Sacramento365.com Featured Artist

Beginning this past week I was placed on the City of Sacramento's citywide blog, Sacramento365.com as their March featured artist.....and I've had a great response to my work being seen on their blog.  No sales yet, but I've had loads of comments from various people who have viewed my work on the blog.  One never knows where this will lead and when something will develop, but the exposure is definitely worth the effort to get my work noticed.

I finished my last two commissions, they have been picked up and I have been paid.  I have NO projects in the works, no deadlines to meet, no commissions to work up, no gallery needs display wise at this very moment in time....something that doesn't happen often.  No I can plan for my next series of artwork...which I believe will be to tackle a series based on floral/flower design.  I am slated to be one of the featured artists at the gallery later this year and this is the time I can hang new and different work in my display without it having to be juried/approved by the general membership...so I'm thinking it will be floral work, which no one in the gallery is doing right now except for one acrylic painter.   I plan on keeping it as simple as possible, using loads of hand dyed fabrics and my own hand drawn images as I want to perfect that side of what I do.  I would say I'm not a drawing type of person, but I should be, so I'm going to tackle that part of the deal. 

Hubby possibly coming home next Wed after almost 60 days in the hospital and rehab facility...and finally I will be able to have a full day at home for the first time since this all began in January....way too much stress...all I know is that I need a vacation and can't see that happening any time soon.  Lynn is doing much better, is walking well with his walker, standing for balance, changing clothes all takes a huge effort but he's improving day by day.  He's going nuts in rehab, making me nuts with all his phone calls...and then I'm there from 11am to 6pm everyday...weekends even more because nothing happens on the weekend....a long journey and I'm sure it will continue even when he gets home. 

New Work

Finished the five new pieces of work that need to be installed in my display at the Artists' Collaborative Gallery this coming Monday morning....Graffiti Artist is above..actually my grandson at age three painting on my fence in the backyard....he was the only one of my grandkids that painted an abstract, all the others painted houses...Jack is certainly a different thinker. 

Dividing my time up between taking care of my home, the gallery, my art work and being with my husband about six hours a day while he's still be cared for in the rehab center rehabilitating after quadruple bypass surgery...makes for a very full day....I sometimes feel like I'm working again..I leave the house in them morning and return around dinner time only to start it all over again...just like I used to do for years working full time and tending my home and family.  Only this time it's just me at home, no kids or hubby....somewhat strange at times. 

Starting on a second piece of a commission I'm doing for a long time client and then I'm planning on starting on work that I've put on the back burner since all this has happened to my husband and me late January....our whole world has turned upside down, inside out and it's really been a ride to say the least.  One of the most difficult parts was keeping his huge family advised of all that was going on in a timely manner and trying not to miss telling someone...that's when the Facebook page I created for his family really came in handy.   

Anyway, I'm getting back to my studio routine as best I can with the time I have...this is what I mean by working...when I worked full time I really only got into my studio in the evening and weekends...this is what is happening right now and I DON'T LIKE IT....so glad my studio is at home and not off site..it would be difficult to get myself there right now.  Later...L

Catch-up or Ketsup

Life has definitely gotten in my way to creating new work.  Sometimes this happens, I guess.
Hubby is currently in a rehab facility for physical therapy after a quadruple bypass surgery earlier this month.  We're into our second week of rehab and he's getting slightly better..it's going to be a long haul for him as he's moving and recovering very slowly.  And this all is taking a toll on me somewhat...taking care of everything from home as I have always done, plus managing the art gallery via home office, hospital room and now rehab and creating new work for my display change happening this next Monday....exhaustion does set in and I am sleeping nights now.  My schedule is like I'm working full time again..I leave the house in the morning and don't arrive back until 6pm to cook my meal, rest, do some sewing and then crash from exhaustion.  I've cut back on my bowling by eliminating Friday bowling for now, but continue my league commitments for Tuesday morning and Wednesday nights.  I need the diversion. 

The City of Sacramento has a city wide blog...and they have asked me to be their featured artist for the month of March....I'm putting together all my comments from questions they asked along with information for them to publish....let's hope this gives my sales at the gallery a boost....I'm getting commissions, but direct sales have been in a slump for me for some time....I know they will pick up, but I never like it when they are dry.

SUPER OVER THE TOP BUSY

This is my latest commission...picture not the greatest, but the finished  piece was wonderful....loved this picture of one baby three times....such a happy child.  The original photo had her wrapped in a blue blanket, changed that for sure and it's heavily sewn over the surface..hardest part was getting the skin coloring right on all three images...babies have such pure skin..it took three colors to make it look right to my eye.  Got the order on Thursday, they needed it a week later for a shower gift, done in two days and off FEDEX Ground.

