Happy New Year!
January 1, 2014
I wish you the best New Year: one of comfort, ease and peace. These are three things that are easy to forget in our busyness and every day stuff. These are things that we tend to forget about until we don’t have them. There are many that do not have or even know comfort, ease or peace. All three are treasure to appreciate when you have them. When you have comfort things feel right, you can rest simply, nothing hurts. And when you have ease you can be comfortable with yourself and others, you can be okay with how you spend your time or how others choose to do the same. With ease comes an acceptance. With acceptance comes peace. With ease there comes a peace in knowing that you are only responsible for how you choose to spend your time while here.
Happy Merry Merry!
December 21, 2013
I wish you a very merry, merry whatever! Hope it's filled with sparkle, fun, laughter, people you love and life. Beyond that, what else is there?
Merry Ode to Tinsel!
Posted with BlogsyWhat Kind of Year Was It?
January 1, 2013
ArtWorks, Christmas 2012
Happy New Year! I'm sure everyone is looking over the last year and taking stock – me, too. This last year was quite a whirlwind for me. At the beginning of each year from Jan. to March I coordinate the EDGE Program, (a 55 hour professional development program for artists on business). At the same time this year from Feb. to May I had 5 teaching trips: home for a week and a half/on the road for two weeks for four months. I finally recuperated from all of the travel by the end of July and then I was traveling again in August. After that my focus went to planning, prepping and making things for a show & teaching in Switzerland for most of November. Meanwhile I was still producing work for galleries and my 'day job' of running ArtWorks…and somewhere in there was some art play time and developing ideas I've had in mind to work on for sometime.
So lately, in looking back, I keep thinking about the days when I had nothing to do, nowhere to go, and really nothing much going on. I've come to the conclusion that if I'm wishing for more of something (time, play, silence), then a balance is missing. If I had the balance of each of the things I wish for or want and the things I must do then there wouldn't be a missing component that I'm wishing for, right? For example, I've been wanting more down time. When I asked myself why I was feeling this way I realized that I have been giving me, my brain, what I know and my time away in various ways like crazy. Teaching is just that: giving what's in your brain and it takes a lot of time to do. While I do love that and I love the interaction with my students incredibly it's time for me to develop my ideas and my work as well as pay attention to some other things in my life that I haven't had much time for. This year I'm striving for a better balance between teaching and creating my work, working and playing, noisy time and quiet time, messy space and clean space, adventures and every day life. Every day life can be an adventure, too! Especially when one hasn't had much of that all year. So this year I only have two teaching trips planned, perhaps three. So if you see me out there come say hello. I may not see you for awhile otherwise!
Bea Grob's window, Bauma, Switzerland
Dear Santa, Sharky Shark Wants…
December 24, 2012
His own clothes hamper – even though he doesn't wear any clothes! Is it for the clothes he chews up? Is this a hint that he thinks clothes are just a chew toy? Oh Sharkey…if only you could learn how to talk around all of those teeth!
Merry Merry Ho! Ho! Ho!
December 22, 2012
Okay, I love red and green, especially red, Christmas lights, anything cozy or cottage-ish like Putz houses (look it up!), happy Father Christmas, but not cutesy or cartoony. I love Christmas magic, sweet stories, making handmade gifts, baking (still working on wheat free success though), and watching the winter bird show out in the yard at the feeders. Most of all I love getting the chance to hang out with friends, especially when we're making things, and we get to hide out from the holiday hubbub and make the holiday our own artist time. Yesterday was one of these days. I have a tradition at ArtWorks on the last Friday before Christmas to bring my home made truffles to Art Spa Open Studio for whomever shows up. They really are very good, so good they've ruined me from ever buying truffles ever again. But it's best to see other people get the chance to enjoy them even though they are so sinful. It's better than eating them all myself! So the day started with breakfast at the tea shop with Deb and Carol and ended with Nan and Tonnie at ArtWorks. What a great day! Thanks for the day my friends!
The picture is the beginning of a garland I started making at Art Spa. It's my own version of what a wonderful metal artist does in Switzerland. Happy Holidays everyone!
Happy Holidays 2012
December 16, 2012
Sitting here with my cup of coffee (from Switzerland!), listening to some music in front of my electric fire (it does look like a real fire but no heat – maybe I should just call it the Visual Fire?) and just thinking on a Sunday morning… This is the first time in my life that I chose not to bring out our Christmas tree. Me, the Queen of Christmas! Instead I have the one that I usually take to work for my desk, a pretty little thing that's about a foot or so tall. I already put up a huge tree at ArtWorks and it's lovely. Everyone says so. That's enough this year. I'm feeling cozy and creative anyway which is what I expect this time of year.
