Moving Out, Moving On

It seems like just yesterday that I was hauling boxes and boxes of art materials upstairs into my new studio space. It was quite a leap for me, having never had a studio that wasn't a former bedroom or dining room in our living space.

Now, here I am packed up, ready to move on.

Here's Jim, moving fast. He is always my hero, but particularly today, when he hauled numerous heavy boxes, not to mention heavier furniture down the stairs for me.


Our new home has an oversize, end to end garage with a high ceiling. It came equipped with a lube pit. Didn't need a 6' deep hole in my studio, so Jim covered it with cement board. It's quite sturdy, and I don't feel the least bit like I'm going to fall in.


This new (actually it's used) glass door will be replacing the solid door (hopefully tomorrow).



Here is the garage door opening. Mike, our intrepid worker, has removed the ugly garage door and is getting ready to install a big window and glass door.

More photos tomorrow, when he's finished his part of turning the garage into my own almost 600 square foot studio space. Then it will be up to me to seal the floor, finish painting the interior, and most importantly, get to work!

Stairway to an Indeterminate Destination

I seem to have produced several new paintings with stairways in them. Now that I think about it, is this because of the stairway I must traverse in order to get to my studio?

See my last blog post to enjoy a view of that set of stairs.

The Evil Stairway to My Studio

I posted this photo when I was moving into my studio last October. It was quite the challenge getting my stuff up these stairs, especially in the 100 degree plus heat. By the way, the stairs are a lot steeper and narrower than they look in this photo.

Since then, I've been faithfully hauling myself up and down on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day. Once up, I'm in my beautiful studio, and quickly immersed in my work. It's been worth the climb.

One of the prices I've paid for being an artist is a lot of foot pain. I know, not exactly a romantic image to present to the public. What many people don't realize is that making art often involves hard physical labor. Somehow, I always end up working, standing on a concrete floor.

Yesterday, I finally broke down and saw one of the excellent doctors at the clinic here in Ajo. He told me that I have a torn ACL in my foot. Hence, the more recent, more excruciating pain in the feet than usual. The cure? Stay off my feet. Most expecially, don't climb stairs. Apply heat to the area. How long will this last? Well, a lot longer if I'm not careful.

So those stairs loom ahead, and my work sits, potentially out of reach. Will I lay down with my feet up? Well, no. I'm heading to my studio now. Wish me luck!

A Serenade to My Perfect Apron

I know this may sound peculiar, but I'm really picky about aprons. I've tried all kinds. Some are too stiff and heavy. Some are too lightweight. Some don't have pockets. Some don't have pockets in convenient places, or in useful sizes.

All the aprons I've ever had until this one have a strap that goes around the neck. I didn't realize that this was annoying until I purchased the apron you see here. Its straps crisscross behind your back. No rubbing against the neck, no weight on the neck if you have something heavy in a pocket.

As you can see, I have a habit of swiping my brush against the apron. One that is too narrow means that I miss and end up with paint on my pants. This one is nice and long, so if I brush against wet paint, it goes on the apron, not my clothes. Yet it's not so long that I trip over it.

Now, you must be wondering where I got this fabulous item. Well, I stumbled on it at the shop in the printmaking studio at Crown Point Press . If I could afford it, I'd order a lifetime supply!

Pulling the Threads Together

What you see are a few of my personal paintings: about the experience of having a very premature baby, about my parents, about my mother when she was young.

It took me years of mulling over ideas before I figured out how create a visual way to express what you see before you. None of these are for sale, and they are very different than my usual work. Yet they are part of what I do.

Yesterday, I read a blog by Ed Winkleman, reviewing the artwork of Julie Evans. One of his comments really struck me. Here it is "The thought that went through my mind as I viewed Julie' show...was how sometimes an artist's accomplishments simply cannot be rushed. It can take just the right combination of life experiences, exposure to other ideas, and simply being in the right place at the right time for things to click. None of which may make sense to even the artist (or be particularly pleasant) at the time, but which definitely results in an eventual accomplishment that enriches our
lives."

This is so true. It makes me wonder about all the stories of artists out there who have strings of random experiences and fascinating lives they have pieced together with the ultimate goal being the creation of a meaningful body of work. Seems to me this would be a great book. Or maybe a good theme for a blog.

Is it Dinging and Tweeting at Me Again?

I was innocently sitting at the dinner table with my husband eating pizza (no time to cook). Ding went my email. Tweet went my twitter. Jim grabbed me by the arm, and said don't.

Yes, apparently I'm suffering from an addiction. It's pretty ironic, since I've resisted the whole internet thing for years. Several weeks ago, I got a laptop and somehow that provided a breakthrough into computer land for me.

No, it doesn't mean I know what I'm doing. Far from it. But I know enough to have lots of annoying questions and lots of frustration with you name it, anything more sophisticated than straight typing on the keyboard.

Discovering a plethora of interesting artist blogs is like opening up a new world. I don't want to miss anything!

This afternoon, Jim sent me to my studio. I must have been looking pretty glassy eyed. I felt great after I spent some productive time painting. This is what it's really all about. I need to remember this.

And I need to figure out how to turn off the dings and tweets and get back in control!

Twitter: The Good, The Bad, The OMG! « QuinnCreative

At last, a creative person was able to explain twitter in a way the was understandable to me. Maybe this will help some other technologically challenged people.

Twitter: The Good, The Bad, The OMG! « QuinnCreative: "If you don’t use Twitter yet, but have a burning desire to know about it, maybe I can help. Maybe not. By the time I click “Publish” on this post, everything may be different. Still, I’m going to try.

Twitter is a website on which anyone can write about anything as long as it takes up 140 characters or less. (A character is a keystroke.) Posts are called tweets. People who use Twitter are called Tweeple. Twitter users are a real slice of life–there are serious business people, scammers, stoners, intelligentsia, cat lovers, event-goers, and at least one mature writer-trainer-artist. (That’s me.)"