Abstract Art Blog

A Year of Making Art, Day 346: Sleepless at Three A.M.

March 31, 2008  Day 346

Last night I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep.  At 4:45 I decided to get up since I had set the alarm for 6:15 anyway in order to get Mike and Rachel off to school this morning.

I made my drawing before anyone else got up:

  Drawing #353  11" x 14"

After that, the kids got up and had breakfast and I took them to school.  Then Owen and I took Adrian to the doctor's office.  It turns out that he has a torn Achilles' tendon in his left leg and will probably have a cast put on in a couple of days.

I just had time to have a bite of lunch and put a chicken in the oven before it was time to get the kids from school again.  Now they are playing computer games for ten more minutes before getting ready for bed.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 341: Primary Colors

March 26, 2008  Day 341

Blixy called at 8 a.m. to see if I could take Rachel to the orthodontist today, which I did.  She is now at a neighbors playing with a 12-year-old (Rachel is 9 and loves to play with older girls).

I used mainly primary colors today, with accents in a fine-point black pen.  I used a template for most of the circles, and a ruler for the straight lines.

  Drawing #348  11" x 14"

Adrian went out late this afternoon with Roxy.  This is his first day taking her out since he fell and hurt his leg.  I just hope he doesn't overdo it.

There is a strong paint smell in here because half my studio floor was painted this morning.  Tomorrow we'll move all the furniture to the other side so that this half can be painted.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 329: No Peace of Mind

March 14, 2008  Day 329

The dinner party (see previous post) went swimmingly, and I was fairly relaxed instead of worrying if everyone was having a good time or getting nervous if there was a lull in the conversation.  The food was great, but that's a given when I make a dinner party.

I didn't sleep well that night, though, because I was worried about shipping another large painting.  The owner of our local Pak-Mail promised to come at 9 a.m. with a trailer to pick up the box (63" x 63" x 5") from me and the print (55" x 55") from my printmaker.  But our little private road is next to impossible to find, and access at my printmaker's offers no place for a trailer to turn around in.  After a few glitches, everything eventually turned out fine, but I can't seem to get through these things without losing a night's sleep first.

With this chaotic beginning to the day, and having to pick up Mike and Rachel after school, I didn't have the peace of mind I needed for today's drawing.  I kept returning to work on it some more, and finally gave up:

Drawing #336  14" x 11"

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 328: Packing and Shipping Pains

March 13, 2008  Day 328

Instead of a nap yesterday afternoon (see previous post), I went on a great hike with my neighbor.  The trail we go on is hilly, and it was covered with a mixture of snow, crusted ice, and mud.  In a few weeks it will be total mud and swampy water.

This morning I tried to get a 51" x 51" box inside my Honda Element, and it wouldn't fit.  I remembered getting this size in before, so I don't know what went wrong.  We finally took a seat out and eventually had success.  The worst thing about my art business is the packing and shipping, especially with the larger paintings.

I finally got around to my drawing for the day, and as it took shape, I thought of dunes:

Drawing #335  14" x 11"

Tonight we are having company for dinner, and that always makes me anxious.  But Laura is coming over to help, and that will ease my nerves.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 319: Jazzy Improvisation

March 3, 2008  Day 319

 

Here are a few more photos from my past art exhibitions:

  Gallery for the Arts, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky

Adrian and Lynne, Soho South, West Palm Beach, FL

  Soho South

  Lynne at Tompkins Cortland Community College Exhibit

Last night I was up for a couple of hours worrying.  I took a sleeping pill, but that didn't work right away, so I got up and played solitaire.  One thing I was worried about was the hassle of shipping the new prints I am offering.  They are so large that they won't fit in my Honda Element or in any ordinary van.  But as I played cards, I realized that if I couldn't find a good solution, I could just eliminate that size.

This morning Adrian solved the problem by checking with our packer, Pak-mail.  The owner has a trailer that will hold whatever size I make, and agreed to pick them up when I need her to.  Phew!

I did my drawing early today because Jim and Laura were coming over to help us move all the furniture in the studio so the new wall can be built tomorrow.  The drawing is kind of a hectic, jazzy improvisation:

  Drawing #325  11" x 14"

Right after Jim and Laura arrived, a tractor-trailer driver showed up at the door.  He said he was down at the main road with a delivery of flat files for me.  "We don't go on private roads," he said.  So Jim and I drove down in the Element and I backed up to the truck.  There were two skids, each very heavy, but Jim and the driver managed to get one loaded.  Then they rode on the tailgate as I drove it up to the garage, and they unloaded it.  We did the next one the same way.  I am a terrible backer-upper, but I knew I had to do it, so I did.

The good news is, it's 50 degrees out today and most of the snow and ice has turned to mush.

Why did we pick this lot to build a house and studio on?

After that adventure, we moved tons of shipping boxes into the garage, and then moved all the furniture in the studio--some to the basement, and some to one end of the studio.  Tomorrow our contractor will begin the wall, as well as coating the floor with a protective finish.

