Reunited

I have just returned home, after driving to the Front Range yesterday. I had to drop off the accepted entry to the Lincoln Center for the NCAA juried show. (see blog entry from March 2nd) The drop off was actually today, from 9 am to noon, but I knew I wasn't going to make that, so my one and only friend in Fort Collins, Kirk Johanson, agreed to help me out. I brought the drawing to him yesterday, and he took the piece to the Lincoln center for me today. I haven't seen Kirk in probably 20 years or more. My family and Kirk's family were friends when we were growing up in Rapid City, SD. Kirk and I used to spend a lot of time together, hiking and reading books. Fun to see him after all this time. He is married to a beautiful blonde wife, with three beautiful blonde children. He is now our mortgage broker. Thanks, Kirk!!

After Pono and I went to Fort Collins, we drove to my parents house in Highlands Ranch (a suburb of Denver, for those of you who don't know). We spent the night with the parental unit. This morning, I woke up before light (thanks to the dog/alarm clock) and took Pono for a walk in a misty rain. There was no one out, save cottontails and tons of earthworms. Those earthworms were stretched out on the sidewalk, and I spent the majority of the walk trying not to step on them. Pono, however, had no such concerns. He stepped on quite a few. After breakfast, a la Dad, we got ready and drove to the airport to pick up My LONG LOST husband!!! Matthias has some time off from his training with Cathay Pacific, so he is HOME!!! We are reunited, and let me tell you, it feels GREAT! It's been one month since I have seen him.

I have to tell you about a dream I had last night. I dreamed that the artist who won "best of show" in the aforementioned juried show had cut carrots and celery into sticks. It was an installation that looked like a section in a grocery store, with refrigerated shelves lined with these sticks of celery and carrots. That was the art that won best of show. I was so ANGRY!!! I kept saying, "how can they win best of show for cutting up vegetables! That doesn't take talent!" Pretty funny. Dreams are extremely strange.

Tomorrow, it looks like I might get to do some more circus training, and then either Monday or Tuesday, Matthias and I are off to the airport once again, to fly to LA, and look for our new house. I hope we find something! Wish us luck.

Successes and Failures

This is one of my favorite new monotypes!! I am experimenting with using LOTS of ink, which I may have mentioned, and this one actually got a big BLOB of ink, which created a really interesting texture. I know I need to sell some work, but this one has to stay with me for a while, because I love it too much to part with it at the moment. The title is "Opulence" and it measures 5 x 7".

It's amazing how quickly the days go, and then I realize that I should write my blog! I went to Denver on Thursday, to pick up a frame for the piece that will be going to Fort Collins for the National juried show next week. For those of you who are interested, and in the area, the show opens April 7th with a reception from 5 to 8 pm. It will run through May 11. It is at the Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia in Fort Collins.

While in Denver, I also visited Sandy Carson Gallery, on Sante Fe Dr. They had some of my work, but haven't sold anything for me in over a year, so I went to pick it up. Even though I know it is the right thing, to not have work in a gallery that isn't selling, it still feels like a mini-death, somehow. I was so excited to have my work well-received by a gallery of such caliber, and then nothing happened, and the work is back with me. I know I am partially to blame, since I was so busy running Cool Mountain Art (my gallery that I recently closed here in Salida), that I didn't give them the attention or new work they deserved to have. What I've learned from this whole debacle is that I need to be clear about what I want from a gallery, and I need to put energy into helping them sell the work for me. Chalk one more up to experience!

The house has gotten plenty of attention this week, but no offers yet. In the meantime, I am photographing my new monotypes, and working on my artist statement and other promotional materials. I would like to have really professional looking promotional materials ready to go for California. I am also going to order some postcards with an image from my new monotypes to send out. All good things.