Big New Adventures of Artist Momma

My son's chance with the Canon...Yeah! I'm actually IN a photograph.

Okay, well...here I am again.  Um.  Yeah, there's been another long break and now I'm trying again.  That whole "if at first you don't succeed" thing has me as its illustration.  In the meantime, I've been taking my camera wherever we go so that if my eye can compose it, I'm on it.  Even while sitting in the passenger seat, through a less than clean car window, at 75 miles per hour.  Okay, he might drive a little faster and he does often offer to stop so I can get a better shot.  So how does this keep happening that I can manage one post every how many, many months apart?  Well, where do I begin...

Rocky Mountain view from Eureka Reservoir.

Another beautiful view looking to the west.

So for those who are not wives or mothers, I'll try to explain.  I love being a wife and mom; I am able to stay at home and make their schedules work better.  My daily activities revolve around theirs.  My mom was not able to stay home with my sisters and me.  We all wanted her at home but that was not an option.  Now, with me being home, our finances are tight.  We budget and try to stick to it closely but it's not easy.  Lately, now that our two are in their early teens, it's getting a little more spendy to afford the clothes, shoes, activities, electronics and miscellaneous.  I'm feeling the need to give back financially in some way.  There are a lot of other options that are more of a sure thing than selling my artwork.  How many of them mean I can still be available to the unpredictable summer schedule and the tougher school schedule when fall arrives?  I really do thrive when I am absorbed with the painting process.  It's a part of me that longs to be fulfilled and nurtured.

Dock at Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park was finished
but has not been posted here.  My progress is slow but still continues.

 

[Right now, at this point in the day, my two have been at the pool and will be home in the next 30 minutes.  Translated, time is of the essence.  Move fingers with speed and gusto!]

A week and a half ago, I realized I have got to give painting on a daily basis a higher priority.  I asked my family if they would please support me going forward.  I have been trying to clearly explain what I mean specifically when I ask for support.  We have a beautiful solarium at the back of our house.  It was one of the major features I loved when we were seeking to buy a home.  We renovated it ten years ago with its main function being my art studio.  The back entrance of our home is located in this room so there's a lot of traffic through my studio.  This equals a lot of interruptions.  A LOT.  (She says with a grin and a good sense of humor.)  There's something about me sitting down to draw or paint that brings people to me to talk about something else unrelated.  Rabbit trails, many of them and an hour later, I make my way back to what I was doing.  What was I doing?  Hm.  Oh, yeah, I was touching up all the darks and redefining edges.  Within ten minutes, wait for it...it's coming...there it is!  A teen, a husband, a text, a phone call or maybe the doorbell.  Oh, it's the text from dear teen daughter that friend's dog chewed her sandals to being no longer wearable and now she can't ride her bike home by noon.  Yeah.  Breathe...keep breathing slowly and let the calm come because it's all okay.

There is good news!  In the midst of all the crazy, I finished three painting in roughly one week.  What a satisfying accomplishment in itself.  My husband has become a great one for giving critiques and I'm so thankful because staring at small details up close for days takes a toll.

A few changes, trying to get comfortable in my space once more.

 

I'm going to post photos of views around my studio and I'll add more later.  A year ago, I'd spotted a great old cabinet at a second hand seller's place out by the railroad tracks, Timeless Tom's.  The pale green vintage wall cabinet also came from his place.  So this new/old cabinet had a lot of potential and I loved the drawers & knobs.  One Saturday morning my husband said he was heading out there to Timeless Tom's and I asked him to check whether the cabinet was still there.  I'd never given a really close look so wasn't sure how badly I wanted it.  He went and a while later brought it home.  Oh my, it was in rough shape and needed to have a back and sides put back on...there was SO much it needed and it had been used in a garage/shop holding tools so it was not clean.  My parents were visiting last September and they joined in to help us.  It's now a great storage cabinet for arts/craft supplies with a washable counter top for added work space.  You wouldn't know it's the same cabinet now.  It could still use a little antiquing wax but I'm happy with it as it is.

A little rough, would you say?  What was I thinking?

Great guy of mine working to make it strong again.

Beadboard back and sides being added to cabinet.

My mom loves sanding and refinishing furniture
so she loved working on this for me.

This is how the cabinet looks today!  The knobs are original.
So glad my husband didn't follow my advice and toss them
in the garbage.  Great knobs start at $4-5 each!

Great storage space in the drawers.

It could still use some antiquing wax but it functions well
so that will be another day.

Behind the double doors.

I feel like there's been so much rambling here so forgive me.  I'm probably pushing pretty hard with all I'm trying to take on right now.  It still feels exhilarating to see what I can do.  I'm so thankful for my family showing how much they care by listening and helping out more.  They get how much I need to be challenging myself art wise.  I'll be continuing sometime next week with more on my future goals.  As I finish inserting photos into this post, guess what, everybody is home and now my time is up.  Artist me clocks out for now and I clock back in as wife and mom.  But I've got to say, this process today has gone so much smoother than in the past (husband in background, asking about Koolaid, not sure whom he's talking to...but okay, goodbye for this week.) so I won't be dreading adding another post quite so much.


Until next week,


-Christy