Now I know why!

I am sick. I've developed a nasty cold and didn't get to the Echanicea fast enough. I always seem to do this when I have a big event planned--like our trip to the States on Monday. I have the grandchildren coming over tonight and I'm supposed to be working at a charity garage sale tomorrow, as well as a class at Mrs. Twitchett's in the afternoon. All I want to do is go back to bed--and maybe I will.

Still at it!!

No luck again yesterday! I just seem to be all at sea these days. I can't even say that I'm enjoying a good book- because I'm not! We wanted to go riding this morning, but it's a little cold (-5C), although there is no wind. Maybe if it warms up we'll get out there. But, I have vowed to get into the studio today and not to let anything interrupt me. Haven't made it so far! I think I'm going to have to revert back to my working days and start writing up and prioritizing a "to do" list.

Still procrastinating!

Yesterday I went to my grand daughter's school for "GrandParents' Day". Only when I got there did I find out that I was supposed to be there for my grand son as well! There were grand parents everywhere! They finally got us al corraled in the main foyer and then the children came and took everyone into the gym, where they had tables set up with little paper placemats and plates of cookies. That is everyone except three of us, who had no children come and were left standign inthe foyer. The Principal came and asked who we were there for,and we discovered that our grand children were in the choir, and were already set up in the gym. So we went and ended up standing at the back. The choir sang three songs and left and then the prinicpal spoke for a few minutes telling us that our children would come to pick us up after recess, so that we could go and spend some time in class with them. But in the meantime we could have cofffee and eat the cookies. So I spent about 25 minutes in class with my GD playing Go Fish and going over her flash cards, and then another 20 minutes in class with my GS answering questions from a specially prepared questionnaire, that had been designed to show us both how much we really have in common. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, and it was quite an experience.

On the way home, I stopped to look for a white shell to go with my summer suits. I found two of them, one more formal than the other. Then I spent about an hour going over my whole wardrobe, and getting rid of old or worn clothing. My wardrobe has really reached a crisis point. I've bought very little over the past four years, and what I do have has become stained from all of the painting and dyeing I do. Some of my trousers have just plain worn out. ( I don't know why. I've only been wearing them for 8-10 years). Then I sent my DH out to buy himself some clothing. What a battle that is!! And we've learned not to go together! He needs pants, shirts and a new belt. Anyway, he came home almost three hours later with a dollar and a half worth of Jujubes, and two tomato plants. Nothing else.

Distractions!!

I keep getting distracted from my work. Or am I just procrastinating? I re-read my last posting and realized that I had said that I was looking for more "cooperative" groups. That can sure be taken the wrong way! The groups I'm joining are "co-ops" as in marketing co-operatives. The groups I'm leaving are special interst groups, and have been mainstays in my life for as many as 35 years--and as cooperative as any groups can be--sometimes yes, sometimes no. (lol)

Sunday DH came into a wee bit of money, unexpectedly, so yesterday we spent the whole day running around paying bills, and looking at a few things on our wish list. I bought more shoes--I'm becoming a shoe slut! Then I went to my artist support group --Ravenesque--where, after Show'n'Tell, we watched two of my Quilting Arts TV video's. They sure look different on a big screen! I love these video's and now my friends do too. I've pre-ordered the second series, which should be available in June, and I can't wait. The ladies of Ravenesque have started planning our summer studio day, and I think we are going to be taking a technique off the video--fabric paper- or paper fabric-which ever works. I've certainly done this before, but the video showed an extra step that I want to try. Now, I know me. I will be wanting to try this now, instead of working on the jobs and deadlines that are piling up for me. I've never been a person who placed any value on delayed gratification! I really have problems waiting for anything. We'll see how this one works out for me!

new support group

This week I joined the group "Mentoring Artists for Women's Art (MAWA). I went to a wonderful presentation there a couple of months ago ( Martha Cole on her art), a panel discussion this week on marketing and self promotion, and yesterday a talk on the value of the Manitoba Craft council. As an unemloyed pensioner the membership was only $15/year, and I'm impressed with what I've seen so far. From what I gathered yesterday, a membership in the Crafts Council (MCC--which also stands for Mennonite Centreal Committee--confusion there!) might be well worth the price as well. At least it would give me access to local shows. I really feel that I'm in a transitional stage in my career as an artist. I'm leaving the special interest groups behind and moving on to more cooperative groups that focus on a variety of art areas. Whether this will work out in the long run, I have no idea, but the journey is exciting so far.

Busy weekend

Last evening DH and I went to the opening reception of the show where my pieces are hung. It was neat to see them up there with the painting. There were also some very, very nice fused glass pieces. I knew that this woman was a potter, but didn't realize that she also worked in glass. It was also great to see strangers actually looking at my pieces with a great deal of interest. Tomorrow I have volunteered to sit in the gallery for 5 hours ( fool that I am), but I have been told that I can take something to work on while I'm there. I'm not sure the gallery owner knew that I was the "fibre person" when she said that, but we'll see how she reacts when I haul in my floor frame and start stitching! I've started putting together a piece that will be a sample for this course I'm working on. I wanted to go through the process again before I started to write down things. I wanted to take pictures along the way, and I will, whether they will be used in the instructions or not. I'm also working on a small hanging that I need to have mostly finished before participating in a class next Saturday. I had it all pinned together yesterday, but then felt that something wasn't "right", so I left it on the design wall to percolate. I think I now know what I need to do, but I'm not sure if it's possible. So that has to be taken care of this morning, so that I can take it along tomorrow to work on if there's time.

And--I found out that there is a big quilt show in Morden this weekend, but now that I'm committed to other things, it looks like I'm going to miss it. It's usually a very traditional show, but an event none the less, and there are often vendors attached. But then I look at the price of gas, and figure that it's just as well that I can't go. If I bought the gas, I couldn't afford to shop at the vendors.

Re-inventing myself--again

The last few days I've been trying to get myself sorted out and organized in terms of what sort of goals I need to have for my fibre art. Tuesday, I attended a session through an organization called "Mentoring Artists for Women's Art". It was a panel discussion on how to market yourself as an artist, and how to facilitate getting yourself into galleries etc. One comment really struck home. She said that opportunity doesn't really coming knocking at the door, that you have to get out and look for it. When I look at myself, I realize how very reactive I've become, rather than pro-active. Then I had to ask myself which I prefer. I wasn't really impressed with the answer I got. So-o-o--I have an opportunity to move into teaching fibre art beyond the local level. But, I would be a very small fish in a very big pond, and it will take a lot of time and energy to try to take advantage of this opportunity--and I could still be turned down. However, I'm getting a lot of encouragement and I think I'm going to try. The deadline is a week after the second of the two big sales I have coming up this summer. In that same time frame, I would have to have my entry for the 2008 Journal Quilt challenge submitted. This all means "hard time" in the studio over the next couple of months.