Looking back over the year I see that it's just been crazy. I spent the first 5 months traveling every month, sometimes twice in a month. My house shows the chaos of all the packing and unpacking and repacking I've done. June was spent trying to get my bearings back at work and all that laundry done! August saw another trip to the East coast where I had really hoped to get to Seaside Heights (Jersey Shore!) and of course, now I'm very sorry I didn't get there. Hurricane Sandy changed everything there and it's still closed to the public. After August it was time to get producing for the show in Switzerland (in November) and then before I knew it, we were off to Switzerland.
I took my remote control air swimming Sharky to the Edmonds Art Festival's Christmas party recently. That was hilarious despite Sharky not being very cooperative that day. He kept hanging around close to the floor for some reason. He does need more helium… Still I'm sure people thought I was very strange for bringing him as my date! Oh well. I was celebrating. I had just figured out that ArtWorks is 90% or so self supporting and that's phenomenal! Art centers are rarely more than 30-60% self supporting – with 60% being generous… Yes, I'm proud of myself. My 3 year plan worked! I really do know what I'm doing and I have proof. =)
Looking forward, I will be home more this year. I have only three trips planned with one being a maybe. It will be the first time in about 8 years or so that I've been home so much. I have just a handful of classes scheduled. Usually I'm scheduled to teach almost every weekend somewhere so this will be a huge change. I'm planning on some rest and play, lots of studio time, and working on some things that have been on my list for way too long… How about you? Do you have time to mull over a cup of coffee or tea today what you would like the next year to look like? Shape in your mind what you want and it will happen.
Some ideas I've had:
Start the Paris fund – contribute every month!
Make new stuff for the galleries quarterly
Write that book
Get rid of extraneous stuff! Make space!
Go to the beach this summer, have a picnic
Hang out somewhere with your sketchbook
Try that recipe for graham crackers
Start Tai Chi
Make art with friends more often
Shark Infested Holidays
December 17, 2011
I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I’ve actually been using my time to create art! Yup. Oh! And funny thing: remember Sharky Shark’s Christmas List right before Thanksgiving? First on his list was was an Air Swimmer remote controlled shark balloon. Well, we went to Thanksgiving at my brother’s house and after a really fine meal, lo and behold, my niece pops out from elsewhere walking behind an actual Air Swimmer Shark! It was hilarious. We imagined talking it onto the ferry and having it swim out of the elevator. Oh that would be funny! So the Monday after T Day I was telling two friends about the Air Shark and showing them pix from my phone. They liked the idea so much that we ended up at Toys R Us and buying two of them. J.T. shark, as my Air Swimmer is known, is living down at ArtWorks, the little art center I run. There are really high ceilings there unlike my house. That’s a good thing and also a bad thing. I was introducing JT to my Monday morning printmakers. I have a bit of a tether on JT because I’m afraid that there might be something up in the rafters that could puncture JT. I was also a little worried that if he got up that high I might not be able to bring him down… Well, the goof got away from me when I was showing the printmakers how he swims and stuff. Then our ancient but steadfast Reznor heater came on and blew JT up above one of the lights! I have a little note on his tether stating: Meredith’s Pet Shark Do Not Tamper:He Bites! Which was very worthy when I have him corralled in the office but out in our Great Room, NOT. The not caught in the chain that the light hangs from. I had quite a time trying to maneuver JT out of that position and once out, trying to being him low enough so someone could grab the tether. She was jumping trying to catch the darn thing and JT was moving along. Good thing the heater wasn’t on at the moment or capture would have been very elusive, indeed. So JT is gently bobbing in my office until his next outing. We’ve found the funniest thing is to have him swim back and forth in front of the windows at ArtWorks. From the outside it looks we’re underwater inside! It’s hilarious. Pictures are coming when I can get my Blogsy app to work…
Happy Holidays from Snowy Seattle!
December 24, 2008
Bird bath icicles!
Snow in Seattle is unusual and we’ve had it for over a week now. I’ve got about 14″ of snow in my yard now and it’s been snowing all morning, sometimes mixed with rain. It’s totally snow now and I’m sure driving is a mess out there. I think it’s good judgement to just stay home!
On that note, I have more time to finish my gifts so that’s great. I have gifts for you, too. This link is to a video my dear friend, Cami Smith, sent to me today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4qwVLqt9Q
Don’t delay watching this video! It is truly the spirit of the season and more. I wish you a safe and happy holiday!
Here is what we looked like yesterday:
That round thing is a fire bowl on our patio.
Birdie prints in my carport
Have a safe and lovely holiday for whatever you observe.
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