This is another case of Girl Child affecting my process. I don’t know where this came from, but I sat down to paint and before I knew it, there was a pumpkin patch in front of me. I’m becoming a cheeseball in my old age. There was a time when there would have been some grimace on the scarecrow or the pumpkin… or a hidden skull… or all of the above.
One thing I wish for a bit is more time to stay on each piece. It’s not so much that I have to keep working so fast, but that I keep seeing older pieces that I want more and more to destroy and improve.
But I start teaching again part time in about a week and a half and I can’t linger too much. I typically have a rough time with sales in the cold of winter and I want to have some predictable income for a bit. I have to admit I’m looking forward to getting out of the house solo a bit. It’s hard for me to give up the constant time with the dear girl, but it becomes damned hard work after, you know, 18 months of constant baby wrangling. Time for the Daddy Man to pick up the slack a bit. I suspect teaching a couple classes will feel like a vacation… I sure hate to be apart from her, but I guess it’s time to wean myself off the perma-hug a bit too. She’s not a baby any more and is busily working on getting big so she can leave me. Can’t forget that’s the goal – send her out in the world to do her own thing without me meddling.
Not my most eloquent blog ever, but I just grabbed a minute while she watches some phonics songs on the YouTube…

Pumpkin Patch
Acrylic on plywood with tissue for texture
11.25″x30.75″

Most of the time I feel like I have a pretty normal life. I have routine. I have fun days and work days. I certainly feel like I earn my living, but it’s enjoyable… but every once in a while I’m reminded of the way people around me live.

Someone said to me recently, “We do what we have to do, don’t we?”

I stumbled my way around some appropriate response, but what I really wanted to say was “NO! We do what we want to do!” I knew that would only get me some lecture about bills and parental responsibility and blah blah blah… so I managed to keep those words inside of my mouth, but they’ve been trying to spring out ever since.

Yes, I’m taking a part time teaching job this fall. No, that is not what I “have” to do. It’s something I think will be fun and feel good and help my family and some students. Yes, I’ll keep painting full time. That’s not something I “have” to do. It’s just something I do as a function of my existence. I breathe; therefore, I paint. It’s not some flaming passion; it’s just something this organism is designed to do apparently.

Ok… so things I have to do? Care for my child? Nope. I don’t have to do that. I could be like so many other women I see and pawn the Girl Child off on some grandparent or pay for care or just split. I’m kind of astonished at how many women see those paths as viable options, but they are, certainly, options.

Things I have to do? What things I have to do? I learned a long time ago that making decisions about my life out of a fear of consequences was only a long game of chasing my tail and I won’t do it any more. I have spent my life on a quest for freedom and contentment and I don’t often compromise that any more.

I guess it sounds like I’m bragging a bit, and maybe I am a smidge overproud of my happiness with my life. Don’t worry. All lives have troughs and peaks. I’ll see as many dark days as I do happy ones no doubt. I just don’t let myself on the keyboard when I feel less than my good self haha…

Repeat. No Coda.
Acrylic on plywood with tissue for texture.
~17.5″x9.5″ -edges painted black, ready to hang
Go forth and be in the driver’s seat.

Onward and upward

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I’m experimenting with editing the size of my images in the post. Let’s see what this does.

In other news, we took her to the zoo this weekend and it was awesome.
I’ve felt very busy lately, but have also been reminded that lots of other people don’t put rest as a high priority. Since I’ve had the girl, I’ve just refused to go too fast for her. Sure, sometimes we just get stuff done, but if I push her too hard, she gets a low grade fever and becomes unhappy. So I don’t do that. And it’s good for everybody.

Must get more painting done… as always…
I should have another new piece to share tomorrow if all goes well.

So here’s Xanga 2.0… It’s nice to still be here. I still want to get my WordPress going, but I am super happy to have my community here safe… I’ve been wanting to get back to serious blogging like I did in the old days.
On that topic, the dear Girl Child is amazing me daily. She’s acquired a lot of language ability lately so she’s able to entertain herself and communicate much more effectively so we are both less frustrated! She also has started potty training herself. That caught me off guard. She’s only 18 months and I didn’t expect it so soon!
I’ve had good luck with the painting of late. Sales have been good and I’m hanging in four locations now – three restaurants in Knoxville and a gallery in Gatlinburg. We paint all the time just to keep up!
Here’s a recent piece. Flowers are where it’s at for me these days. Life is blooming!

Dancing in Blue
Acrylic on plywood with tissue for texture
22.5″x35.5″