 

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 249: Hating the Holiday Season

December 24, 2007  Day 249

I really hate the holiday season.  Our son Eric flies to Florida by himself every year at this time in order to avoid it.  Neighbors come over with home-baked goodies--a tradition I stupidly started the year we moved here.  If family is not around, one can't help but be depressed.  If they are around, there is too much eating and drinking and not enough exercise.

My clients are testy because they don't understand why they can't get what they ordered by Christmas.  I have to get out cards to my business mailing list, write a holiday letter, and send it to our family and friends.  We are not religous people, so the holiday means nothing in that sense.  But culturally, my family has celebrated Christmas forever, and Adrian's family celebrates Hanukah.  We feel obligated to go through the motions.

Writing this makes me think I should do something different next year.  If I can't insert a sincere goodwill in my holiday cards, what's the point in sending them?  If I'm too fat and exhausted to enjoy visitors, why should I invite them?

Last night we stayed up late and slept until 10 a.m.  Groggily, I made today's drawing in browns and tans:

   Drawing #254  14" x 11"

I went out and bought a 12 pound turkey to cook tomorrow, when Blixy and her family will come to celebrate Christmas.  The holiday drummer marches on.

Next year I'm planning two weeks in a warm, exotic place where nobody knows how to spell Xmas.  Does one exist?

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 246: A Frazzled Day

December 21, 2007  Day 246

It has been a frazzled day, beginning by my waking up at 2 a.m. and not getting back to sleep until 5 a.m.  Then I slept in until 9 and have been off ever since.  Jim and Laura are still here, Owen arrived at noon, and I had to pick up the kids at 2.  My car had no gas, so I took Adrian's, but then on the way home as we stopped for an errand, I couldn't get the driver's door open.  Earlier, a client called wanting to know when their order would arrive.  Well, with the holidays, nothing is going to arrive on time!

After dropping the kids off at the house, I rushed to the optical office to give them my new prescription and some old frames, and was told it will take two weeks for the glasses to be ready.  That means I won't have them for our trip to California on January 2.

In any case, I managed to make my drawing for the day, using browns and tans:

   Drawing #251  12" x 9"

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 239: Holiday Stress

December 14, 2007  Day 239

In this morning's drawing, my attempt at looseness slipped into sloppy--an assortment of lines that didn't want to work together no matter how I tried to coerce them:

   Drawing #244  12" x 9"

It is ten days before Christmas, and I'm planning to be depressed at that time.  Laura and Jim will leave on the 22nd, and we have nothing planned until January 2, when we are flying to California for a week.  I will try to work during that time, but I know there will be a letdown after Laura leaves.

Adrian and I don't really make much of Christmas or New Years, so they become dead times where you try to act as if it's a normal day, but you know it's not.  I think our son Eric has the right idea--he goes to Florida every year during this time.

For anyone who is bipolar or prone to depression, the holidays are typically extra stressful, whether you spend them alone or with family.  It's good to be aware of the potential danger, and to take better care of ourselves during those times.

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 206: Pressure, pressure, pressure

November 11, 2007  Day 206

Today I made my drawing in late afternoon, and for some reason I was relaxed and had a lot of fun with it.  I didn't worry about containing myself within the page, but swept the pens freely from edge to edge.

  Drawing #211  12" x 9"

I could not sleep last night and spent some time agonizing over everything that was on my mind, feeling pressure to make some changes and to ease up on myself.  This morning I talked to my sister Laura, who is always a good sounding-board for me when I'm going through this kind of analysis.  After talking to her, I canceled my commitment to give a workshop on internet marketing for artists next summer.  Too often I just say "yes" to any opportunity that comes along, and then I'm sorry later.

It's been too long since I have had time to paint.  I need to clear off my desk and find that space to do my own creative work.

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 198: Performance Anxiety

November 3, 2007  Day 198

All day today, I've been sluggish, mildly depressed, and anxious.  I couldn't figure out what was bugging me at first, but finally realized it must be the fact that I am going to be on two panel discussions next week:  one for artists and one for writers.  They are both on topics that I know a lot about, so I assumed I'd be relaxed about it.  Unfortunately, my performance anxiety never lets me relax when I have to appear before a group of people.

The solution, I figure, is to prepare really well for both events.  I had been putting it off since I'm busy with other things, but now it's time to get started.

We also have my sister Laura's husband Jim arriving tomorrow to stay with us for a week or two.  He is a photographer and is coming to check out Ithaca as a place to live and do his art (Jim's Eyes Digital Photography).  Laura is not coming with him (she was here for ten days earlier in the month), so I guess I'm a little nervous about making sure he has a great time while he's here.

In any case, I did a drawing this morning in full color, and had to call in black and gray to rescue the overwhelming clash:

  Drawing #203  12" x 9"

Maybe I'm just worried about the cataract operations coming up at the end of the month!  For an artist, having her eyes operated on is definitely a scary proposition.  Will my art look different to me afterwards?  Will something go wrong?  Yikes!

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)