TGIF

Thank god for Fridays in the summer. Especially for Fridays in the summer when you work at Southside. I went to work this morning, had one client appointment (instead of the 3 scheduled...I guess clients aren't so keen either on home visits on a gorgeous summer Friday)...and after my one appointment, I was sitting at my my desk thinking of nothing but getting to my studio and painting. It's going to be a busy weekend (I'm helping my daughter move...for the 6th time in 6 years)--and there won't be a lot of time for the studio. Finally I said to myself, "Hell, this is why I'm supposed to be working at Southside (so I can use my generous time off to do artwork). Leave already!"

So I headed home and after a pit stop at the apartment I headed to the studio. I continued working on the canvas I started last week. The more I paint, the more I think about the other paintings I want to get started. When I took breaks from actual painting, I did some sketching for new paintings. I have plans for a Moroccan-inspired series of paintings. Morocco is the most exotic place I have always wanted to travel to. I love the architecture and colors there...at least what I've seen in pictures. I may never make it to Morocco, but there's no reason why I can't paint my Moroccan-inspired dreams.

I also have a "Power of Women" series I plan to re-visit (this series originated in the early '90s...I am looking for a different title. Suggestions?) and some collage pieces I want to get started on.

Having all these ideas in my head is a good thing...it will be even better to get these ideas out of my head and on canvas!

Moving forward

I was able to spend some time in the studio this weekend. Saturday I did some beading...finished 3 necklaces. Today I started a new painting. There are deadlines already approaching. In 3 weeks, entries for the poster competition are due. I have no clue yet what works I will be submitting for consideration. I'm hoping to finish some new works to submit. And then in mid-July registration is due for the Fine Arts competition for the State Fair. It's easy to register and open to all Minnesota artists, but each artist may submit only one work. I'm planning to register with no expectations, but I'll be honest and tell you that if somehow I was selected for that show, I would pee my pants.

And beyond that I am focused on creating more works for the fall art crawl and keeping my eyes open for any ther opportunities to exhibit my work.