More Progress on the Studio Space
There have been some fun surprises while setting up my little art space. One of them has been seeing some of my supplies, treasured tools, and art for the first time in almost two years.
Seeing art again that has been packed away and inaccessible for such a long time gives me a new perspective on certain pieces. Each one suggests a possible direction to explore in more depth. Lots of food for thought.
These 8 inch square paintings on paper are just an example. I have seen my photographs of them off and on, but in person they’re more exciting to me. There are a total of six in this series. I just randomly picked two of them that I might frame.
This next little gem is a collection of tiny 2-inch studies I did just about a year ago after moving in with my son‘s family. I notice a lot of similarity in palette and mood.
And onto the unboxing surprises! I ended up with double stashes of almost everything. Here are just a few of the supplies I’ve managed to integrate and sort so far.
And the best surprise of all is that going through all these things took me to my happy place, almost as much as the art making itself. Yesterday I just sat and smiled a lot.
Looking forward to getting my hands into some paint. I hope you find your happy place today.
Progress?
Yesterday was my final moving day. I’m in my condo now and this is the corner of a fairly large living room that’s going to be my little studio space. The window lets in north light and is six feet wide by three feet high. I would estimate that the floor area of that corner is about 8 x 10 feet. Can I cram everything in and make it look presentable for company? If I put art everywhere, maybe I can pull it off.
The large flat boxes near the exercise bike contain my large paintings. I may choose one or two for the walls. In the large boxes in the foreground of the second picture are beautiful art objects that I have collected from beloved artist friends of mine. Those will go throughout the apartment and perhaps on the corner walls of the studio area. 
These are the before pictures. I’m going to spend today trying to put it all together. It’s cold with rain on top of melting snow, so a good day to stay inside. Wish me luck!
Still in Limbo
For me the beginning of a new year is a treasured quiet time of reflection and creative exploration without the stress of deadlines.
But this year, I’m waiting in limbo to be able to close on my new condo, and there will be a move in the very near future. Most of my belongings are in boxes in the garage now. I was able to send the nice little storage pod on its way back to the storage pod farm. In the meantime, all of that is hanging over me, making me feel a little anxious about the timing of everything.
However, I can’t not do art for very long. It’s a necessary part of my sense of well-being. So here are a few new collages that I’ve managed to sneak in here and there. (Click on any of these images and you will see a slideshow that you can scroll through.)
I hope you’re having a creative beginning of the year!
Happy Friday the 13th
A nice woman at the hair salon reminded me yesterday that today would be Friday the 13th. Otherwise I never would have even thought about it. In reality though, it’s kind of an appropriate way to round out a frustrating week. My moving pod was delivered to our driveway on Tuesday. When I tried the padlock, the thing was so rusted from being out in the weather for over a year, it wouldn’t budge. My son flooded it with WD40 to no avail. So I went back inside and it immediately started raining. The rain didn’t stop until yesterday morning, with temperatures dropping. Not a great time to empty a storage unit anyway. In the meantime I called a locksmith to come cut the lock off, and he’s scheduled to be here tomorrow morning.
My curiosity about the contents of that pod will have to wait one more day. Aside from the usual personal belongings packed in boxes, there is an enormous amount of art supplies – more than I’ll be able to accommodate in my new smaller place. Some of those will have to be rehomed.
If anyone needs to know how to downsize, I’m becoming an expert!
Here are photos of some of my work that is somewhere in a box, in the pod, in the driveway.
Happy creating!
Teaching and Other Creative Pursuits
Just recently, I had the opportunity to teach a series of four three-hour gel printing workshops at the Nyack, NY library. A good friend of mine, artist John Rosis, whom I met last fall when he taught a 6-week abstract painting class that I attended, asked if I would teach the workshop with him. It’s kind of a long story how that came about. He had seen some of my gel prints on Instagram and, being a long-time printmaker and painter himself, wanted me to demonstrate the process for him.
So we had two different sessions of experimentation in his kitchen, and he was hooked. He immediately ordered himself a gel plate, then another, and then more, and hasn’t looked back. John likes to teach and share the joy of discovery with others, so he submitted a grant to Arts Westchester and acquired funding for the free 4-week workshop for library patrons. And the great news is that we have been invited to repeat the series in 2025.
Here are some of my recent gel prints that I mostly like to use in collage. I don’t usually intend them as frameable art, but sometimes like them enough that they could stand on their own. The second grouping shows how fascinated I’ve become with botanical elements in prints. They combine well with abstract collage and mixed media.
And here are a couple of collages which have some of the botanical elements. These are 10×8 inches on a 14×11 mixed media paper backing.
I hope you’re having a creative day!
An Artist's Journal 
