Although I am still slowly working on my “catch up list” (I admit, I’ve been backsliding a bit) my focus this week has really been on my art.  More specifically promoting it, showing it, finding my direction with it.    After participating in outdoor art fairs the past several years (in a steadily declining amount with steadily declining results) I feel like that avenue  isn’t a direction I want to continue in.  Not to say there won’t be an occasional show that I just can’t pass up!  Actually I missed the deadline for one I think I really would have enjoyed (again I have to refer you back to the procrastination post!).  But by & large I think the days of packing, hauling, unloading, setting up, sitting out in the hot/cold/sunny/rainy/occasionally nice weather to turn around and break down, load up, haul it all home, unpack and collapse are over for me.  I made Mark promise to just reach in his pocket, hand me a $50 bill and tell me to “shut up” the next time I talk about entering one.  By the time I factor in the entry fee, prep time and the day (or days) given up to participate, many times I’d be ahead in the long run. :-)  And a lot less frustrated too!  During my investigation of new places to enter or show my work I have found lots of exciting ideas.  I have a folder full of entry information to refer to now!  A few submissions were for 2-person or group shows so I have been brainstorming with my artist-friend Karena on a couple of those, which is really fun.  Our first application will go out by the end of the month to a gallery in Ohio.  Both of us feel like we are at a point in our career we need to be expanding to places other than Indianapolis and the surrounding area.  I am excited to knock on some doors and see what happens, with my own art and also with my friend!  I am adding a link to Karena’s website if you want to see some of her work, I think she’s awesome.   In addition to promoting my work I found a few residencies that I am really jazzed about applying for so I can have some uninterupted time to conentrate on making new work. 

Yesterday was my first pottery class, it was great to be able to create something fun and new and explore working with clay again.  Since I ended up being the only adult to sign up for classes I am kind of doing an “independent study” this time.  I go in before the preschool class and get some instruction then work on my projects while he teaches the kids.  After they leave I get some feedback and direction and have a while to continue working while he cleans up.  The nice thing about being the only adult is that I pretty much get to choose what I do!  In the last class I took we did a lot of wheel work, bowls and cups mainly, and a few hand-built items too.  It was a lot of fun but this time I want to make more abstract creations. This week I started two pieces, one on the wheel and one hand-built.  I will be anxious to get them glazed and fired to see how they turn out! 

 My head has been filled with ideas and dreams of new art I want to create.  They all seem to be going in different directions, but that is typical for me! Some involve making “recycled” art with discarding items, revisiting media I haven’t played with in a while (specifically digital and printmaking), as well as expanding on the 3 dimensional, layered boxed that I’ve worked on off & on for the last 6 months or so. I am itching to get started on one or many of these projects.  SOON!

In June I will have a show at Sugar Creek Art Center with my friends Karena and Lisa, who works with blown glass.  I have been looking forward to it since we scheduled it last year!  It is going to be so colorful, bright and fun for people to view.  Our tentative title for the show is “Spirited, Scintillating and Serene”.  It gives me a concrete date to aim for with some of the new work & ideas I have.  Since my studio is at Sugar Creek I really do NOT want to just pull out work from my studio and hang it in the show.  Where is the fun in that?  I want new things to show!  I have some here at home from the last few months that haven’t been shown so that is a start.  But I want to make more!  Okay, I always want to make more so I guess that isn’t a surprise.    By the way…the reception for the show is on Friday, June 13th from 6 to 9 p.m.  The 13th just happens to be my birthday!  I am hoping that many of you can come out to the show and help me celebrate that night.  Since it’s my 49th it may be the last one I feel like celebrating!