Ch-ch-changes
So, last post I talked a little about our wedding and some things that have been happening and will happen and may not happen...the usual.
It is application time and if you have been with me these past 10 years or so you may remember how much I hate it. The new thing amongst our dear promoters/organizers is to cash our booth checks with the application and they will refund it if you are not accepted. Seriously? All of our apps for the season are due in the next few weeks. Some of us apply to about a dozen shows per Summer. Sometimes we apply to a couple of shows for the same weekend, like applying to a "safe" college when you are a kid. This way, if you get rejected by one, you still have a show. And if you get both, you decide which is best for you and politely decline the other. This is how the business works. The good shows know this which is why they have a waiting list. With an average cost for a booth is about $250-$350, I know that it is a near impossibility for many of us to come up with $3000 during the time of our season when no money is coming in. So, I have formally rebelled. One of my favorite shows advised us that they are now adopting that police so we should "make sure you have funds to cover the check" Bite me. Last year I made about $300 bucks at that show because we had rainstorms both days. Did we demand a refund? No. Well, this year I responded to the "call for artists" email with a simple: "I'm sorry. I no longer apply to shows the require payment in advance of acceptance". If I could get my cohorts to do the same it may have an impact. As it is, I think I will have a relaxing weekend and have even more art to sell the next week. Win/Win? I hope so.
So, marriage is fine so far. I have to admit this old broad got a kick out of hearing Russ introduce m as his wife for the first time. There is a giggly teenager hiding in this old body somewhere.
I have been accepted as a team member at an artist co-op in my neighborhood that I have been watching for a couple of years. I know most of the artists and admire them all. The work will all be "made in Buffalo" which is great. The young woman who runs it is someone I have known for years. She is a sweetheart and a talented artist. So, I go in for training next week. LOL Training!At my age! I love it. Never consider your self finished. There is always something lurking around the corner and it is often delightful.
My old house is cold. The furnace is working, but only when it thinks it should, so we have a cozy house 12 hours out of 24. The "guy"is coming to check it out. Meanwhile, I am here with my laptop, Netflix and a puppy by my side, comforter up to my chin, waiting it out.
And, of course, there are app to fill out! Aargh. Later....
Tuesday, February 19
Wednesday, January 16
reviewing, revising, revisiting
It is January and the cold and snow make the idea of seeing up our art tent on the street seem impossible. But every year, the seasons turn and change and I start spending more and more time in the attic and I go temporarily broke with show fees.And the next thing I know, we are wrestling with the pipes and drapes of our canopy and sweating with the effort. It is a rhythm in my life that I will miss as I contemplate retiring from the fun and work and frustration of being an art show artist. But, 70 is rearing its wrinkled head with an incredulous look as if to say "Do you KNOW how old you are???"
I just don't feel it. Oh, my body does. I've had some trouble with knee and hip problems and lately nothing is as wonderful to me as hunkering down under a layer of quilts while Winter makes noise outside and the windows rattle and I am scrolling through my options on Netflix or cracking open a new book with my Silkie Terrier tucked against my side.. This will pass and energy will resume. I just wish these applications would wait until the idea of them made me a little tingly with anticipation. Yeh, those days are gone!
There have been some changes. I got married! After almost 25 years together, Russ and I decided to get legalized. We had a small, family/friend wedding in Oregon, officiated by an artist friend in his Zen garden and it was perfect.
I dropped book making for awhile and concentrated more on collage, but I miss my books andI shall return to the press this year.
It occurred to me that if I did fewer shows I would have more to offer at the few I did do and probably make as much money and still have a bit of Summer to sit at the beach or go for a bike ride. I am actually forgetting how to ride and I bought a brand new bike last year so I am ready for Spring. I just need to decide which shows to drop. You develop a personal attachment to some of them.
The big excitement in my life lately is the new storage contraction we got for the kitchen where I can display my pretty enamel/cast iron pots and pans. Pretty sad. But fun.
