Blog

The evil cold virus came back on Jan 2nd, so hefty that I didn't go riding on Abby, as it is not safe to be on Mrs. Frisky when I'm not at my physical best. Huxley had two rides though over those two days and a skate on the "wild" pond. 

one of our riding fields

skating pond party 

aglow on the ice

We're back to the normal schedule with a couple of hick-ups — missed the first day back to school, as I had it down to January 6th, signed Huxley up for the wrong community centre for swimming so the boys went to the wrong pool last night, being hit with this second cold, meant last week was spent on the couch for two days, nothing, absolutely nothing got accomplished… well… the year can only improve from here. 

Actually, improved, it already has, as I've finished my back-tack goodies, well one thing I still want to make today, then as promised to Pam, I'll have it off to England at the end of the week. I also knitted two little things yesterday and a third today, but I need to be sneaky about them yet… (giggle)

Huxley seems to have gotten the cold again too, and I fear that I will have more days away from the studio. My dear YaYa who's first language is not English told me that I must not care about work, that the child comes first, and that no matter how much I fret, I will get the work done. However, I am getting worried, as I am very much behind in getting work to a local gallery (only today put the last coat of resin on), and I was also s'possed to have work to Whistler by now. It's getting to be their prime winter season and the pieces are still being worked… Yes, my heart knows that Huxley does come first, and DH's business is doing great now, so it's not a matter of having no food in the house if I don't do the work right now, but there is my reputation with the galleries at stake. 

Some years ago I watched Andy Goldsworthys "Rivers and Tides" DVD and loved it up to the point where he goes home mid-day to a prepared meal, done by his wive and mother to his four children, only to after lunch go back to just make art. I still think that if us women could be full-time artists with somebody else tending to our children and our homes, we could become just as focused and successful as male artists. Imagine how wonderful it would be to not think during your creative time what you will cook for dinner, when you will find time to do the laundry and not to think during cleaning time what you want to do when the little ones are in bed, just to find that when they finally are, you are just to exhausted for anything except sleep yourself. 

I got of the phone with YaYa feeling once again not understood as an artist and a mother. 

However, I did get be at the studio one whole day on December 31 (the first whole day since September), and I made a plan of how I'd like to handle work-flow during this year. I will try to work on less pieces at one time, but getting a set number done every week. Considering that I'm still struggling to try and keep works flowing into the galleries, I have to change something, as they are not happy with me. I also got a new digital camera for Christmas, and I think I might be able to handle more of the photography and image preparation without dependence on hubby, so I can manage the new paintings easier. 

I am also planning to finish my knitted pieces over the next couple of week. These are mainly scarves and goodies that are knit, but need to have threads sewn in and washed and blocked. Images will follow in a couple of days.

Today as the first day back in the studio had me laminating another three paintings worth of papers to the wooden panels, laying out one four foot by four foot piece and a 24 inch by 24 inch piece.