Abstract Art Blog

End of Summer Gloom

Cool September days in the northeast remind us that dark winter days are ahead.  In Ithaca, NY, where I live, there is an abundance of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  In the past, I never thought I was affected by the approach of winter, since it lessened the guilt I would feel about staying inside all the time working.  But this Fall has been difficult.

Nevertheless, I completed one last Tic-Tac painting:

   Tic Tac Five, 44" x 44"

I also finished one in similar colors and composition, but without the tic-tac motif:

  Crescendo, 48" x 48"

Now I have to start work on a new commission, a 42 x 56 canvas to be hung in a health consulting firm's conference room.   

A Year of Making Art, Day 339: I Didn't Sign Up To Be Nurse & Caretaker

March 24, 2008  Day 339

Today is the last full day my stepson and family will be here.  They are still tending to sleep until noon, unable to get themselves off California time.  The teenagers, especially, stay up late and then have to be dragged out of bed in the mornings.

I did today's drawing in browns and tans with calligraphy pens:

  Drawing #346  14" x 11"

Then Adrian showed me a lump on his right leg, just below his artificial knee.  We were worried that it might be a clot, so we made an appointment witht he doctor for one p.m.  Dan got up in time to take him, and when they came back, they reported that the real problem seemed not to be the lump, but the fact that a wound on Adrian's other leg was infected.

Our local pharmacy was closed, so I went out and filled three prescriptions and bought other supplies for bandaging Adrian's leg.  Later the bandage came off twice, so I finally made it tighter and taped it better.  Today I'll have to get more supplies.  And next week, we have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon.

Somehow, preventing a fall never seemed to be Adrian's priority.  He walked without using a walking stick as he was instructed by his doctors, and he took chances leaping over the brook along our property.  The last time he leapt, he felt something tear in his left calf.  Now he is limping and unable to walk the dog at all.  But saying, "I told you so," is useless and cruel.

Sometimes I feel like being cruel, however,as I did this morning when he spilled coffee all over our new glass table and then asked me to clean it up because he had done the same thing the night before with orange juice and was tired of cleaning up.  The coffee had gotten into every crack and splashed profusely, and as I was cleaning it up, I found the remainder of the dried orange juice to clean as well.

When Adrian takes chances and disables himself, I suffer along with him.  I get to be his nurse and caretaker, not jobs I signed up for.  But that is the plight of the healthy spouse, and you get no sympathy because you are the healthy one and should shut up and count your blessings.

Writing the above made me feel better, though.

(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 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 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 319: Jazzy Improvisation

March 3, 2008  Day 319

 

Here are a few more photos from my past art exhibitions:

  Gallery for the Arts, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky

Adrian and Lynne, Soho South, West Palm Beach, FL

  Soho South

  Lynne at Tompkins Cortland Community College Exhibit

Last night I was up for a couple of hours worrying.  I took a sleeping pill, but that didn't work right away, so I got up and played solitaire.  One thing I was worried about was the hassle of shipping the new prints I am offering.  They are so large that they won't fit in my Honda Element or in any ordinary van.  But as I played cards, I realized that if I couldn't find a good solution, I could just eliminate that size.

This morning Adrian solved the problem by checking with our packer, Pak-mail.  The owner has a trailer that will hold whatever size I make, and agreed to pick them up when I need her to.  Phew!

I did my drawing early today because Jim and Laura were coming over to help us move all the furniture in the studio so the new wall can be built tomorrow.  The drawing is kind of a hectic, jazzy improvisation:

  Drawing #325  11" x 14"

Right after Jim and Laura arrived, a tractor-trailer driver showed up at the door.  He said he was down at the main road with a delivery of flat files for me.  "We don't go on private roads," he said.  So Jim and I drove down in the Element and I backed up to the truck.  There were two skids, each very heavy, but Jim and the driver managed to get one loaded.  Then they rode on the tailgate as I drove it up to the garage, and they unloaded it.  We did the next one the same way.  I am a terrible backer-upper, but I knew I had to do it, so I did.

The good news is, it's 50 degrees out today and most of the snow and ice has turned to mush.

Why did we pick this lot to build a house and studio on?

After that adventure, we moved tons of shipping boxes into the garage, and then moved all the furniture in the studio--some to the basement, and some to one end of the studio.  Tomorrow our contractor will begin the wall, as well as coating the floor with a protective finish.

 

(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 310: Depressed for No Reason

February 23, 2008  Day 310

I woke up a little depressed this morning, but have no idea why.  Things simply lost their flavor.  I made my drawing anyway, and though it's simple, I'm happy with it:

  Drawing #316  9" x 12"

After that I brought some stretchers up from the basement and started to make canvases.  I really didn't feel like it, but I did it anyway, and when I'd finished five, I felt much better.  I'll make five more tomorow, then gesso them, and I'm good to go.

Laura and Jim stopped over and wanted to go to the movies with us this afternoon, but Adrian said he couldn't disappoint Roxy (our neighbor's dog), so he took her for a walk instead.  I didn't want to go without him in case something happened while he was out in the woods.  He at least takes his cell phone with him and calls me when he's in trouble.

I invited Laura and Jim to come back for dinner, so maybe that will cheer me up.

(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 308: Light and Cheerful

February 21, 2008  Day 308

This morning's drawing is light and cheerful, in contrast to my feelings yesterday (see previous post):

  Drawing #314  12" x 9"

There isn't time to do much else, because daughter Blixy and the kids will be arriving soon.  Laura and Jim are also coming over, so we will have a house full of people and activity.  Maybe this will be just the day off that I need?

(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 307: Obsessed, Intense, Tense and Irritable

February 20, 2008  Day 307

Lately I notice myself becoming more obsessed, intense, tense and irritable.  I have totally lost perspective on life.  I go at my art business like a fiend, working all day, seven days a week, ignoring Adrian and feeling guilty, not taking the daily walks that I need for my own mental and physical health, and finding every thing and every one around me a "burden."

It's time to lighten up!

I am so fortunate to be able to be a full-time artist at this point in my life, but if I don't find a balance and perspective, I will kill the joy of it.

Maybe instead of continually adding things to my "to do" list, I should start crossing some off?  Oh, the horror, the horror!

Some of my angst came out in this drawing, done in calligraphy pens:

  Drawing #313  12" x 9"

Then I had a good talk with Adrian, and in the afternoon, a great walk with my neighbor through the snow-covered woods.  It's the walk that finally relieved my tension.  Duh!

(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 302: No Peaceful Space

February 15, 2008  Day 302

I had trouble falling asleep last night and could not find a peaceful space in my head today.  One thing that didn't help was my new Imac freezing up on me.  That was scary, but after fooling with it, I realized the problem was with the mouse.  It turned out that it just needed new batteries, but I had thought that couldn't possibly be the problem since I hadn't had it that long.  So I wasted a call to Apple tech help.

With lots of interruptions, my drawing finally got done:

Drawing #308  14" x 11"

Then I tried to figure out what to do with Canvas #34, but I'm afraid my choice is just making it worse:

  Canvas #34  48" x 48"

I did sell two paintings today, and that's always good for my mood:

Blue City, 36" x 36"

  Dancing In The Fire, 40"  x 30"

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