When Life Intrudes

I'm getting back into the swing of things at my easel after a chaotic couple of weeks.

To start with, I traveled down to Philadelphia to view the Cézanne and Beyond exhibition. It was quite a treat to see the variety of the artists who were influenced by Cézanne, although I believe that the exquisite watercolors of Charles Demuth stole the show. And I always appreciate the opportunity to gaze upon the frenetic works of Alberto Giacometti.

I needed that museum visit to get a creative boost. Because over the past 14 days, I've endured an outpatient surgery to help diagnose what the heck is wrong with my woeful hip (for all of you reading this, I definitely do not recommend injections into the hip joint. Egads), my husband had sinus surgery (he's doing much better now), and we had several windows replaced on our home. Including the windows in my studio. Yippee! No more feeling like an "ant beneath a magnifying glass" on sunny days. Oh, and I built a new 4' x 10' stone raised bed vegetable garden in our backyard with the help of our neighbor's teenage son, who did all of the heavy lifting. Let's hear it for teenagers!

Springtime, Philly 6 x 8 pastel on paper.

Suffice it to say, life has intruded a bit on my artwork. Things should be a bit calmer over the coming weeks. As I settle down into life back at my easel I am jumpstarting my mojo with a couple of "mini" pieces. These smaller format works are a balm for my soul when I need to pick up the rhythm of working.

Sunset Ridge 6 x 8 pastel on paper.

The first piece was inspired by my recent visit to Philadelphia and the second one captures a vista located just a moment from our home. Enjoy!