November 20, 2012
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Tuesday
Another day in the life…
I’m trying an apple cobbler experiment. I’ve never eaten apple cobbler before and my mother left me with some green apples so I thought I’d give it a try. I put a dash of cinnamon and a dash of almond extract in it and mixed molasses with the white sugar. We’re out of butter, but it might still be tasty enough… I can at least mash up some of the cooked apples for Seren.
Seren. Fat enough to roast for Thanksgiving. Bouncing and saying “mama” and “yum yum”. Standing up in the crib and crawling about some. Feeding herself sometimes too…
One of the best things these days is she’s getting up earlier. I’ve always preferred to rise before the sun and until the days got shorter, she wanted to stay in bed until almost an hour after sunrise! I’m really glad to be getting up earlier again!I was going to go have Thanksgiving dinner at the gallery, but I think I’m going to skip it and get more work done. I have more commissions than I have time right now. I’m also planning to do one more show at the gallery at least and then I’m trying to get into two more locations around town where the market is a bit more upscale. There’ll be plenty of fees to knock my take-home pay back down, but it’s nice to have more professional people to work with.
The recent art:
The Runner – commissioned
Acrylic on Plywood
About 36″x23″
As Above, So Below
Acrylic on Plywood
About 10.5″x12″
$85
(This was a chameleon painting, but no one bought it and I was tired of holding on to it)
Koi Over Stained Glass
Acrylic on Canvas
16″x20″
$135Seren’s really enjoying our time at the easel these days and continuously explores my paint drawers, throwing tubes on the floor which we take breaks from painting to count as I put them back in the drawers.
She shows me when she finds particularly good tubes and is trying to grab the brush now. It’s almost time to start working with her – collaborating on some pieces.I am trying to practice zen parenting. I can’t make things different than they are… but my choices are to either go with the flow and work with what I have or to be miserable struggling with the situation. Life is exceptionally busy as paintings are selling (and must be painted) fast and she’s getting bigger and stronger every day.
I’m just glad you can’t see my hair or smell my breath from the other side of the monitor.
Onward and upward
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Comments (12)
motherhood: wonderful and tiring. ? you have my support from afar.
I really like the runner and the koi, especially. in the runner, I like what’s going on around the head! and in it. wonderful stuff.
@plantinthewindow - I feel like I have to work twice as hard to have anything in my life that’s not baby maintenance at the moment. At least it doesn’t last too long anyway… I do love her company. I just feel like all I ever talk about is baby baby baby lol…
It’s going to be interesting getting the package with that huge painting (plus there’s another one that goes in the package) into the post office with the baby strapped to my chest and whatever other packages end up going out – I have to get my hands on one of those hand cart things people use for office stuff I think.
Seren’s a pretty name. And you do wonderful work. =)
you’re wonderful mom, in case 4000 people haven’t said this already. i so think the wearing the baby thing, skin contact, is what makes for a sane human. and/or i did it with mine, for as long as i could. yes, hello, you need a cart that folds and unfolds easily. or a personal robot
oxo
@chronic_masticator - Thank you
@Bels_Kaylar - I’m just a cheap ass… most of the time those things just kind of appear in my life shortly after I realize that I need them. I didn’t really anticipate doing quite so much shipping, but I’m sure not complaining! I’m trying hard to do right by Tiny without losing my focus on my “real life”… She’ll only by tiny and needy for a little while and I have to keep a hold of my real self. It’s like having two full time jobs! lol
I love how big The Runner is.
I also think your cobbler will turn out beautifully. They usually recommend adding a little water, a little fat, and maybe a little flour, but sugar and apples are where it’s at.
@BoureeMusique - I did a cup of Bisquik (because I had it), almost a cup of white sugar and 4 little spoons of molasses. A dash of cinnamon and a dash of almond extract. It was too sweet for my preference, but husband liked it quite a lot.
@oceanstarr - such a good manifester you are!
I love the Runner!! Actually, all 3 are very nice. You manage to sound very balanced and sane on your blog. Reading it I think, wow, she is so much calmer and more accepting than I was. If I had blogged about the baby and the paint tubes it would be, “WOW, I love these babies, but honest to God, how can I get any painting done when all they want to do is squeeze my paint tubes and throw them on the ground and play with my brushes???? Who knew motherhood would be so impossible?!” So for what it’s worth, you sound like you’re doing awesome. Only 19 years to go. Just kidding.
I think you’re fantastic for holding the line and continuing to do it all while being such a great mom to Seren.
Love all of these. With all that you have to do, on top of being a new mother with an ever active-growing baby, you’re amazing to get it all done.
It’s tough, keeping your singular, separate professional identity apart from being a parent and I totally get the ‘baby is all i talk about’ feeling. I don’t have any practical advice, I don’t think you’re interested in being awake 24/7 to get everything you have to do completed. Would daycare help? Or just a few hours of babysitting daily? I was in school so I was lucky I had daycare through the university system. With my boyfriend, his creative process is quiet and disciplined with a lot of contemplation before putting ink to paper. I can only imagine the disruptions in your process. Beautiful disruptions but a stop in the process nonetheless.
The Runner is a beautiful piece.
@Bels_Kaylar - Hehehe Learned the trick years ago
Thank you Mr. Bach lol
@ordinarybutloud - Well thank you… You make me feel much better about my level of sanity. I do paint every day, but it’s definitely a challenge. She’s pretty easy, but she’s still a squirmy grabby baby…I’ve trained dogs and parrots and if there’s one thing I know it’s that I can’t quit working toward the partnership I want. Giving up isn’t an option. I have to earn money and I refuse to put her in daycare.
@armnatmom - It means a lot to hear you say it. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of fun, but very tiring.
@Lenore_Happenstance - The trouble with daycare is complicated – I’m still breastfeeding and we’re using cloth diapers. Plus the cost is kind of impossible to justify as long as I’m able to manage… I’d rather train her to work with me some from the start so she can learn how to work like her father and I do… There is a vague chance that I’ll take a job as a curator in a local gallery if it pays enough to justify baby care stuff… Who knows… one day at a time. I have learned to work when I have a second. I plan my strokes in advance while she sleeps in my lap.
Hope you’re feeling better today!