Archive for June, 2010

Well, folks, the countdown has begun – in just 7 short days, my artwork will be hung for my first-ever art show.  Through some very fortunate connections, I have been asked to put up my work in Seattle’s Q Café as their July artist.  Exciting?  No doubt.  Motivating? Definitely. Intimidating?  Yep, that too.  Throwing some pictures of my art up on my blog is easy, because I don’t have to physically watch anyone react to them – I can’t get my feelings hurt by uninterested glances, upturned noses, or (God forbid!) the occasional eye-roll.   And this is one of the first times that I will attach a price tag to my work; asking people to pay money for something I hold so dear opens up entirely new avenues for rejection.  But the fact is, I’ve put a lot of time, thought, and effort into the pieces that will hang on the wall next Thursday, so I’m going to go out on a limb and indulge in a little self-promotion:  If you live in the Seattle area, check it out – the show opens on July 1st and will run through the month.  The bulk of the work will be mixed-media encaustics, with a small sampling of my print-making work as well.  And if you don’t live in the Seattle area, some of my work will soon be available for purchase online, so stay tuned for that.  Now, back to work – I’ve still got art to make.  Zoiks!

We spent this past weekend in the great outdoors, camping with friends at a cool little spot just outside of Leavenworth.  It was a nice little getaway, complete with good food, lots of laughs, and lovely scenery.  The landscape was beautiful, so although I was tempted to spend the weekend parked in my camping chair, I couldn’t resist the lure of the mountains and and joined the group on a hike toward Eight-Mile Lake.

After a couple of hours leisurely picking our way among the lupines and fresh Spring growth, we arrived at our destination, where the ladies grabbed a seat and took a rest, and the boys skipped stones and scrambled over logs.

The rest of the day was wonderfully lazy, with a nap, and lots of just loungin’ around the campsite – the G-man was our little camper-in-training.

Nightfall when camping means one thing, and one thing only: S’MORES!  And we are a group of people that take our dessert very seriously, so standard s’more fare just wouldn’t do – I was pretty proud of myself when I put together this perfect marshmallow-peanut butter cup sandwich.  Oooooooh yeah.

But then Jordan had to one-up me with his feat of marshmallow-Reese’s engineering genius – we all drooled as we watched this skewer turn into a gooey, chocolatey mess.  And we all groaned when he held it over the fire just a second too long and half of this fell in the ashes.  Sigh.

Sunday I awoke the pitter-patter of raindrops on the tent roof and groaned as I pictured us spending breakfast time huddled around the picnic table, trying to cook our stash of bacon and eggs in the extreme dampness.  Ick.  The thought was enough to make me squirm a little deeper into my sleeping bag and go right back to sleep.  Fortunately, we had a super-selfless camper in our midst, and as the rest of us stayed huddled in our tents, sleeping our way through the raindrops, Jordan was expertly stringing a 20-foot tarp over the picnic table, so that we would have a dry refuge from the rain.  It sure pays to camp with people who know what they’re doing…

We ended the weekend with a bang, heading out to Boudreaux Cellars, tucked away in the woods just outside of Leavenworth, for a round of winetasting.  We tasted five tasty wines and got the VIP tour, complete with a stroll though the wonderfully musty underground cellar.

And with that, we pointed our cars west and all headed back to Seattle, eager to wash the smell of campfire smoke from our clothes, but satisfied with a weekend well-spent.

Oh, Lordy…  Things continue to be busy, with work and art-making and wanting to spend time with my husband and friends, but tonight, I am taking time to chill.  I had a deadline at work today that called for some late nights at the office, but the drawings are done, my inbox is cleared, and now, after an evening nap and a glass of wine, order has been restored to my life.  It was nice to share a meal with Shane, to throw in an old episode of Sex and the City, and to nibble on the delicate little macaroons that I picked up at the French bakery in the Market.  Yes, as I sit here and type, with Joe Purdy piping through the speakers, my most recent artwork scattered about on the walls and shelves, and a cozy bed beckoning me from the next room, I have to say, life is good.  Sometimes running on empty is ok, as long as I have nights like these to refuel.

Ummm…Hi, June! Where did you come from, and why are you passing me by so very quickly? Wowsers, life has been busy lately, and I feel like I am running at breakneck speed just to keep up. It’s good, though. I wouldn’t have wanted to turn down any of the things that have kept me on my toes. For example:

Shane and I were invited by a friend I work with to check out the Sounders game on Saturday night. Soccer is quickly becoming my new favorite sport, as I’ve had the chance to attend a few games over the past year and have developed a mild case of Sounder Fever. Yes, there is a bit of monotony in watching the guys run up and down and up and down the field, but the surge of energy that flows through the stadium whenever they score a goal makes all that waiting well worth it. Lucky for us, the Sounders were in fine form on Saturday and scored four goals, which meant lots of jumping out of our seats, clapping our hands, cheering loudly, and catching the glittery confetti that rained from the sky. Good stuff.

Sunday was my first day back in the print studio since my class ended last fall. I had almost the entire day to myself in there and was in art-making heaven, with Bon Iver piping through my headphones, a table full of brightly colored paint to mix and smear and roll, and a printing press just begging to be put to use. I got a lot of stuff of done, much of which I left in the studio to dry on the racks, but here’s a little peek at some not-quite-finished pieces. I am in love with this process, and am trying to figure out what our dining room would look like if we swapped out our table for a printing press. I’m kidding. Kind of.

And now, I am beat. As in, ready for the weekend!