Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Interruptions shape our hours

In graduate school I made a piece which I called "Interruptions Shape Our Hours." Making art in grad school was a choppy experience, but no worse than every day life these days.
Car accident, recovering from broken sternum and badly bruised knee, then a week's vacation, when I got back two days hanging the show in Bangor, then four days up at Haystack on Deer Isle, all this meant no studio time for a month. A month! Today I had to take my father to a dentist appointment, and yesterday was consumed by some essential studio clean up and painting. Tomorrow I have a volunteer meeting all afternoon. A few hours here and a few hours there this week. Maybe next week I will be able to devote the better part of every day to my art. I have a small commission, which helps. And the weather is cooling off, which also helps. Cold weather helps to get me out of the garden and into the studio every day, so bring it on. Above, the morning walk into the nearby blueberry barren. Soon all the blueberry bushes will be turning their glorious diverse shades of red.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Wow, what a month

Since August 20 I have been recovering from a car accident which totaled my car but fortunately didn't total me. A guy ran a stop sign and I collided with his vehicle, the air bag went off and broke my sternum. Still uncomfortable to cough but I can laugh again! This second accident has me having some deep existential moments, never mind driving anxiety, though I know it is just bad luck. So much for the good luck I felt surviving the plan crash four years ago. I watch the other drivers intensely now. So many people on their stupid phones not paying attention!! It pisses me off.
And here is a shot of the completed installation in Bangor, at the Sohns Gallery, 20 feet of it. The show includes a few mixed media constructions and collages. I will be giving a talk on October 2 at 7 (the reception start at 6:30) for the Bangor Artober art walk for about a half hour or so, public invited. The show remains up until November 1. I will be taking it down again on November 2--too soon!!
The other thing I had wanted to write about took place on August 13 when the Smith family, the U.S. Ambassador's family, from Qatar, paid me a studio visit. It was so generous of them to spend a part of their precious time in Maine coming to Appleton to see where "Library" was created, and to visit with me. What a great family! I so appreciated that. And Dana came the next night to the opening of a show I had in Damariscotta, at River Arts.