Abstract Art Blog

A Year of Making Art, Day 332: Quicken is Quicker

March 17, 2008  Day 332

I am still without the use of my studio to paint in--the construction work has taken a lot longer than originally planned.  Isn't that always the case?

But I still have my drawing table set up, and worked this morning in browns and yellows to produce this:

  Drawing #339  14" x 11"

In the afternoon Laura came over.  After we took a walk, she showed me how to use Quicken to enter transactions and reconcile my bank statement.  It is definitely easier than doing it the old way.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 331: Visiting Local Galleries

March 16, 2008  Day 331

Yesterday afternoon we went to some local art galleries.  We enjoyed the annual juried photo show at the State of the Art Gallery.  Laura's husband, Jim Kirsner, is a photographer, so he was interested in the variety of techniques displayed.

Next we went to Belle Melange, a relatively new gallery in Ithaca.  There we were impressed with works by Mary Shelley and Kim Schrag.  Kim is an abstract artist who paints in intense colors, so naturally I was attracted to her work.  Fernando Llosa, another favorite, was also exhibiting at Belle Melange.

Today is a Sunday, so we slept in and I got a late start.  That's fine, because I've been too tense lately and need to slow down.  In my drawing this morning I started with black, but soon moved freely into more color:

Drawing #338  14" x 11"

Tomorrow I am shipping the original painting of "I Fancy":

  I Fancy 40" x 40"

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 330: Mark Dion at Bertram's Garden

March 15, 2008  Day 330

For this morning's drawing I made a black-and-white minimalist sketch:

  Drawing #337  14" x 11"

Recently I received a notice about installation artist Mark Dion's project for Bartram's Garden--America's oldest botanical research garden.  I was offered "promotional materials that would be useful to you and/or your staff of writers interested in this project."  Wow, it must be great to have a staff on board to help you promote your art.

Unfortunately, I have no staff whatsoever and have to make the art, photograph it, write about it, update my website, and do all the marketing/promotional/bookkeeping work myself.  That's the case for most artists today.  The lucky few have a staff.

However, I don't mind putting in a little plug for Mark: you can check out his project at MarkDionsBartramsTravels.com.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 329: No Peace of Mind

March 14, 2008  Day 329

The dinner party (see previous post) went swimmingly, and I was fairly relaxed instead of worrying if everyone was having a good time or getting nervous if there was a lull in the conversation.  The food was great, but that's a given when I make a dinner party.

I didn't sleep well that night, though, because I was worried about shipping another large painting.  The owner of our local Pak-Mail promised to come at 9 a.m. with a trailer to pick up the box (63" x 63" x 5") from me and the print (55" x 55") from my printmaker.  But our little private road is next to impossible to find, and access at my printmaker's offers no place for a trailer to turn around in.  After a few glitches, everything eventually turned out fine, but I can't seem to get through these things without losing a night's sleep first.

With this chaotic beginning to the day, and having to pick up Mike and Rachel after school, I didn't have the peace of mind I needed for today's drawing.  I kept returning to work on it some more, and finally gave up:

Drawing #336  14" x 11"

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 328: Packing and Shipping Pains

March 13, 2008  Day 328

Instead of a nap yesterday afternoon (see previous post), I went on a great hike with my neighbor.  The trail we go on is hilly, and it was covered with a mixture of snow, crusted ice, and mud.  In a few weeks it will be total mud and swampy water.

This morning I tried to get a 51" x 51" box inside my Honda Element, and it wouldn't fit.  I remembered getting this size in before, so I don't know what went wrong.  We finally took a seat out and eventually had success.  The worst thing about my art business is the packing and shipping, especially with the larger paintings.

I finally got around to my drawing for the day, and as it took shape, I thought of dunes:

Drawing #335  14" x 11"

Tonight we are having company for dinner, and that always makes me anxious.  But Laura is coming over to help, and that will ease my nerves.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 327: Keyed Up After Meeting

March 12, 2008  Day 327

We had a good bipolar support group meeting last night, except that I was the facilitator and worried that I didn't rein people in soon enough when they tended to take more than their allotted time.  We had a new person come, and I worry about making them feel welcome and wanting to come back.

