Honoring the Wishes of Children

It's been a busy few weekends. I've had a lot of fantastic art opportunities, and for that, I am very grateful. However, it's required a lot of weekends spent in the car, driving at least an hour away to deliver art to be exhibited.

I've tried to make the best of it each time, turning one such trip into a fun-filled day at Congaree National Park outside of Columbia, SC. If you are in the area, I highly recommend spending a day at this magical, mystical place. I've never seen terrain like this! We can't wait to go back. We spent the day there with a friend after dropping off a piece of art for a Women Speak, an art exhibit for Women's History Month Exhibit at the State Library in Columbia. I bought a sun printing kit there in the visitor's center that we can't wait to try out!

As this weekend drew closer, I reminded my son that I'd been invited to attend a gallery reception this weekend in North Carolina to see a friend's show, meet the gallery owner and network for possible exhibition opportunities in that area for the future. Professionally, this was important. And while this gallery is not too terribly far of a drive, but it would have meant another Saturday in the car.

Normally my son is as excited about weekend adventuring as I am, but apparently he'd had enough road tripping for a while, and expressed a deep desire for just a 'stay-at-home' weekend. For both of us. He wasn't whining; he just really, really, really wanted to be home.

Home. Our refuge, our favorite place above all. The place that inspired me to start my Radical Homemakers of South Carolina group. The place where we live and love. Where I create, where I gain my strength, balance, and focus.Yet for the past couple of months, it has seemed that on weekends, we've barely been here. This was an important networking opportunity....but...I am mother before all else. There will be more receptions and more networking opportunities. He is young and in my care only for this short, sweet while. And his voice deserves to be heard. His feeling and opinions matter. And if I, as his mother, don't teach him that his thoughts and feelings are important and deserve respect, who will?

It is always a bit of a balancing act when your life's work doesn't operate around weekly 9 to 5 hours. As an artist, you worry people won't take you or your work seriously if you don't attend or participate in events. But when you work full-time as well, the balancing act can begin feel like a juggling act. I found out that I, too, needed some stay-at-home time. Somehow, in the fun and adventuring of delivering art and attending events, the weekends have been slipping away with very little real, actual rest. Lying in the meadow in the sunshine yesterday, feeling the earth warm beneath me, hearing Spring come alive all around me, I remembered how important this balance of rest and energy is. How important time in nature is. Not just for children, but for all of us.

At the end of the day, my son, the aspiring chef, made Lemon Bars and I made Fudgy Vegan Beet Cupcakes.  A friend visited for coffee and conversation and had the delight of sampling both! Our evening ended peacefully as the day had begun.

Today I'll make some carrot soup with carrots we picked up at the Farmer's Market yesterday and banana bread with the Quinoa flour I splurged on because I've given up bread for Lent. Or maybe I'll let my son make one of them. Or both. Because it's easy to adventure without leaving home, really. And of course, I'll work on a few paintings here and there in between, as I always do.

Happy Weekend!

I currently have work on display at The South Carolina State Library and The Richland County Library, both in Columbia, SC. Pending exhibits in July and August; more information to come!

Black and White Photo Explorations

Well it seems I rarely find time to come around this way lately, but I've been painting and working and road-tripping like a fiend. And playing, of course. A lot. And playing around with black and white photography, an old love of mine that I return to from time to time.

Me, playing around in the woods after a day in Athens, Ga.
Love the way nature dwarfs me in this pic!

As my friends all know, and are likely tired of hearing about, I discovered our Cuban Cafe Uptown and have fallen hopelessly in love with Cuban coffee.

Colorful decor in black and white.

Small but mighty!

Of course exploring new coffees is one of my favorite traveling purposes! I was surprised when the boy was willing to try Turkish coffee with me at our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant!

 I have a Turkish pot at home and make this coffee frequently thanks to a friend who is married to a Turkish gent who brought me a pot back from Turkey and taught me how to do it properly!

He wasn't a huge fan...but I am proud he tried it!

Also been doing a bit of reading...

...and wandering about in nature wearing inappropriate shoes because the urge to wander in nature, for me, is always spontaneous...

...and enjoying - probably a bit too much - the Panera Bread that opened up here in our town last week!

Here's the boy and I at the grand opening...at 6:00am!

And since black and white is the real theme of this post, here's a shot of our new kitty, Sevarus Snape! He just happens to be...you guessed it...black and white! :-)

So stinkin' cute!

So that's a bit of what all I've been up to! If you are local to my area, check out my solo exhibit at The Mill House, which will be on display for the remainder of this month. I am preparing now for shows in June and August, and booking more as time permits. I'll keep you posted here about upcoming shows and new works!

Thanks for checking out my black and white photo explorations! 

Happy Sunday!

Artist's Block Lifted! New Plans and Projects for 2016!

Last weekend, after a hiatus of several years, I decided it was time to start painting again.

And the stars aligned, or so it seems. I picked up my easel from storage and discovered a half-off sale on canvases on the same day. A few days later, I got a solo show booked for fall. All new work...which I haven't even begun yet...omg...

I selected a lovely corner of my den to place my easel. A bit unconventional, maybe, but the den is where we spend most of our time. It's the hub of the house. And I think an easel occupying a prominent space in the home send a clear, concise message to the world...

Yup, that's pretty much the message I'm talking about!

My artist self has been through a lot the past few years and she's wavered, faltered, and a few times fallen, but she is still here, and thank heavens for that! Losing one's identity and sense of self is a scary thing. Not being able to find it, to connect with and embrace it again, well I don't even want to think of how that would be, but I imagine it's akin to sleepwalking through a life that isn't really one's own. I like to think my hiatus is similar to the time in Georgia O'Keefe's life, when she destroyed all of her work at age 27. Though I didn't take it that far, I think Georgia and I might have been having some similar moments!

When you can't make art, live life as art!

So while I am pleased to announce I'll be sharing more and more of my new work on my Facebook page, Pan Pan Studios, and here on the blog, I also want to remind readers of my other page, Art is for Everyone. This is a page where I've been sharing a lot of older works that are available, largely in part to a lack of marketing these pieces on my part, or a failure of the piece to reach the right audience when it was marketed...in...eek...the days before we used the internet to promote our work (yes, some of these pieces are that old!)

Hi. I'm twenty-two years old, and I can jazz up your 
black and white art collection...

 A lot of my older pieces have found their forever homes through this page as people make fair offers based on what they can afford. Van Gogh believed that art should be for the people, not just the wealthy elite, and I agree!

She finally has a forever home!

I'm also excited to announce that I am involved in a book project that should be completed by the year's end. I am on board as illustrator! So it's a thrillingly creative time in the life of this artist! And to celebrate all things creative, artists, artsy people, artsy living, and so on, I hope you'll check out some of my older pieces that are still up for grabs, such as Desert Mother and the last print of Trepidation.

Do you have a place for me?

So tempted to keep this one for myself...

Many are experimental pieces, meaning I never did another in this style, and some were done for classes or specific shows, but I'd love to have them all out in the world! So if you are a lover of original art and want to support your local artists, visit Art is for Everyone and see if there is anything there that suits your taste! Stay tuned to the blog for all the new pieces, show details, and book information coming in 2016, and be sure to follow me on Facebook!!!