Upheaval

Life is in a bit of upheaval at the moment and it, unfortunately, means that I cannot work on new pieces for a stretch of time. Although we have only been in this new space for two years, we are already on the move. It’s a complicated story (and not very interesting), but suffice it to say, I’m not super excited about another move (there have been far too many over the last few years), and my least favorite part is packing up the studio.

Boxes are piling up in the studio, waiting to be transported to the new space.

Honestly, the studio is really the only attachment I have to our current (or now, former) home. It was the piece we built just for me, after spending an entire year unable to work. It was the space that I was able to finish as I wanted and I’ve enjoyed getting it set up as my personal, functional space, full of fun little reminders of friends and other artists.

So, now I am in the process of packing everything up, and frankly, I wouldn’t wish this task on my worst enemy. Not that I have enemies, but if I did, I wouldn’t wish this on them. As I pile up each box, I realize how quickly I collect things. Of course, there are old things too. I still keep my paints from the years that I was painting with regularity, I have pencils and sketchpads and an array of pastels (both chalk and oil) that sit, waiting for the day that I decide to pull them out again. And, the books. Several books that, for the most part, simply sit on shelves until I get curious about something or need a little inspiration. But, they too are an important part of my work space, and truly a part of me and my journey as an artist.

As I pack it all up…slowly but surely… I realize that it’s the most difficult space to leave because it is a part of me. I spend so much time in this space that it feels like a friend that is going to suddenly disappear from my life. Yes, there will be a new space, and I will love it just as much as time passes, but this space will always have a special place in my soul because it was completely mine - from dirt to the finished space. I know it will be loved by someone else, but it doesn’t mean that it’s easy to let it go.

I’m not one to linger in the past, but I do like to have a reminder of the feelings that surfaced for the specific time. Onward we go though. A new house, a new work space. It will take a bit to get that space in working order, so I know my events will be limited for the rest of this year. I will be out at ArtWalk on Main Street in Longmont next Saturday, and I’ll be doing a holiday market in December, but that’s probably all I’ll be able to manage for the remainder of the year events-wise. If you’re hoping to get anything custom ordered and completed in 2024, that may be a tall order at this moment, but I’m always hopeful that things will move more swiftly than I think. Feel free to send a note though and I’m happy to chat about possibilities and to see what we can accomplish within the current constraints.