I work at a theater and so was able to get prime seats for Hamilton which was pretty wonderful.
But mostly it is me under the quilts with my terrier, Oliver, who has developed a skin problem and is going bald. Another trip to the Vet tomorrow. He looks pretty pathetic. At least it hasn't affected him from mid waist up so he is still pretty cute and we have him in newborn onesies to keep him from scratching and chewing at whatever is attacking his pretty blond hair.
These are the things that fill my days lately. And you wonder why I haven't blogged? Ha!
Well, there actually was one miracle this year. My beautiful daughter-in-law, Leisha, received a double lung transplant that saved her life. It was pretty intense Summer. But for Christmas, I bought her work out clothes and when we were face-timing recently she showed me her jumping jacks and running in place. Never lost her breath. Before the surgery, she couldn't walk half a block without gasping for breath. Truly a miracle and every day I say a silent thank you to the family that thought of others at one of the saddest times of their lives. We don't know a lot about the donor except that she was young. Check that box on your license, folks. You ever know.
So, that's where I've been. Next post I'll fill you in on what I've been doing artistically you're still with me, that is :)
But right now a Winter storm is predicted and I am collecting books for the duration.
It is January and the cold and snow make the idea of seeing up our art tent on the street seem impossible. But every year, the seasons turn and change and I start spending more and more time in the attic and I go temporarily broke with show fees.And the next thing I know, we are wrestling with the pipes and drapes of our canopy and sweating with the effort. It is a rhythm in my life that I will miss as I contemplate retiring from the fun and work and frustration of being an art show artist. But, 70 is rearing its wrinkled head with an incredulous look as if to say "Do you KNOW how old you are???"
I just don't feel it. Oh, my body does. I've had some trouble with knee and hip problems and lately nothing is as wonderful to me as hunkering down under a layer of quilts while Winter makes noise outside and the windows rattle and I am scrolling through my options on Netflix or cracking open a new book with my Silkie Terrier tucked against my side.. This will pass and energy will resume. I just wish these applications would wait until the idea of them made me a little tingly with anticipation. Yeh, those days are gone!
There have been some changes. I got married! After almost 25 years together, Russ and I decided to get legalized. We had a small, family/friend wedding in Oregon, officiated by an artist friend in his Zen garden and it was perfect.
I dropped book making for awhile and concentrated more on collage, but I miss my books andI shall return to the press this year.
It occurred to me that if I did fewer shows I would have more to offer at the few I did do and probably make as much money and still have a bit of Summer to sit at the beach or go for a bike ride. I am actually forgetting how to ride and I bought a brand new bike last year so I am ready for Spring. I just need to decide which shows to drop. You develop a personal attachment to some of them.
The big excitement in my life lately is the new storage contraction we got for the kitchen where I can display my pretty enamel/cast iron pots and pans. Pretty sad. But fun.
I work at a theater and so was able to get prime seats for Hamilton which was pretty wonderful.
But mostly it is me under the quilts with my terrier, Oliver, who has developed a skin problem and is going bald. Another trip to the Vet tomorrow. He looks pretty pathetic. At least it hasn't affected him from mid waist up so he is still pretty cute and we have him in newborn onesies to keep him from scratching and chewing at whatever is attacking his pretty blond hair.
These are the things that fill my days lately. And you wonder why I haven't blogged? Ha!
Well, there actually was one miracle this year. My beautiful daughter-in-law, Leisha, received a double lung transplant that saved her life. It was pretty intense Summer. But for Christmas, I bought her work out clothes and when we were face-timing recently she showed me her jumping jacks and running in place. Never lost her breath. Before the surgery, she couldn't walk half a block without gasping for breath. Truly a miracle and every day I say a silent thank you to the family that thought of others at one of the saddest times of their lives. We don't know a lot about the donor except that she was young. Check that box on your license, folks. You ever know.
So, that's where I've been. Next post I'll fill you in on what I've been doing artistically you're still with me, that is :)
But right now a Winter storm is predicted and I am collecting books for the duration.
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