I am always keyed up after meetings, so I stayed up drinking wine and eating nuts and chocolate--enough to give me indigestion that lasted through breakfast.  I woke up at 5 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep.  Now I am ready for a nap.

In today's drawing I let loose with reds, oranges and yellows, gradually finding a loose shape within this free form:

  Drawing #334  14" x 11"

Then I packed the five paintings I have to ship to a Boston gallery:

  123456  48" x 48"

  MADCAP LIGHT  24" x 24

  GHOST BLOCK  18" x 24"

  WINTER BLOCKS  18" x 24"

  WHIRLPOOL BLOCK  18" x 24"

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 326: Coaxing Form and Shape

March 11, 2008  Day 326

Today I went with Adrian on his walk with Roxy through the woods.  We still have ice covering the branches of all our trees, and it was melting in the bright sunlight today.  An amazing sight.

Tonight we have our bipolar support group meeting, which has been canceled the last two times because of bad weather.  We only meet twice a month, so it is difficult for many members when we have to cancel.

In my drawing today, I had to work hard to bring order out of chaos.  Once or twice it seemed to be coming together nicely, and then I ruined that and had to continue to coax it into something with form and shape:

  Drawing #333  14" x 11"

I got a call from a Boston gallery today and they want me to send five paintings right away for a presentation they are making to a client.  I will get on that first thing tomorrow.  Now, I'd better make dinner so I can get to my bipolar meeting.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 325: My Favorite Day

March 10, 2008  Day 325

Ah, it is Monday again, my favorite day.  Sunday's are always the hardest, somehow.  I can never figure out how to make it a relaxing day, yet working hard all day Sunday doesn't feel right, either.

I tried to take a nap yesterday afternoon, but Adrian woke me just as I was falling into a deep sleep, and then I got so angry with him that I couldn't control myself.  He did not realize I was asleep, so there was no reason for me to take it out on him, but I did.  Later I apologized.

Daylight savings time started this weekend, so that has thrown everyone off.  We slept in today, and I didn't finish my drawing until noon.  I drew edge-to-edge, beginning with calligraphy pens and finishing with brush pens:

  Drawing #332  11" x 14"

I just joined ArtReview.Com, which looks like an interesting place for artists to hang out.  There are so many new artists' group sites starting up all the time that I usually don't bother joining, but this one looks pretty sharp.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 324: A Sleepy Sunday

March 9, 2008  Day 324

It is Sunday afternoon and I am sleepy.  This morning there was a light layer of snow over the now-hardened slush of yesterday.  The trees were all covered in ice and branches were hanging low.  Now the sun is out and the ice is glinting as it melts.

My drawing today took a while to come together.  I began drawing with calligraphy pens, and then filled in spaces with brush pens:

  Drawing #331  11" x 14"

After that I got a giclee print on canvas ready to ship to a client.  The original painting of this was 30" x 30" and the print is 44" x 44," which looks much more impressive:

  In The Moment, original 30" x 30" 

Now, should I take the rest of the day off?

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 323: Studio Space in Limbo

March 8, 2008  Day 323

After waking up betwen 5 and 6 a.m. every morning for a week, today I slept in until after 8.  Tonight daylight savings begins, so that will mess up our internal clocks even more.

Adrian and I tried to move a piece of furniture out of my studio, and scuffed the new floor coating.  We were both upset at first--we work so poorly together--but then we talked about it and decided it was just a floor, after all, and not to punish ourselves for it.

Maybe I'm feeling lethargic because my studio space is in limbo and there's no room to paint?  I do have a big list of other things to catch up on, but it's not the same.  And with this gloomy weather we're having, there's no incentive to go out.  Adrian did of course, in order to take Roxy for her walk.  He was soaked to the bone when he got back.

Laura came over today to help with my bookkeeping.  I guess my old system was not that accurate, because we found some mistakes.  She is going to whip everything into shape.

I finally got around to my drawing late today.  I thought I would do something lush in reds, orange and pink, but ended up adding dark brown and black in order to make it work:

  Drawing #330  11" x 14"

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)