Summer Update - Part 3

The next milestone after getting my studio in shape was to create a website for my artwork. That was certainly easier said than done! With a thousand page tome as my guide, I opened Dreamweaver and began to put it all together. Over to Illustrator to create a logo, into Photoshop to format the artwork, back to Dreamweaver. Trying to find a slide show application that I could afford (free) and that looked like I wanted took me through the internet feeling alot like Alice on a particularly bad day. Although there were times when I felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew, I finally was able to publish the site - www.whitemonkeyarts.com.

Why white monkey? Well, Carl Jung had a patient who recounted a dream in which a white monkey appeared. In the context of the dream, the monkey symbolized the positive qualities of childhood playfulness and was a symbol of creative experimentalism. For me, this little monkey seemed to be the perfect symbol for both my art and how I would like to live my life.

Summer Update - Part 2

After a great weekend with the Virginia posse, it was time to tackle the next big project - getting my studio cleaned up and organized. That meant getting rid of things that had been in my way, literally and figuratively. What I couldn't sell on Craigslist got picked up by Goodwill, including those shoes that I had promised myself to get rid of if I found a pair of yellow ones. Once all the unneeded stuff was gone, I started building work surfaces and storage units. Using 2x2s and fishing line, I made three separate units to house paintings. I had already built a flat file for works on paper and that fit perfectly under the hollow core doors that I used for the worksurface. Finally, I hung four more shelves and a second wall lamp. All my paintings and supplies now have a home and I have a 14' work surface to spread out on. It is glorious to have a workable studio space.

Summer Update - Part 1

With friends coming in for a long weekend in June, my "honey do" list took on aspects of Joyce's Ulysses - sort of a stream of conscious compilation of everything that needed to be done around the house. Curtains to be made, guest rooms redecorated - you know - stuff that had been on the "would be nice" list for years. True to form, I had a special project of my own - remaking the screen door on the back deck. I found the wood pieces at a local salvage yard which is just a treasure trove of random things. A few coats of sky blue paint, new screening and the scraps I had assembled and voila! I love it! It is just the right degree of funkiness to symbolize the change of direction that has occured in my life.