Savouring the Moment

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our thirty-first anniversary. Often I am asked, “Don’t you wish you were younger?” My answer is always, “No!” I would not trade the time and space we have created, time to enjoy, space to be real. I would not trade the peace in my heart, a peace that only years can bring. I would not trade the joy the choices of gratitude and praise for our God have brought me. I am no longer in a panic to get things done. I know I am not in charge, nor do I wish to be. I can relax and savour each moment, moving with the inspiration and entering the flow. And where has the flow brought me today? My studio is in the midst of purging and finishing touches. The last two paintings from the series “Connections” are on the tables receiving their final coats of varnish. The bead door between the gallery and the studio is up. That is funny… the best laid plans. The beads are enough to block the heat to the gallery so I made some short strings to gather it back… So good. I have saved some space on my studio walls for certain paintings; they are still in Legal… One of these days we will gather them home. The gallery is in need of some work. I have the railings for the hanging system, they await my attention to install them. The last two bulbs for the track lighting are waiting too. There is some painting to do, some clearing to do and some buying to do, the chain and s-hooks. Soon, very soon, I begin some experiments. They may turn into a series. We will see. Love the mystery! Life is so good!   

Glenrose

This time of year is all about balance and juggling. Today I baked. I am so thankful I no longer do marathons of weeks on end with the view of filling my freezer. There have been a few changes in my life like: no kids at home, just the two of us, a fourteen cubic foot freezer instead of a twenty-two cubic foot plus the fourteen cubic foot one…. Yes, good changes.  Baking, presents and exhibitions. My latest exhibition is hung. I have selected several of my favorite pieces from my “Connections” collection to show at the Glenrose. This is not a quite the same experience as other showplaces. I have decided not to hold a specific opening and rather to be present on several occasions throughout the exhibit which lasts a couple of months. It was an interesting challenge hanging the work as every venue somehow has a different set of tools to do the job.  I was very thankful to my daughter who figured out how to work the devices so they would hold the paintings in place. Once the images were straightened to our satisfaction we placed the poetry and the price cards leaving a guest book and some flyers for visitors to sign and take home. The Glenrose has a little convenience store just up the corridor and the people in charge have agreed to sell some of the notecards as part of the exhibilition. Life is so good. Do drop in if you can:

The Mezzanine Gallery at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital

10230 111 Ave. Edmonton.

I will be in attendance on 9^th January 2015, 22 January 2015 and 6 February 2015 between the hours of 1pm and 4pm.

Mystery

I love mystery. There is something that inspires the imagination in the mystery of veiled truth. For example I prefer to cover my body with flowing wraps which allow a peek at the layers beneath. Different colours, different textures create a sense of intrigue. Truth looks much better in this case when it is mostly hidden… In my paintings I encourage curiosity as the viewer peers into the layers of hues and forms, not quite knowing what lies beneath. A garden fascinates when one cannot quite see what might be at the end of that curving path. I am in the midst of creating some mystery in my studio/gallery. I wish to install a small transition between my workspace and the area in which I will display my finished meditations. It is more of an invitation than a separation. Several years ago my aunt who died in 2006 spend many hours taking beaded seat covers apart and re-stringing them so that they might be hung in doorways and closet entrances. The project was never quite completed and in all our moving I could not quite part with the love they represented. There are several places in our new home where the beaded doorways finish a corner beautifully. What is on the floor in the photo is the nearly finished doorway to my workspace entered from the gallery. Not only does the intrigue beckon it glows in the memories of loving hands. Life is so good.

Progress

With the exception of some horizontal surfaces my studio workspace is ready to go! So exciting! Soon it will be filled with canvases undergoing the final stage of any project: varnishing. In the mayhem surrounding my show in March, storage and moving, the work did not receive this important finishing touch. These beautiful pieces will be again on display at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in the Mezzanine Gallery beginning 15^th December, that is one week from today… Better get a move on, yes? Yes! So why is varnishing important? There are some artists who do not bother with this step. There are good reasons why they choose to leave the surface unprotected. One of the best is the movement the various contrasts the different mixtures of paint can create. Some are brilliant gloss and some are dull. The pattern thus created may be an important part of the whole. I prefer a more even finish. I also like the enrichment of colour the varnish tends to produce. The most crucial reason for varnishing is, of course, archival. Varnish can be removed and replaced. Its removal means a surface which has collected many years of dust and grime can be renewed without damaging the underlying image. Artists have a choice between glossy and matt finishes or the blend of the two called ‘satin’. My preference is satin. I also understand the usual application is two coats, one applied horizontally and the other vertically so no spot is missed. Two satin coats would obscure the work so I apply one or two coats of gloss and finish with the satin usually. It is really a personal preference depending on how I want the work to look in the end. Life is so good!   

Blocks

We often hear of writers’ block. Creative blocks come in many forms. As a visual artist I occasionally encounter moments or even weeks of arid, fruitless futility. These voids can be created by my own avoidance of regular artistic practice, pushing paint around. Lately my blocks have come in more physical forms like the two feet of snow between my soul space and me. By the time I had shoveled it away I was in need of a cuppa. Unfortunately I only had time to extract the tools I required before heading off to repair some major holes in plaster walls. I am getting good at that! Today is the beginning of a new month, a new liturgical year, a new lease for a new tenant…. This means the scrub pails appear and the oven cleaner gets another workout. I have different paintbrushes in my hands these days. It took three of us all day to get the place in order for someone new. There is still some touch up painting to do once the primer dries and I will not be doing that tomorrow… God is good. Random encounters have produced a new tenant without even advertising and somehow I mixed my weeks so although I thought tomorrow was busy with various meetings, not so. A small smile twitches at the corners of my mouth as I contemplate some rich organizing hours in my studio. So good. Life is so good.