Sunday, June 24, 2012

Workin' workin' workin'

I haven't finished any of the pieces I started this past week.  Not yet.  The one I am working on for the show at Persimmon is done with paint, but now I have to wait for the varnish to cure before I go to the next step.  Technically it takes two weeks for the varnish to fully cure and I don't have that much time.  So I'm waiting until the last possible moment before I keep working.  That's as much information as I can share without giving anything away.  Except that if it works out it will end up as a shadowbox.  Keep your fingers crossed.

In the spirit of not finishing anything I've started, last night I started something else new.  HA!  I think it will be cool, if I don't screw it up.  Tonight and tomorrow I will finish at least two pieces (not counting the shadowbox thing), maybe three.  Problem is, they all need frames and we are so SLAMMED at work right now, there's no point bringing in more of my stuff.  This week was crazy.  In the last couple of days, among other things, we sold three paintings, a wall-hanging tile piece, a console table, Derek took in a framing order that involves stretching a canvas that is taller than I am, I just finalized a framing order for nine pieces, we have to pack and ship a metal buffalo sculpture to Milwaukee, AND WE ARE HOSTING AN ARTIST'S RECEPTION ON FRIDAY NIGHT!  That means a total re-hang of the gallery this week when Louise brings in her new work, plus five of the new pieces need to be framed.  A box full of new work from another artist is on its way, and things are just crazy nonsense around here.  Welcome to summer in Bigfork.

Phew.  It's all good.  And even better, today is the first day in ages that I am not wearing fleece.  The sunshine is making an appearance.  Since I haven't finished anything new, I want to revisit an older painting that I love love love, because this is what it looks like right now.  "The Pond."  Although the water isn't this blue, the yellow flowers are blooming.


Oh hey, I almost forgot.  Yesterday, after work and after an appointment at a client's house, Roxie and I went for a two mile walk.  We were halfway down Carly Lane when something caught my eye in the road.  My first thought was, "Huh.  Nobody around here has a dog that looks like that."  My second thought was, "Oh."  My third thought was, "Shit."  A bear crossed the road right where we were headed, and I couldn't tell if it kept going through the woods (towards my house, incidentally) or if it stopped by the side of the road.  And Roxie was not on a leash.  We had a minor freak-out moment, then risked life and limb and kept on walking.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Sloooooooow down!

Time is flying, isn't it?  I can't believe half of the year is almost over.  Yesterday would have been a perfect day to have the ability to manipulate time -- I needed several more hours in the afternoon.  I finally left work at 7 p.m. and hadn't finished the things I hoped to get done.  And today I am still feeling a sense of urgency.  I had a Museum board meeting this morning, and in the two hours I have been at work since then we have designed framing for four pieces and sold a print, two paintings and a handmade table.  Now Derek has departed for Missoula for a bike repair emergency and I am hoping the rest of the day slows down a bit.  Roxie and I would like to leave early and crank out a six mile run, our first run in about two weeks.  We are getting slow and fat.  (Or, in my case, slower and fatter.)

On the plus side, today was my last meeting as President of the Board!  Woo hoo!  I didn't get to make the clean break I hoped because we tied the PR responsibilities to the Vice President's position, so now I am Vice President.  Not to pat myself on the back, but I run a really good meeting and I may miss that part of the job, but hopefully I will no longer feel personally responsible for the success of the Museum.  The pressure I put on myself was killing me.

Anyway, I started another new piece last night and if it works out it will be for a show at a gallery down the street.  Persimmon is an artists' cooperative owned by about six artists.  They are hosting a show next week called Shrines and Shadowboxes.  If my piece turns out ok I will post pictures, but so far it is too early to tell.

Side note:  if anyone offers you bacon-flavored jelly beans, RUN SCREAMING!  Trust me on this one.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Work in Progress

I am not meant to be an apartment dweller.  Not at all.  And today I am little miss cranky pants because I had a terrible night thanks to the kid staying upstairs from me for the summer.  Grr.  Today I am voting him off the island.  Normally I would feel a little bad about it, but not today.  Nope.  Not at all.  (There is more to this story and it involves vomit and me having to sleep on the couch, but we don't need to go into all the details.)

In honor of Father's Day, here is a picture of Roxie playing the ukulele:


She has problems with the chords, just like I do.

There are three paintings in the works at home right now, and I think two of them are going to be okay.  Here is a sneak peek:




This has been a crazy week at work and by the time I get home I don't have the energy to do much, but I have (foolishly, knowing my history) set a few goals for the coming week.  We shall see how it all turns out.

P.S.  Just to be clear, the aforementioned vomit was neither mine nor Roxie's.  It was happening upstairs, practically over my head.  The move to the couch, a distance of only about six feet as the crow flies, was an attempt to buffer the noise.  Listening to someone else puke, particularly at 3 a.m. when I would much rather be sound asleep, is not my idea of a good time.

Friday, June 15, 2012

A land far, far away....

