A new week….

Last week was a big one for me. I had been getting ready for two art shows that ended up being back to back, Thursday and Friday. Preparing for something like this is always a bigger deal than I think it will be and I end up sacrificing some things I’d rather not. (Usually that means long walks with Jimmy and the dogs!!😩) I’m still learning how to manage the business side of my art as well as the social side of putting myself out there when I need to; sometimes I feel really good about it and sometimes I feel like I’m dog-paddling in mud.

I must admit, however, I had the best time at both of them. The Thursday event was a combo meet me, the artist, and taste Lalo tequila. Not a bad set up, to say the least. I gave my first artist talk at this event and fortunately, I didn’t know I was going to do it until the night before so I didn’t have time to plan what to say and get all nervous. I think that sometimes it’s easier when we show up and just be ourselves and say what’s in our heart. It was a special evening and I’m so grateful for the Brumbaughs inviting me to do this.

Friday was the open studio with Fort Worth artists Maryann Brummer and Doug Clark. We completely filled my studio so it looked like an explosion of color and amazing art. (People were blown away with how amazing it looked.) The rain let up soon after it started and the people began arriving. I met so many new people and had the best conversations. And sold some art!!!

And then came Saturday and Sunday……I felt like I’d run a marathon!! I was completely wiped out and could hardly function. Do you ever get that way? I know that, for me, the being “on” can exhaust me so I”m sure that those two days of being center stage were enough to stop me in my tracks. And stop I did.🤗 Sort of, for two days anyway. There’s still the part of delivering paintings, shipping paintings, getting paperwork organized and filed, etc. But the big part has paused for a bit.

So for the next few weeks I’m going to slow down on painting a bit and begin to focus on what my summer art schedule will look like. We head to Santa Fe at the end of this month and will stay there until mid September so everything will shift a bit. I love to explore new ways to create in the summer and play with new tools. It’s always a slower time to reflect and enjoy family, friends, nature and whatever God has in His plans for me. I look forward to it! I’ll keep you posted on what it looks like as I go along.

That ‘s it for today. I hope your week is wonderful. tootles