Mid September 2015 Update

Shortly after my last post here, I jotted down thoughts for the next post but suddenly, it is the middle of September, we have been in our new home 4 months, and I never got back to posting.

My thoughts then:

I have down-sized my inventory of art supplies and I am fairly clear on how I want my art business to be structured, at least short term. I don't plan to enter competitions and will cut back on gallery commitments to concentrate on smaller work for my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

I love being here on Lake Sawyer and am amazed at the varied moods of the lake as the weather changes. Sunny, bright and sparkling. Gray and drizzly and cozy. Serene, or busy with activity. I should paint that! The problem is, I can see it, feel it, enjoy it, LOVE IT but I can't imagine painting it. I tried yesterday. It was artist torture. This morning, while preparing breakfast, I imagined a painting. I could see a mental image of a painting.

That's where I left off. I went on to paint that imagined painting and spent the month of August painting many more local scenes. I posted them on my Daily Paintworks Gallery and sold most. Yesterday I shipped the last one, a painting of one of the old local houses that has been overtaken with brambles.

Brambled, pastel, 6x6 inches

Our lake water level is very low due to the long hot summer. Our noxious weed lily pads are on the way out (forever, we hope) so painting lake scenes is on hold until later in the year. Our grandsons returned to school, both at Kennedy this year, and are celebrating another birthday. Life goes on.

I continue to love my new community. We went to our first Sons of Italy meeting last night at the lodge where my grandparents were Charter Members and it was all I expected it to be. In fact, my feelings were in print in this morning's newspaper about the Colbert interview with Biden. Biden, in speaking about his religion: "...an enormous sense of solace. Some of it relates to ritual, some of it relates to just comfort in what you've done your whole life." Being in a room full of Italians reminded me of Sundays at my Grandma Benedetti's house near here in Morganville. Comforting. Familiar. A part of my childhood that made me who I am today.

Tomorrow, we will attend a neighborhood gathering here on the lake. We have great neighbors and a sense of community that is new to me. Next weekend we will host our first "To Family" gathering. I hope to make that a tradition. Life goes on and we cherish each day. I paint when I can and look forward to teaching art again in one form or another.