and execution of the show, in general. My thanks and gratitude go out to my fellow artists and the wonderful people at the local tourism office who let us use the space. We followed the fine art exhibit with a functional ware sale over the Mother's Day Weekend. Same location but this was a try-out of a weekend sale. The weather was crappy but for what it was and the pitiful advertising that happened, everyone was pleased. I'm sure we can do better next time.

In the mean time, I have a few more pieces in exhibitions, locally. All group things. I am currently working on getting together some exhibition plans with another artist friend to coincide with the upcoming World Equestrian Games in Lexington and also for a greenhouse idea next year. In addition, there are plans in the works to do some functional sales, particularly at Christmas. But getting back to the Adaptation show, I think we'll be putting together a vanity book as a portfolio piece.

This summer includes revamping the garage space to make a more functional four-season space for me to work. I hope to accommodate the clay and some room for some metal work. I really miss metal work. So its work, work, work and keep looking forward, building on the last success. Adaptation pix will be posted in the near future.

Work, work, work

New show coming up in an old house with some good artist friends. We'll be interpreting the meaning of "adaptation." Some pieces will be stand alone. Some collaborative. The setting will be in an old, historical museum house. We're all working like busy beavers. I'm sure there will be a panic of firing and glazing and construction when we get to the end. But I'm curious to see how we pull of a show on short notice. Talk about adaptation!