I didn't really intend to take a summer vacation from this blog but that's truly how it has turned out. So much has happened since I last posted... here's an attempt to fill in at least some of the blanks!
We decided it was awfully quiet at our house and made the big decision to add a dog to our family. Derby arrived on "Derby Day" in May. She is a spunky, red standard poodle, growing fast! Needless to say, our home has been a very dynamic place lately.
My show at Spark Gallery in Denver was well received and lots of fun. Three of my best friends from college came for the opening reception -- traveling from Oregon, Alaska, and New Jersey to be here. I'm very grateful for their support and friendship over all these years.
The show was written up in the a new art magazine called kolaj. I'm thrilled to be included in the first issue.
One of my collages was juried into this summer's All-Colorado exhibition at The Curtis Center for the Arts & Humanities.
As Colorado dealt with record-breaking heat and serious fires, I was in the studio working on water-influenced collages for a show at Parker Adventist Hospital's Healing Art Program in July and August.
I've also been working on new collages for the upcoming "To Expand" exhibition at the Madden Museum. This show was scheduled to open in November... recently we were asked if we could move it forward by a month. Of course we can! So my efforts to get ready are a little more compressed than anticipated -- and I'm madly gluing away, working on the biggest collages I've ever attempted.
Throughout the summer, my graphic design work has been surprisingly busy, forcing me to rethink how to keep all the balls in the air. Still thinking!
My husband and I decided we don't use the family room much with our kids mostly gone... so we took it apart and moved the TV into our living room, a vintage 1910 Craftsman space. This required rearranging all the furniture and artwork, in several rooms! I love that we are now using the living room more though -- it's so cozy -- and the whole house seems fresher, more in tune with who we are these days. I'm lucky Jim is content with his basement studio... since my work seems to keep appropriating space!
Next we moved the computer work station, design supplies/files, my favorite "thinking" chair, and a 9 foot long table into the old family room. Now my old studio space can be used solely for art work. The two rooms adjoin and it just took some out-of-the-box thinking to realize how much sense it could make. The art room still needs a lot of organizational work (where did all these papers come from?!) but I've turned my back on that issue and am just dealing with a makeshift situation in the studio as I prepare for To Expand. After that work is done, I'll be able to return to reorganizing the spaces.
We did some traveling... My daughter and I took a trip to the LA area to visit my Mom, who is dealing with Parkinson's Disease, and my sister and her family. We also had a great visit with my stepson, Hunter, including a fun-filled beach bike ride.
Mid-August found Kelsey and I on the road again, headed to Bloomington, Indiana where she began her senior year at IU. Her car was fully loaded with clothes and IKEA furniture...brought back that scene from the intro to the "Beverly Hillbillies!" I helped with the move-in and flew home.
Then there were all the wonderful little moments -- the art openings, lectures, book club meetings at the Botanic Gardens, bike rides, walks, yoga classes, evenings on the porch, and other social niceties that rounded out the summer. It has truly flown by. I was feeling overwhelmed and needed some summer ease, so something had to go -- it was the blog!
However, I have been updating the Facebook page about my art more regularly! Please consider "liking" it... yes, that means you have to click the button at the top of the page! Then when I post new work, it will show up in your news feed. Click here to check it out.
More soon, promise. :)