Two of a Kind...in the Southwest

As part of the International Encaustic Association's (IEA) Diptych Project, I will have two of my pieces in the upcoming show at Conrad Wilde Gallery in Tuscon Arizona. The show, entitled "Two of a Kind" will be up through the month of September...and I am very upset that I will be unable to attend the opening. But I'm not going to Arizona with a 5 month old right now!

The show info is at the link below. They chose Lindsay Bentis' (my diptych partner) and my work for the postcard and webpage. I was simply honored and so excited!

http://www.conradwildegallery.com/upExhibit.html

In other news, I am furiously trying to balance motherhood and art....while getting ready for Portland Open Studios in October. I've been experimenting with some new techniques and I will definitely give you previews to the new work in the coming weeks!

That feeling of uneasiness

I get this way sometimes...when art is changing or about to...when I can sense things shifting around me, but can't see them yet. I let myself go from some obligations that were weighing me down...too much. Needed some time to breathe. To enjoy the delight that is my daughter. But I also always still feel the pull, the lure of the studio and reckless abandon for hours in there in the life that was. Now, I am planning, scheduling, sucking every last drop out of the time alotted. It's not bad...it's just new. And shifting. And different.

It's amazing how full my days can get just parenting and not having a "day job" anymore. I dreamt of going to the park and lying under the bridge with Hazel on a big blanket, maybe doing some doodles or journaling. Never even got the chance. I will make that a reality next week... I hope.

A New Flight of Fancy

So, as many out there know, free time is a precious thing when you have a child. As a mother to a now 4 month old, I am learning this all too dearly. My husband and I have worked out a weeknight "studio night" for mom, where I get a couple glorious interruption-free hours in the studio, and he gets some one-on-one bonding time with Hazel.

Last night I was just not "feeling it" when I went down there. It had been a long, action-packed day and I didn't think I had it in me to do anything creative. But I definitely knew I did not want to clean the studio...as if I would EVER want to do that!

So, I started just jotting down some notes on what I want to focus on and accomplish by Portland Open Studios in October...all while the wax slowly melted next to me. By the time it was ready, so was I. I started finishing up a few pieces lying around and then grabbed some blank boards and just started to play...try different things I had thought about. I forgot how FUN it could be just to play around without a lot of thought.

This little gem is the creation from last night's play session. I thought about the wax more as "regular" paint, from back in my acrylic days, and I had a blast. I just wanted to share this with you, and let you know that there will be more of this in my future...of that I am sure. It was great fun!

Now, back to the joys of motherhood!

Happy 10th Anniversary....a month late

This past July, Jason and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. We enjoyed the day very much, but with a barely three month old baby, it was not in the cards to do much in the way of "getting away from it all". However, this past Friday evening Jason and I finally got to spend a night for just the two of us playing tourist in our hometown of Portland, Oregon. It was wonderful!

We spend the night at the Benson Hotel, ate dinner overlooking the city at Portland's City Grill Restaurant, had cocktails and dessert at Huber's, and then awoke in the morning to breakfast at Jake's. Yes, we enjoyed "old school" Portlandia...and it was wonderful.

And you know the best part? (besides 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep)
Going to my parents' house rested and refreshed and seeing my beautiful baby girl again! Now I've got a bit of pep in my step to devote to her again!

I know I've been away from this blog for far too long, and I'm going to try and make a bit more time for it soon....but I just had to share about the wonderful evening.