I sold another painting the other day and it is going on a long journey to its new home in a land far, far away.  Tennessee.  A lovely family was here visiting Aunt Joanne, and I worked them over pretty good and threatened to lock them in the gallery until they made a purchase.  I'm telling you, it's a great sales tactic.  HA!  This was the painting - "Swan Peaks."


It was in a pretty cool frame - one of my favorite photo frames we have ever carried.  Coincidentally, yesterday the guy who reps that moulding company was here.  We were talking about photo frames and I showed him my fave.  He had never seen it before.  He got all excited when I told him it came from HIS company.  Then, in a cruel twist of fate, he called today to let me know it had been discontinued and they don't have any left in the warehouse.  Ah well, such is life.  I'm glad one of the last two known to mankind is going to live in Tennessee.  Maybe I will keep the other one for myself.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Then and Now

Can you tell which picture was taken in January, and which was taken in June?



Okay, I guess the green grass gives it away.  Funny how the new June snow made a very straight line across the mountains.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Recap

I had a fabulous birthday weekend.  It started on Saturday night when Derek's parents drove 200 miles round-trip to take me out to dinner.  Awesome.  Sunday morning we slept really late, then ran 4 miles, then played ball, then went to the store and got a piece of cake, then went for a 12 minute vacation, then walked 2 miles, then ate cake, then walked another mile.  It was a perfect day.  On Monday we didn't sleep as late as usual (which was weird), ran 4 miles, played ball, went to the laundromat and the grocery store, walked a mile three different times in between rain showers and finished a painting.  Roxie had a somewhat traumatic experience -- a little cat that looks like Groucho Marx tried to adopt me, and chased Roxie away.  Then poodle found a deer and they eyeballed each other a bit.  The deer came a little closer.  Roxie got a little closer.  They were about 10 feet from each other when the deer bolted, and Roxie chased it to the woods.  I'm pretty sure she thought they were playing.  And maybe they were, because a minute later Roxie came running back and the deer was chasing HER.  It was hilarious.

Here is the painting I finished last night:



La di da.  I have a bunch of half-finished paintings at home and it was my intent to work on them this weekend.  But I did other things instead.  Hell, I didn't even drink the bottle of birthday bubbly that's in my fridge!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Day two....

Don't worry -- I'm not going to post something every day this month.  That would be silly.  I just wanted to share a couple of pictures from our walk last night.  Our celebratory walk.  We only went a mile because it was late and my feet hurt.  Long day.  Anyway, there are loads of these trees along Carly Lane, and I love love love them.


Partly I love them because I love to see the new growth.  But mostly, I love them because....


THEY ARE SO TINY!!!!  Awesome.  That is all.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Birthday month - day one

Today is the beginning of my birthday month, and let me tell you how I am celebrating.  At 6pm I will be making my last speech as President of the Board of Directors of the Bigfork Museum of Art & History.  That's right, you're looking at (wait - can you see me?) the soon-to-be EX-President.  Again.  Woo hoo!  That's why I did a happy dance the other day.  I found someone else to take my position.  After several months of intermittent introspection, I have concluded that the most important thing the Museum needs is a dedicated PR person.  The board has talked about this many times, but we can't get anyone to step up.  So I decided I would do it.  But I won't also be the President.  My new "job" officially starts at our next meeting, which isn't until June 21st.  In fact, some of my board members don't even know yet, but I'm pretty sure they don't read my blog so I'm not spoiling my own surprise by writing about it.  Unofficially, I start next week, building some promo for our July gallery show and the plein air fundraising event.  But TODAY.  Today I make my last speech.  We are holding our annual membership meeting during the reception for the members' show and I get to do the talky talky part.  My favorite.  I was going to write out a little speech, but I think I'll just wing it.  I need some notes so I can speak intelligently about the changes we are proposing to the bylaws but, other than that, wingin' it.

I did put two pieces in the members' show - one old and one sort of oldish.  The first is Peanut Butter Sunflower - one of my faves.


The second is called Sugar Pie #3.  Remember back in October when a customer asked me to paint a pumpkin for his wife for her Halloween birthday?  I painted four, and held an informal vote to pick the best one.  He got Sugar Pie #2.  The other three have been sitting on my dining room table since last fall.  I also had an 8" x 8" frame sitting on the table since probably last fall.  Since the pumpkin paper was intended to go on an 8" x 8" canvas, I put it on a panel instead, and smacked it into the frame.  So it's kinda old but kinda new.


I forgot to take a picture before I sent it down the street, so this is the best I could do.  However, it fits in with all my other crappy pictures, so there you go.  I still have the pumpkin I used as a model.  Is there a way to preserve it so it lasts forever?  It's so dang cute.  Which reminds me -- many, many years ago we were gearing up for our first remodel at work.  Our landlord at the time added on to the building for us, and when we dismantled a work table in the back room, we found a pumpkin under the table.  It had become one with the carpet.  Surprisingly, it didn't smell.  But it was pretty gross.  End of story.