Finding my groove

Flowers...always a source of inspiration

Today, for the first time in 6 weeks, I spent some time in my Jax studio. I have not spent more than 5 minutes there since the spring Art Crawl in April! May was spent painting walls, not canvases. And even though our new place is far from settled, finding spending some time in the studio was a goal this weekend.

I know that life gets in the way, but it saddens me that studio time has been lacking for so long. Along with moving, some family issues (motherly duties) have taken priority of late. Sometimes I feel that balancing time for family and time for artwork has not gotten that much easier over the years. But that's a post for another day.

Late this afternoon, I finally managed to head over to the studio. My head has been throbbing with a headache all day, but that was not going to stop me.

It felt good to step into the studio all by myself. I love being alone in the studio. Honestly, I love being alone sometimes...I need that time to recharge...and hanging out in the studio, painting, listening to music...is the perfect way for me to find my balance.

My side of the studio (my husband has one half) was still set up and all pretty from the Art Crawl. It looks so nice when it's all cleaned up, but it can't stay that way if I'm going to get any work done. So I put on some music (Norah Jones & Dixie Chicks) and started "messing" things up.

I pulled back the pretty tablecloth from the table/shelf that holds the bulk of my canvases. I took in the sight of all those canvases...most blank, but some in progress. It started coming back to me...all that work I was moving along on just before the Crawl. I was really getting into a groove then.

While I know that work is not exactly lost, I'm not exactly there right now either. I have to find my "groove" again. I have to find my way back to the work. It's hard to explain...

I started the way I often do after an "absence"...I pulled out some new blank canvas, some gesso and started preparing the canvas for painting. Although I buy pre-stretched canvas already "primed", I still apply a layer of gesso...it's part of my painting ritual...while applying the gesso, I imagine the painting I am about to start creating...and my excitement for starting the process grows.

So I applied some gesso, laid down some background color. It's a beginning.

I'm getting my groove back.