Off the Grid...

Well here I am…finally launching a new website! And finally blogging again! I feel so envious when I read other people’s blogs and they’re so consistent…and brilliant…and their pictures are cool…and it looks like they have their life all together…well mine is not exactly like that! But I’m making progress!

For those of you who don’t know…I’ve been a little off the grid recently…ok A LOT off the grid…and for some reason I’m liking writing my thoughts with these dots……

So I’ve been very sick off and on for, well, about 4 years and this last year has been really rough! All that to say- I haven’t painted much and the gallery has been only open off and on. I’m now switching focus completely and devoting pretty much 100% of my time now to developing my own work. That being said, we still have a few other artists in the gallery, and it is open by appointment only now! But this is a very exciting time for me as an artist to really focus on developing my own work and style and really doing what I feel like I’m supposed to be doing! For right now, we’re not having any shows or classes or workshops, in fact the studio is really quiet these days- and I actually love it!!! While I miss the energy of kids in and out and classes each week and visitors to the gallery, I’m surprised at how much I really love and thrive on the peace and quiet- just me and the easel and some piles of colored dirt.

There are many reasons why I’m transitioning to a new season of life, for health and also because I have a few commissions right now that will take up all of my time from now until the middle of next year!!! While I can’t give away too many details or reveal the actual designs, I can tell you I am working on the 7 days of creation from the book of Genesis for the Institute for Creation Research for their big museum opening next year in Dallas! This is such a huge honor and blessing and I feel so humbled to have been commissioned to paint this. I am learning so much from the research and I am constantly being reminded throughout this whole process just how big God is! I mean when you consider the galaxies and the sheer number of stars I remember that I’m just a small part of the universe- in a good way. Remembering that what concerns me and my life is just really not too big for God to handle when he can create billions of stars and know their names. You know what I’m saying? This project is really teaching me a lot already and I’m just in the early early stages! I’ll be posting more insights and obstacles I’m facing throughout this process of some large commission pieces, including the Creation Series! Stay tuned!

Also this week I was in Denver (more on that in the next blog) but I just have to share a few of my favorite photos from the show Her Paris I saw yesterday at the Denver Art Museum! Cecilia Beaux is one of my favorite painters and seeing some of her pieces yesterday in the show was such a delightful surprise!