The End

Last night I finished week 52's canvas.  It was sorta bitter sweet.  My birthday isn't until actually next Tuesday...I guess last year my birthday was on a Sunday and it was a leap year.  Because it seems I finished a week early.  Ha...I always do like to be prompt.

I thought a lot about what to put on the last canvas.  To a point of deciding to just quit thinking about it being the LAST canvas and just do it.  Let go.  Paint.   All the other canvases came quite easy, idea after idea.  52 different ideas.  Seriously.  52 totally different canvases.  You know secretly I thought these were never going to look good all hanging together because they are not a consistent theme.  But actually the color palette and style is so me (except for the first 4 which are encaustics) that I am actually quite pleased with the end results.

I've decided to keep the last two canvases a secret.  I know...but there has to be some element of surprise for the show opening.  Speaking of the show Opening.....I can not wait.  So many friends and family gathered in one spot to celebrate with me.  I am a lucky gal right now.  LUCKY! 

What's left before the show?  Well, I've got outfits to decide on.  Gotta strut my 41 year old self.   And paint a sign for the window.  Other than that, I am taking some much needed time off.  In fact, I am thinking about a major studio purge during my time off.  After the purge I intend to have a studio sale.  You might want to mark you calendar when the date is set.  Because if you read my other blog, my word of the year is "Chose".  And I've made some decisions about my art and life.  I am choosing to eliminate a lot of junk from our home.  Starting with the studio.  I know.  What??  But after spending a month not feeling well and spending a lot of that down time with my family I've decided that right now my focus needs to shift.  And the stuff in the basement I feel guilty for not "getting to" or "having time to get to" is leaving the house.  Because the 3 warm bodied persons in my house mean more to me than any unfinished project in the basement.  They mean more to me than the next show.  They mean more to me than deadlines.  God has a funny way of knocking you off your feet to make you see clearly sometimes.  The rose colored glasses are gone. And reality has hit me that in less than 7 years my children will no longer be living in our home.  7 years.....is a blink.  It's seven years that I plan on not missing because of my need to succeed.  Oh I'll still be painting and teaching.  But this crazy idea that to be successful I've got to do A,B and C RIGHT THIS SECOND....well it's just ridiculous.  My time will come.  It will.  And perhaps along this journey a new door will be revealed and some of my goals can be achieved.  I am settling into this teaching routine and am almost giggly everyday that I get to do this job.  And get paid for it.  Well, not much pay, but still.  So some other things I am choosing to do in regards to my artsy life:

1.  remove my work from 2 galleries that are not selling it.  since they have a TON of my work, it's obviously not the right fit for the art.  it'll all be a part of the studio sale.
2.  create a studio website.  a real one.  not a blog.  but a big girl panties website. 
3.  take a year off from travel teaching
4.  make an effort with etsy.  no really.  like effort.  with my paintings.
5.  stop trying to reinvent myself.  just paint what I know and love more than anything.
6.  teach at the local art studios....
7.  host summer PSW classes
8.  stop buying crafting supplies.  stop.  stop.  stop. (they say when you say a name 3x it sticks.  does it work with life goals too?)
9.  clean out the far side of the basement so my husband can have a space in the cave. 
10.  clean out the studio.  like REALLY clean out the studio this time.
11.  clean out the displays.  because seriously 2 shows a year do not require that much display.  oh, and this will also be in the studio sale.

So that's about all I can think of right now.  Pretty big list if you ask me.  But now that it's in writing, well that seals the deal.  It will get checked off.  It may take a year.  But I'll do it.  The purge is happening as soon as I have a free weekend.  Which is in 3 weeks.  Looking forward to that!

Well, I'll be back next week with more details for the show opening.  I'm hosting a make-and-take on Saturday.  I want to be sure and share samples of that.  If you are interested in a canvas and can't make the opening click the link in the top sidebar that says, "want to buy a canvas?"  It will take you straight to the Naked Art Gallery site.  5 are sold already.  Whooohoooo!!

Later guys...and thanks again for being a special part of this year long journey.