The Fallback Plan

Recently I was reading an article about fallback plans. The article was about keeping up your exercise and healthy eating habits during the busy summer months, but I think many artists also need one for their art practice, or at lest this artist does!
The term fall back plan was apparently coined by Stonewall Jackson during the civil war, the story goes that he never went into battle with out first planning a retreat that would give him a defensible point to regroup, then resume attacking.
It seems counter intuitive to plan a retreat before an attack, but by planning ahead he was able to keep losses to a minimum, and gains to a maximum.
There is no doubt that many of us lose ground during the summer months. The kids/grandkids are off school and need attention. The garden is producing weeds faster than a mere mortal gardener can keep ahead of. Spouses expect strange things like, meals, clean laundry, and most startling of all participation in family events and vacations.
What's a poor artist to do!?! Why doesn't the world understand that this is plein aire season, and art shows, art fairs, art in the park all need attending.
It's very easy for things to slip between the cracks. In my art practice unfortunately it's the creation of art it's self that often gets short shrift, lessons have to be planned, and taught. Paperwork has to be kept up to date, and all of the afore mentioned need attending to too.
Over the years I've created many plans, but for me, it comes down to very simply planning each day. When I do that I can usually find a hour or two a few times a week, that I can declare protected and exclusively for the production of art, the hard task then is to make the mental shift to creative on cue.
More on that.....next week.

work in progress, 3rd texture layer.

Excuses, and the reason for being

Keep reading, there is a point, trust me.

plumbing disaster aftermath

I've been evicted from my studio by a broken water pipe. this is the third time this has happened, and I'm NOT happy. especially since the Lambeth Art Association show is just days away and my last painting is giving me fits.
It's also been a very busy couple of weeks in the teaching end of my art business, and my computer has been in the shop off and on almost continually for the last month, I'm sending this to you from my phone, I despise typing anything longer than a few lines on those itty bitty buttons, and the battery life...don't get me started...and I've got to get my taxes ready for the accountant, how am I supposed to do that with out a computer!
Whew what a lot of excuses! If you really want to do something nothing will stop you.
First of all; it's inconvenient, but I bring my current project upstairs and work off the dinning room table, I have a dinning room table sized drop cloth, the sink is close by, the light is good, and the view from the front windows is almost as inspiring as the view from my studio. No problem. Well except for the problematical painting. I approach each painting with 'it's all just an experiment, no worries' as my attitude, so either I get it, or I pitch it.
The busy couple of teaching weeks? Hallelujah! Cha Ching... I teach because I love it, because I like being able to pay my bills and because I want to be able to travel (grist for the creative mill), which takes money. So in what world is this a bad thing? The schedule piles up like that occasionally, but for every week when classes collide, there's another that's free!
Computer issues, ah what a 21st century problem, I'm not even going to go there.
Taxes? business taxes aren't due until June,- another reason to register your business- and they're almost done.

Excuses are fear's voice,  too often we let fear stop us from living our dreams and doing the things that we were born to do.
I know my reason for being, I acknowledge excuses/fear, then work to overcome them, I don't always win, but I keep trying. It's not easy, but if following your dreams was, then everyone would.

Be a fearless dreamer.

Retirement "T" shopping flop

Today is hubby's last day at work. I think I'm more excited than he is.
He didn't think he was 'ready' but he wasn't given a choice to take the step. After working for almost 50 years it's hard to let go, and more than a little scary. I'm working on something special for him, but in the interim I decided to celebrate the occasion with a 'gag' "T" shirt. Do you think I could find a retirement "T", no way! so in typical artist fashion I painted my own.

They're having a little 'thing' for him at 5 at work so I'm going to give it to him then.
Have I mentioned how much I love teaching?
The classes I taught this week were the best one's yet. My (nursing home) residents had a blast creating pinch faces with clay, we were having so much fun I forgot to take pictures. I'm kicking myself because the 'critters' were adorable, oh well, they've already asked if they can do this one again, I'll have to make sure I snap a few pic's then.
I've been hard at work on my learning curve, it's still a tough slog, I am seeing a tiny light in the tunnel now though, I'll post a pic when I'm a bit further along.

Monoprinting Workshops

Candy and I had a wonderful time today doing a Monoprinting workshop at a corrections facility.

The youth were so receptive and enthusiastic that I was almost superfluous to their process.

The work they developed was amazing. I'll be doing this workshop again twice next week, and I can hardly wait.

I think I'm going through Art Emporium withdrawal I haven't been to our gallery since Monday...I love my job in horticulture, but I love the AE&BG more!

The last day I was there was Monday, which was an incredibly busy day in Port Stanley. We had 1/2 dozen artists in to hang/arrange their art, and over 30 'lookers' who saw the sign and came in. We gave the 'lookers' tours and invariably when they rounded the corner and stepped into the gallery they stopped and said "WOW" it never gets old.

We'll be in the Art Emporium straight through now until our official open date, the 1st of March, so if you have work to bring down, or would like a tour, come on by.

Openings and...

The Opening for Portside's Friends of- show was the 23rd, it was of course a great show. The comment 'it just keeps getting better and better' was heard several times. It's not just the quality of the work(if it can ever be 'just' quality) the diversity of the work also keeps growing. Today is the last day of that show so if you haven't already you best run down to 'Port' and see it.
I was flattered to have my work hung next to Candy McManiman's, and to have it favourably compared to it. Not only is Candy a great artist, she possesses one of the purest souls I've ever encountered. We tend to paint similar subjects with a similar motivation, and we're talking about doing a joint show, I'll give details as things gel.
This week was also the opening of Artfusion, if you're on facebook here is the Artfusion page.
The brain child of Ryan Mahy, Artfusion has been a popup gallery for a couple of years, and now finally has a permanent home in Citi Plaza 355 Wellington St London. There is a fascinating blend of street art a la Banksy and more traditional art. I first heard of Ryan and his popup galleries from one of the kitchen staff at Mount Hope where I teach art. Since then he's become quite a force and a refreshing breath of fresh air in the London art scene. I wish his endeavour all the best, I think it's going to be monster!
I've a favorite quote on the front of my day timer, "live is a river, always moving, some times rocky and rough, other times smooth as silk, but always moving."
Sadly I and 4 of the other partners of the Art Gallery of Lambeth have terminated our relationship with the gallery. The gallery itself is doing well and we wish the remaining 3 (another partner gave notice a couple of months ago) all the best.
The 6 of us who left, intend to continue to work together as we all have solid work ethics, complementary skill sets and values, this is just a rock in the river.

Looking for a Bumble Bee, Subtle Beauty

The first painting for this week 'Subtle Beauty' celebrates the 'Common Wood Nymph'. These little brown butterflies have bands of gold surrounding the 'eye spots' on their wings that catch the light and transform a plain Jane into Cinderella. Though called common, they aren't so common anymore. The Caterpillar host plants are grasses, in our manicured pest controlled world that's a bad place to be a bug.

The second painting is called 'Looking for a Bumble Bee'. One of my favorite native plants, columbine has very long nectar tubes that have evolved especially for long tongued pollinators bumble bees, hummingbirds, and hawk moths. Nature is fascinating!

Classes are getting going again after a hiatus in January. I have a kids 6-12 class going at the Art Gallery of Lambeth on Thursday nights, and Catherine and I have a March break kids class we're accepting registration for. All of the details are on my website along with details of other classes I'm offering.

I've got to get my minis done for the March Miniature Madness show at the AGL, so back to the studio I go, talk soon!