Works in progress...

The wheels are in motion, the balls are in the air and the train has left the station.  Any way you put it, things are happening in these parts.  I started packing over the weekend, figuring if I can manage a box or two per day it won't seem like such an overwhelming task.  I have just over three weeks to pack everything up and knowing I have a good start allows me the breathing room to do other things (like paint and cook).  In fact, as I write this post that pot of onions (shown above) is entering it's 2nd hour of cooking down to become French Onion Soup for dinner tonight and the smell is soooo amazing.  The recipe is pretty simple and much less greasy than the version you find in most restaurants.  It will be a special treat alongside a simple salad on this snowy day.  In addition walking from room to room, making mental lists and chopping onions I also spent some time in the studio working on a new encaustic piece.  That is exactly where I want to be the rest of the week and I hope to share a few more creative works in progress soon.  What are you working on these days?

State of Grace

State of Grace

4.25"x4.5"

Hiding in plain site, that's kind of what I've been doing.  I've been here but not really been here. I've been in the studio way too little but when I'm in there it's been good.  There have been many ups and downs over the past 6 months but now things are moving forward.  I am happy (and sad) to say that we have sold our gorgeous old house by the lake and will be moving out at the end of March.  We sold our home by owner to a private buyer and the process has been very open and personal which make handing over the keys a tiny bit easier.   We are planning a move back to Ann Arbor, Michigan which is where we lived before we lived here.  We have friends and family in the area and are still searching for a new old home with a little bit of land on which to plant ourselves.  Trying to secure a short term rental here that allows dogs took many, many calls and emails but I'm so happy (and relieved) to say that we just signed a lease that will give us a place to call home until the end of the school year.  Now that things are set in motion and many loose ends have been wrapped up I plan to spend the next two weeks painting before I have to start packing. So, I'll be back soon, sharing new work and more on what comes next, but for now I'm enjoying a brief state of grace where all is calm before the storm.  

Found...

Found

3" x 3.5"

Just wanted to share this new little piece. The secrets this tiny bit of metal may have locked away and the treasure it may have kept safe will always be a mystery but the powerful image of the key (and all it represents) speaks to me today.