Friday, February 21, 2014

work, spring, selfie, and a funeral


The window I face in the morning at my computer faces east and for certain months of the year for an hour and a half or so, the sun blazes in between the top of the shrub and the top of the window.

This is me trying to read.


We got home last night about 7PM and I was wrung out after three days in the shop, fingers numb and hand and arm achey. This new stencil material that we switched to about a year and a half ago is much stiffer than what we had been using, harder to cut which doesn't help the arthritis in my thumb joints and the last joints on the fingers of my right hand are swelling and getting knobby. Ugh and ugly. I hate that.

I still have some full size art work to do, the drawings for the third job and the last half of the second job, but I probably won't get to those until we get the fabrication done on the glass and drawings we already have in the shop.

It's very busy around here what with spring and all calling me outside and the current commissions and getting some cast work ready to submit two works for an invitational museum show. I've decided to finish 3 of the small Botanica Eroticas and one large one and send those as a grouping as one piece which means finally deciding how I am going to mount them for wall hanging. I have some custom sheet metal mounts being made and also a shallow wood shadow box prototype to compare.

When we left the city last week, a neighbor's japanese magnolia was covered with buds. This is what we saw when we arrived back in the city last Monday.




I seem to be stuck in two subject matters...work and nature. I actually have several posts partially or mostly written of completely different natures but they tend to peter out instead of finishing with a bang.

Well, one of the three remaining matriarchs of Marc's family died last night and I just got notice that the funeral is today at 2:30PM. Just what I wanted to do today after spending three days in the city and getting home late last night...drive in today for a funeral.

But drive in we must.


edit: All dressed up and no where to go. We were 20 minutes on the road when Marc's sister called. Turns out the funeral isn't until Sunday. In her earlier text to me she failed to mention the day so I assumed it was today, because, well, the jews like to get them planted quick. I did think that this was exceptionally quick, but what do I know?

So we'll go in for out work week a day early and leave a day early.




14 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear of your lose. I was thrilled when I became the head of my family until after a few days when I thought I was next to go and had so much to still do.

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  2. sorry about the funeral when you need a day of rest. the magnolia sure is pretty. i saw the first blooming tree yesterday near town - some sort of white blossom but don't know what kind.

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  3. You do sound very busy. I am so in need of some Spring colors to arrive. Thanks for sharing so I could remember what it looks like.

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  4. Isn't that just the case, either too much work all at once, or, no work at all. The fact that nature calls you is your salvation and inspiration. I know that for me working outdoors, though tiring and overwhelming. brings the most joy.

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  5. I'm so sorry for Mark's and your loss.

    LOVE your selfie. You are very artful with them.

    It's a bizarre day up in the sky, isn't it?

    LOVE the tulip magnolias! Ours won't pop for another 3 or 4 weeks. It gives me hope seeing these.

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  6. Our magnolia has snow up to the lower branches and more falling. Oh well.

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  7. Your selfies are the best.

    I hope the funeral is celebratory rather than sad.

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  8. I agree with Susie about your selfies.
    Your neighborhood must be gorgeous and smell so heavenly. I am truly jealous. Now I have to move back to the midwest. You know, Oklahoma is not really the midwest but we always called it that when I was young. I suppose it should be "move back to the central"?

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  9. I'm so glad you posted those trees. I needed to see for myself that spring is really on the way.

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  10. Love the selfie! At our old office I would get morning sun coming in the window like that - made it hard to work! The window in the new office is at my back...

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  11. Your selfie looks like a painting. Of course the blossoms are inspiring also! I showed up to a birthday party one night early...was invited in for a glass of wine but said, no, I would come back the next night...Better to be early than late, right?

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  12. I think you need a blind for that window!

    I love those Japanese magnolias. There are some great ones in Central Park, behind the Metropolitan Museum, and when I lived in New York I would be sure to try to visit them every spring. We have a few in London, too, but they're not out yet.

    Sorry to hear about the loss in your family -- and the confusion over the funeral! Yikes!

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  13. So is todays shot a selfie?

    The magnolia looks amazing - one of my favourite flowering trees!

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