Perfection…isms

  Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Do others think you’re a profectionist?   Or do you proudly proclaim you are not one at all?  I am talking about as an artist…not a brain surgeon. Is it bad to be a perfectionist?  That label kinda gets a bad rap. During one of my classes recently,  a student nonchalantly said she was not a perfectionist.  It got me thinking.  First of all,  I don’t expect any of my students to do things perfectly or hold themselves to the standards I hold myself as a professional artist.  I typically expect my students come…

The push, the pull….

When you plan for a getaway,  do you begin to tell yourself, ” I’m running out of time… I can’t go,… my house, my pets, my plants…. need me everyday”? Yes?  No?   I do. I always feel a push to get business tasks out of the way and a (constant) pull of tasks that seemingly need to be repeated.    So, before I take a much needed time off, I get very stressed trying to cover all my bases.  Somehow it all seems to work out.  But getting to the finish line can be exasperating. My nine year old granddaughter,…

Gently gliding into summer

I know it is still spring but Tucson is an exception.  However, the wicked triple digits have been staying off for a longer pleasant spring. I have been thoroughly enjoying the gardening/ wild flowering/ cactus blooming season in my tiny back yard.  I am surrounding myself with nature while I work on mosaic tile projects… (to be shown soon.  Bees, hummers, butterflies, families of Finches and Verdins  have a safe haven right here.  The littlest joys bring inspiration to my art creations. And I just have to say, Congratulations to my daughter, Shauna and her partner, Ryan, for giving birth…

30 Years and Little things.

  Wow!  30 years. This is an accomplishment.  It just dawned on me, as I was rushing out the door to be at another art show… this month, is my 30 year anniversary being a professional artist.   It’s true. In some ways I feel I have come full circle.  In most ways, I am still pushing, still creating, still striving for the accomplished skills, accomplished gallery, accomplished notary, accomplished level of comfort, lifestyle..on and on. I’m still striving to stay relevant, contemporary and relate-able.  Each piece I create…I imagine…do they get me?  Do they get what I’m trying to convey? …

Hot Days of July

Pretty hot indeed. But the garden doesn’t mind it.  I started a “monsoon garden” last week and everything is coming up nice and robust.  I had to hang a shade cloth over it though, so the little sprouts wouldn’t get burned.  It’s been 109 degrees here in Tucson.. ..I know, yuk! I have the screen over the seedlings because Cats you know. The middle photo is my herb garden.  The basil loves the heat.  And then a shot of my shade cloth because I’m  so proud I got it to hang so high and tight.   These days are so…

A Get Away in May

    Last month I was able to attend Art Biz Coach Mastermind in Santa Fe, New Mexico offered by Alyson Stanfield. One of my favorite places in the world.  I love Santa Fe not only for the art but also for its’ beautiful  reddish country side dotted with junipers, rushing rivers lined with cottonwoods and its famous Spanish colonial and pueblo architecture. Santa Fe is an art meca for all kinds of amazing art including Native American and southwest art.  I can’t even begin to express how inspiring it was for me to see all the amazing art. The…