Sabbatical update 7-4

Happy to report that my time in Marshall has been really great. Like, really great- this is a really cool little town full of interesting people. And I have been making art, which was the reason to make this sojourn. Two weeks in, I have several finished pieces, including a mixed media piece on board that’s very red. I have more underway, including one redo for the top left piece, which taught me a lot about texture/surface and sheen that I plan to apply (or as it were, reapply). Keeping scale small to mid-size for the moment.

Also found a good bit to do to get ready for OpenSource which I guess is not surprising given that it’s actually 2 shows with 30 artworks. One of the things I’ve done to promote the show is a series of reels about each of the artists- head on over and check out Durham Art Guild’s IG feed to see them (or mine).

Personally, I have been working on taking the time to slow down and cook from scratch, and getting out and enjoying the area as well- I’ve even started taking yoga in person, something I haven’t done since pre-pandemic. The weather has been pretty rainy but that’s been just fine since the “studio” is here at the apartment. There’s a good bit of time that goes into just living, especially when you drop it down into a lower gear (I typically run all cylinders). I’ve made myself sit and read* a few times, especially as I’ve noticed the low-level, anxious… hum that animates me most days (“dooooo something!”) and often results in me thinking about something I “need” to do, other than what I’m actually effn’ doin’ in the present moment. *Amy Whitaker, in Art Thinking, spends some words on the idea that “the way to navigate is not toward a solution but from a question .”