Open Studio

Well. Thailand certainly does have it’s moments.  Like climbing endless stairs, lotus flowers in hand, to visit a buddhist temple with thousands of Thai students. Like chaotic tuk-tuk rides, careening around corners like a wind-up toy gone awry. Like the night markets with their endless lit stalls. Like the street food everywhere, with it’s myriad smells and textures (mmmm…fried banana). Like the lethargic dogs, their panting bodies draped over the sidewalks of Bankok, sleeping in the heat.  Like incense burning in front of the spirit houses in the morning. Like the high hum of cicadas at night, near the Burmese border. Like seeing a white lotus flower as big as my head. Like the sudden afternoon downpour after a muggy, 100 degree morning. Like sipping many, many iced teas with my sweetie.  Like chasing hundreds of toads around outside our bungalow at night. Don’t even get me started on the curries.

spirit house

Now, if only I could get back into the swing of things here.  I arrived home a week ago, but it seems as if pieces of my self are still arriving, like little packages to be unpacked. Slowly, slowly, I’ve been coming back to earth, back to my routines. Yesterday I spent some time in my studio, preparing some new panels for painting. The day after I got back from my trip, I delivered some pieces to a gallery in San Francisco for a group encaustic show there.  I’ll have the info for you all very soon…..

And now, I’m off for some 4th of July and birthday celebrations with my family. Happy 4th to you all.

 Something new. 

Wing #2, mixed media and acrylic on canvas. 

 The warm weather this weekend got me out working in my yard instead of my studio, but I managed to get some work done last week. I started several new acrylic paintings, and am close to finishing a few others.  I packed and shipped some things to go to Atlanta.  I had the hardest time finding boxes for the artwork.  These paintings are not even that big - 24″x24″ - and yet, I couldn’t find anything big enough.  I looked into buying online, but the box companies want you to buy a lot of boxes.  You can’t buy just a few.  Minimum 25.  Ack!  It leaves me wondering what to do in the future - and how the hell to ship something that is 36″x36″?!  Or bigger?  Any wisdom out there?  I guess I have some research to do.  In the end, I just took them to UPS and had them build a custom box and pack it for me.  I thought I’d have to sell one of my children to pay for it.  SO, if any of you out there have any advice, I’d love to hear it.  I’ve been shipping small 12″x12″ pieces for so long, and so painlessly, that this just seemed so…. difficult. 

On a nicer note, I got a package myself last week that made me a very, very happy girl. Three tiny sets of wings.  A bit gruesome, I know,  but these birds were found, not killed for their wings.  A bit of them will live on as art. 

Thank you, C, for the fabulous surprise!