preachy writings
August 21, 2008
grapes!
Well, I wasn't expecting these vines to fruit at all this year since I planted them last year, but apparently my relentless pruning and fussing over them paid off. I might even get a small batch of wine out of them if the birds don't keep eating them.
Posted by blairanderson at 12:32 PM | Comments (1)
August 17, 2008
project on sunday
I finally got around to building this thing. I had cut the wood and stained it months ago and the pieces sat around waiting for today. Apparently not doing anything yesterday made the need to finish something even greater today. Of course I still need to finish staining the rest of the deck!!
deck trellis for wisteria
Posted by blairanderson at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2008
bye bye becca
Our special little restaurant will miss this special girl. A going away party was held after hours to say goodbye to Rebecca. After working and managing this place for two and a half years she is moving on to better things. More music and teaching and less serving wine to others. Funny how a little neighborhood haunt can become a hub of cheer, the people, like family.
The owner Walter with Micheal behind the bar, Luis and Ben, Bryan, Becca with champagne, Becca "86ed"
Posted by blairanderson at 06:32 PM | Comments (0)
frivolous but fun
Weird saturday. Normally raring to go to launch into all projects outdoors Bryan and I instead were meant to stay inside. Although we put on our grubbies and headed outside, a few shovels worth of gravel and we looked at each other knowingly...
I guess after all the work we did last weekend, we needed some time off.
So we headed inside for a somewhat do-nothing day. Actually Bryan can never "do nothing", he just isn't that kind of guy, so he poked away at email issues on my laptop while I regressed back to a kindergarten state.
When I embark on any design ideas regarding remodeling or otherwise I tend to keep a folder of clippings of images and articles that inspire me. I did it for the rooms in our house, and the outside.
So of course I am going to do it with Exnihilo.
But one thing I have never done is put those clippings together in some fashion such as collage. I never took the time or felt the need. But I thought this exercise would be good to shake some things loose and more importantly, land on an exterior color for our buildings. It is a very big decision and I have to give that info to our builders asap. So, saturday I sprawled out on our living room floor with scissors and glue.
It felt a little silly, but also a little therapeutic.
Back to kindergarten...
Posted by blairanderson at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2008
peace in process
Artist date had me working on exnihilo stuff until later in the day when I finally picked up the brush. I am liking the movement in this piece so far.
Posted by blairanderson at 12:14 PM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2008
serious progress
Shifting from show night to yardwork can make your head spin, especially if you don't get enough sleep, but we plunged in to saturday and sunday at full speed anyway. The weather was on our side as it was not as hot as before and Bryan and I mustered the strength to haul and set a ton of bricks.
Actually 2 tons of bricks...
Well, 4200 lbs to be exact. Each.
And that doesn't include all the gravel we shoveled and hauled as well.
Of course all that means is that upon getting up this morning neither one of us could move. It is like a crash course in body building. What is that creaking sound? Oh, it is my back.;-)
putting up the newly finished (old) handrail
installing the drainpipe
Believe it or not this isn't finished yet. We have two and a half more feet (up) to go on top of this. The design will change slightly as the rest will be a straight wall to be seen from both sides, not just a retaining wall. For visual interest we might just start that wall behind the existing one. Sometimes plans change as you go ;-) And then there is the lower, old existing wall that we (I) will be stucco-ing.
Posted by blairanderson at 07:58 AM | Comments (1)
August 09, 2008
bread crumbs of life
Can't go back to sleep. The voices came really early this time. Five thirty I was awakened by what I could call "the replay". I think it is an introverted thing. If I have had a very people interactive day it tends to revisit me the next day in an involuntary playback. Every conversation of the past evening came flooding in at five-thirty. Brain engaged...won't shut up.
You think it could have at least had the courtesy of waiting a few more hours.
Oh well, it is what it is. And it isn't so bad when it was such a great night.
Although this evening wasn't publicized and no invitations were sent, there were still a few folk that came out and viewed the work. And the "magazine person" actually did show up and I actually did give an interview. And I actually had half a brain(thankfully). It was pretty cool to have someone take an interest in the work enough to want to write about it... questions about color choice, motivation, "when did you know you wanted to be an artist"?...things like that.
and then the kind interviewer said...
"Tell me about your artist retreat, Exnihilo, we would love to promote that in the magazine".
yes.yes.yes.yes.yesssssss.
This is the kind of moment I think of as a bread crumb. Not a scrap from the table kind, but the kind that lead you on a journey aka Hansel and Gretel. One activity in life might propel another and in this little sleeper of a gallery, a show in a humble frame shop has turned up more tiny steps forward.
And there was more. One woman in particular mentioned that she thought my work would be great in the Strathmore and gave me a name...
"Talk to Millie".
As well as complementing my work and graciously comparing it to early Georgia O'keefe.(my jaw dropped as she said it)
Meanwhile, Daniel was following his own bread crumb. The gallery owner, Ginger prompted him to go talk to another gallery owner down the street who had seen his painting and showed an interested in his work. So he and his girlfriend Heather headed down there for a bit to make an appearance. Another opportunity door opened just a crack.
You never know where they are going to come from but when they show up all you have to do is follow the trail...
one bread crumb at a time.
Posted by blairanderson at 06:54 AM | Comments (1)
August 08, 2008
tonight!
How many mothers get this experience!
Posted by blairanderson at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2008
show held over for another month!
I am happy to say that Mcgees Gallery decided to have my show run for another month which includes another art walk reception this friday night. I'd love to say it was because my work was so very popular that it attracted crowds of people but the truth is I think the gallery owner just didn't want to bother taking it down to hang a new show ;-). But I am fine with that as long as it keeps getting wall space!
Having said that I am thrilled(and freaked out) that Washington's Finest Magazine is doing an interview tomorrow night at the reception. Pray I have half a brain to be able to say something intelligent about the work.
And the other great thing is that in all of this we get to promote Exnihilo. All the pennies made from the sales of my work are being funneled into our pet project so we are going to be plugging it to anyone who is standing still and willing to listen. I also embarked upon redesigning our flyer to address those special individuals that would be patrons. It is a new concept for me that used to hold a sense of taboo around it. Not anymore. We will be calling on the help both physical and financial from anyone who has a heart for this kind of thing.
Hey, it cant hurt. We have the passion and creative resources. Maybe someone else out there can provide the cash. We will see...
But back to the show...
Daniel will be joining the reception this time to take questions about his work (he has one piece hanging along with mine), so it is kind of a mother and son show, which is cool. Anyway...anyone who is in the neighborhood between 6 and 9 friday night (aug 8) please feel free to stop by for a glass of wine and conversation.
ignore the dates on the card... reception Aug 8, 6-9
Posted by blairanderson at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)