"Merry- Go- Round"

Tomorrow morning I teach. We will be doing still life in pastel as the exhibition in the RRCA Main gallery is about food. I set up large tables this morning with centerpieces of fruit, flasks, flowers- we will do charcoal drawing studies first, for form and shading, then move on to color. After tomorrow I have about two weeks I can devote entirely to painting, and I don't know when I will blog again. I might get lost in paint.

I took a different tack last night and today, as I was getting a bit miserable with district politics. I decided to soak up the atmosphere of the town on this lovely spring day and hope to carry the enthusiasm to my students tomorrow morning. I usually stay home and study books for class. Friday night I gallery sat again- so I missed much of Third Friday socializing with other artists. Saturday day I tried to paint but I really had no energy, slightly wiped out from the night before. I always feel disjointed the Saturday after Third Friday, I don't think I'm alone in this. But I made a chat call to a musician friend who supports my work- and my clarinet studies; was very much energized by the conversation and felt much better. Hit the gym to find they had new rowing machines and I "played" for half and hour, new fun! Restored, I went to the local coffee shop and found a pocketbook encyclopedia on the Impressionist with 180 photos- WONDERFUL! and my enthusiasm for living here returned. And I thought I'd seek inspiration from my surroundings for teaching class Monday.

So today I made the rounds of the district galleries as I used to do on Third Friday nights. Just lovely. Met with Glenn Rudderow who had an exhibition of new etchings, and an inspiring video. Later I went to poetry, another rarity when I teach. This morning before set up at the RRCA, I sat outside with artists and musicians playing on the streets in the sunshine, just enjoying ourselves and each other in a rare down moment, grouped in iron benches by the shops.

I sat for a time with another artist friend, Verna, a pastel artist with her own gallery business. She shows quite often, and sells frequently. I've gleaned some business ideas from her, such as obtaining my promo materials printer and soon to be website provider.- I showed 13 times last year and burned out. Now I am painting for the sake of painting. She informed me today that SHE has told everyone she has stepped off the "merry-go-round", of shows, sales, preparation, other's favored painting subjects- to create and paint what SHE wants to. So we had a very enjoyable discussion. Ah, a kindred spirit. And another near soul I may discuss the creative process with. We'll both return to selling and showing, sometime. But not right now.

Sigh, until, and enthused:) Lucky for my students, huh? Luck for me too.