Starting a drawing class on line with Susan Shie, Lucky Drawing 101..start tomorrow and I am looking forward to working on my own time/speed.

Hubby went into the hospital over the weekend...heart failure and blockage in an artery to his heart..possibly needs a stint installed this week while in the hospital.  Scarey but I know the end result will be fantastic for him...give him my more energy and strength, which he needs right now.  He's had scads of family and friends stopping by to see him..sort of like a family reunion.  Hopefully  he'll be coming home Tues,Wed or Thurs.

Last Minute Commission

Got a call this past Thursday from a customer who had seen my work in the Old Sac gallery several months ago, took my brochure and wondered if I could put something together for her by this coming Saturday....baby shower gift type thing.  Of course I can....hoping my printer wasn't still acting up running fabric through it as it had been the week prior.  Printed off the image on Saturday and spent a good part of the day Sunday doing all the sewing to finish up and get it out FEDEX today....plenty of time before their Saturday party.  And it turned out great.....the image had a blue blanket wrapped around baby Raquel Rose, but I changed it to pink and I stitched it heavily so it actually does look like a fabric blanket around her.  She's a beautiful child...the finished project looks great...my photograph isn't the best, done on the quick!      This is what I call "spinning on a dime"....getting it done ahead of time quickly and still doing a good job.  It was difficult to get the right skin tone as baby skin in pure....used three colors of pencils to get the right combination all over the skin showing.

Now I can get to sewing on the five new pieces I'm working up for the gallery to install on 2/1.....

RE-ORGANIZING for 2015

Worked up five new pieces to finish this month to install at the gallery in February.  Above is my three cowboys which I really like...the kids are fantastic....I colored them with colored pencils and fused to a dyed silk background and that will be heavily machine sewn, as well as each of the boys.

Spent much of today organizing my studio and setting up for my plans for the year.  Going to try to stay focused throughout the year, keeping track of everything as I go so I don't waste time nor money along the way.  

Also spend some time getting ready for my first members meeting at the gallery this evening...going over what worked for 2014 and what to expect for 2015..with lots of hand outs for each of the members to read at their leisure.  Trying to jump start them into getting more involved with the gallery and it's function....otherwise this gallery will not make it.

Signed up for an on-line class with Susan Shie...fantastic painter/drawer/art quilt maker from Wooster, Ohio...can't wait to start.. class is titled "Lucky Drawing 101" and we going to be drawing only onto paper...large pieces with all sorts of tool which I already pretty much have from my class I took last year from Jane Davies.  Her class was more abstract drawing while this class might be more up my alley...using real images but in your own style and color.

later!

New Year, New Beginning

Isn't it strange how we say the same thing every year....New Year, New Beginning....but it's true...it gives us all an amount of time to real a goal and then start over again with another...at least that's true for me.....

and this past month, I have finally come to the realization that I can't fix my husband and his illness and neither can he.  What has happened has happened and we're going to have to live with the results as they move on in this coming year.  I'm not sure where this is all going to lead us, but I'm sure it's not going back to the way it was in the beginning.    And I have to accept that!

I've decided that I'm giving myself another year at the gallery and working hard on my display and work that I promote there on the walls ... another year to prove to myself that I can sell my work and make a profit after paying for my wall rental and supplies.  2014 wasn't a good year for me for some reason...my first thinking was my work was getting stale, it needed to change...but when I did that, many wanted the other work up on the wall....the customer that sees my work will see it once in their lifetime as our gallery's customer is usually the tourist...I'd say around 85% are tourists and the other 15% are locals who venture down to Old Sac maybe two/three times a year....not good odds. 

I know which images sell the best...that's what I should be placing up on the wall while incorporating some newer images a little at a time....February I will be moved into the back room on a longer wall and I did sell better in the back room, so that's where I'm going to set up my new display.  Purchased a plastic shelf to place at the bottom of my display to house some small easels with my 3"x3" fruit pictures and built above that...placing the best sellers at eye level....anything above eye level is hard to sell..people really only look slightly below and above their eye level...proven fact.

Aside from creating work for the gallery, I'm going to venture into unchartered waters for myself....play around with new ideas, new image ideas, hoping to find my next niche, my next series that I can built a solo exhibit around for the future.

Tending to caring for my husband is taking more time as we go along so I need to really concentrate on using my studio time the best I can.  I refuse to give us my passion and will continue as long as my brain and body can handle it.