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26 July 2010

Swimming Dolphins and Seventy Seven

Hello again!

So it has been a little while since I've posted, mostly due to the fact that I've been running around quite a lot lately. I've also been reading quite a lot. I've reread one book, have another to reread, and a list of close to 6 to work on... yikes. Summer is book season for me... I'm loving it.

I've finished a mural! It was for a good friend of my mom and her name is Dee. It was on a cinderblock wall in her backyard by her pool. It was a blast to paint, especially with her young son, Michael, wanting to help the whole time. The only thing that made it difficult was the weather. First it was so hot and humid that I couldn't trust that the paint would even dry, so I waited for the humidity to cool down. Once it did, I got started... and the next day it rained. And the next. For almost 5 days I was postponed again because of the rain. Finally the rain stopped... and the heat returned-- full force. But I kept going, painting in that awful 100 degree heat for as long as I could stand up without getting too hot! It took much longer than I had expected but I think it turned out pretty well!

The mural, with a fish and starfish painted by little Michael.

A close-up of the dolphin with a stalking shark in the background.

In the backyard.

Besides that, I start the mural for Seventy Seven Kids in the Cherry Hill Mall this weekend! I am beyond excited. I work with 2 kids for 2 hrs everyday, in three 2-hr shifts with the kids per day. The company sent me an elevation of what the mural is going to look like... but I'm not sure I can share it? There will certainly be pictures when it's finished though!

I'm still working on my plans for a trip abroad. I'm still not sure of the length of time... or the time of year actually. Originally, my thoughts had been to travel in the spring while the weather isn't too hot and before the tourists start arriving in droves. However, I've been looking into the city and country's yearly events... and so many happen in the summer! Not only that, but there are workshops and art summer sessions I can sign up for! But I also figure that when I am older and (hopefully!) a college professor or art teacher at least, I'll have the summer off to travel if I choose. I almost feel that if it's feesible for me to go in the spring, in such a beautiful time of year... why not do it now? So now I don't quite know what to do. Maybe make the longer trip for the spring and in a year or 2 do the summer thing? Or vice versa? I have no idea. I have to talk to my friend(s) who are coming with me too.

Still working on the studio space in my basement too. I moved things around so that I feel like I have more of my own little space.
I'm working on a table (either finding or building one), and putting up a dense cork wall or a drywall on my one large wall to do some really large paintings. The one thing that I haven't come up with a solution for is difficult. One of our cats has... how to say this... a "bowel problem"? Needless to say, it makes conditions down there a little stinky at times. Not pleasant. But I'm working on that too I guess?

I almost forgot... VACATION!!! I'm my opinion of paradise. My family and I are going back to Hilton Head Island, SC for a week. This will make it our 18th family vacation there. I literally cannot wait. We used to go every summer until I was about 16. We went again 2 years ago, and my friends and I took a trip down 2 years before that. I've been to a lot of places-- a lot of truly beautiful places-- but there is nothing like crossing the bridge onto the main road... riding bikes through the golf courses at night... the Shelter Cove marina... the lagoooooon!... crabbing in said lagooooon... sitting on a beach where you aren't within earshot of the next group on the beach... fresh caught seafood... the striped lighthouse... sighhh. There will be a handful of quality pictures of this, too. T-minus 11 days.

I think that will wrap it up. Ci vediamo!

03 July 2010

Art Gigs!

Lots of new things!

First of all, I'm starting Dee's mural after this coming weekend. Buying the paints and everything Monday after work, then hopefully starting to paint on Tuesday. However, Tuesday is supposed to be obscenelyyyy hot... so I might go down the beach or paint at home instead. Her mural is outside with little shade, so I don't know how long I'll last out there. She does have a pool though... :)

Second, I got a second art gig! I emailed about a job on craigslist for an artist to paint a background for a window display in a store in the Cherry Hill Mall, and I got it! I just found out a few days ago, but yay! It's pretty big, 16'x6' and at first glance it looked pretty complicated. But now after checking it out a bit more, I'm sure I can handle it. And I'm so excited!!!

Besides that, not much else new. More ot come soon!