Blog

Today finds me looking out at a thick coating of snow that is making no move toward going away.  As a born Southern lady, I am not accustomed to the sight of snow on a daily basis.  It has been another learning experience I am incorporating into growing my new life here in Pennsylvania.  Winter equals snow. Winter equals cold. Winter equals isolation.  Got it.  

For the past few months, I have been preparing a new show of my work, both paintings and ceramic sculptures and vessels.  It is my first real "push" in a long time, and serves as a formal introduction through the gallery to the public.  I have stepped up and worked hard.  While there is the creating phase, there is also the phase of inventory collection, photographing work, labeling and signage, and then the actual transporting of the work and installation.  I'm closing in on the last of it.  Then comes the show marketing and networking to get it actually seen.  Whew!

I have also been working on a 28 day challenge to produce new work.  Every day in February, over 20 artists affiliated with our gallery are creating new works and posting them publicly on Facebook.  As the person who usually manages our gallery Facebook account, it has been my responsibility to make sure the posts are correctly posted and seen.  I don't know if people are actually catching on, or I am just getting better at catching wayward posts and herding them home.  Only a week left.  The end is in sight!  My own work in the challenge has been an eclectic collection of my more traditional approaches and some new innovations.  I have learned from each one.  But I am getting tired, and my creative muscles are sore!  I'm ready to have a day off!

Sculpture continues to be an interest, and I love going to my classes.  The people are dear to me, and we have such fun together.  Technical information is something I am gaining in leaps and bounds, and I am seeing the possibilities of how I can combine different disciplines to pursue new creations.  It is an exciting time.  Resins are my new fascination, and how I can use them in creating sculptural pieces, and ceramic combination works.  So much to learn, to try, to do!

So life seems pretty full, doesn't it? Exception being my personal life is pretty sterile, and isolated.  Thankful for my friends. But the fact that I am very much on my own weighs heavy on me. Throw in weather, viral challenges, and just simply being in a very rural area without many people, and you have a very quiet existence.  Somehow, I just have to remain present in the moment, and know that time will bring change, as it always does. A friend suggested making a list of what I was looking for in a companion.  After I did it, I had to laugh.  Who could measure up to that?!  At least I can smile at that, and know that things will work out as they are meant to work out.  My topsy-turvy existence has shown that enduring fact: life goes on.  And one of my favorite movies says, if it hasn't worked out, then it isn't over!

So I step into the future, one day at a time, and enjoy the wonder that each day holds, in every miracle.  The tracks in the snow, birds at the feeder grateful for the food, a new color combination I am only just coming to know, the way sunlight falls on a bowl of tomato soup and lights up the redness. The warm snuggle of a loved pet, and the pleasure of hearing a song that touches the heart.  The softness of a favorite sweater, and the welcome call from a friend.  Life is pretty good, and I can hardly wait to see what is next!