Blog

In the wake of several years of "Game of Thrones", most everyone recognizes the phrase, "Winter is coming!"  As I am living in a state 775 miles north of where I lived all my former life, I am understandably concerned about just how cold it will be here.  My daughter has given me guidance of what I'll need (she's been here for almost 20 years), and I have stocked up on heavy gloves, various lengths of boots, and added a puffy long coat to my closet.  I've crocheted several warm hats and scarves. I'm working on stocking the woodpile, getting the last of the bulbs in the ground, and stowing away the outdoor cushions and patio furnishings.  I'm getting prepared.

My studio space is also getting ready.  Works are being created there.  Slowly the materials are finding their way to the right places and boxes, frames are getting sorted as they need to be, and I feel happy when I enter the room.  That's a good thing.  It has become the sanctuary I expect of the space where I create.  

Part of the settling in process has been to get out of the house!  I have a new life to live.  My husband died almost a year ago, and I am coming to terms with a life alone.  I've been attending a church nearby, feeding my soul.  I'm getting recognized at the grocery store and the drug store. A support network is being built.  

When I began my latest series of work, more abstract, allegorical and colorful, I debated whether to pursue gallery representation, or simply create because that is what I do.  I've done the gallery thing for many years, and the move north prompted me to rethink why and what I create.  What I was missing was my "people", being with other creatives whose passion for art could encourage my own.  So I found a co-operative in an area in West Reading, PA, and was accepted for membership (Art Plus Gallery, West Reading, PA).  They've been in business for 20 years now, so it is a well-oiled machine.  I am excited to embrace this new group of creative friends.  The relationships I build there will give me purpose, provide times to share with others, grow in my art, and contribute to my community.  Who knows where I will be led next?

Snow may begin falling one day not too far ahead.  The wind will blow cold.  But my heart is warm with the friends I'll make, the art I'll create, and the restoring of my spirit.  Winter?  Come ahead!