Saturday, December 29, 2007

nailed

I'm curious...is it possible to paint on a regular basis AND have nice-looking nails? My nails always look like crap and I think that one of the contributing factors may be because I am a painter. Of course, genetics and the fact that meticulous grooming was never emphasized when I was growing up may have something to do with it. I have always been a messy painter and it is guaranteed that while I am working I will end up with at least one of the following: paint on the floor, on my clothes, in my hair, on my face, under my nails.

My husband Terry and I are going to New Hampshire to spend New Year's Eve with his sister Heather. In short, Heather is beautiful inside and out. She is warm, kind, intelligent, fun, and always perfectly put together. To say that her nails are the opposite of mine would be accurate. My awareness of how bad my nails really are is always heightened when I am near her. Not because of anything she says or does, of course: she is not a judgemental or superficial person. However, I do have eyes, and I can't help but notice the disparity. Perhaps one of my goals for 2008 should be to find a way to work and pay attention to the appearance of my hands. I suppose I ought to take better care of what I hold my brush with. I practice yoga on a daily basis and yoga is all about finding balance, so maybe I can think about it in those terms. I'm sure that's not what the ancient yogis had in mind, but what the hell?

Saturday, December 15, 2007

my first entry!

Okay, this is my first time blogging and it feels weird. I've never been one to keep a diary or anything like that; whenever I would try it as a kid, after a few days I would read what I had written and inevitably tear it up. I don't really have any pearls of wisdom to impart, so if that's what you're looking for, you should probably go elsewhere. If not, feel free to stick around!

Is it okay to admit that I really don't like stretching my own canvas? I usually use the pre-stretched, pre-primed stuff and generally speaking, I have no complaints. I tried it again the other day...my staple gun kept jamming (which was aggravating) and I couldn't quite get the canvas tight enough. Perhaps I will bring it to the Art Guru tonight and see what Jeremy thinks about it (can this canvas be saved?).

Today is the opening of a holiday group show that I'm in at The Art Guru (104 Main St., Gorham, ME, 207-839-6138). All works on display are $199 or less and are supposed to be 12" x 12" or smaller. However, as everyone knows, artists don't like rules, so some entries are in fact larger. Jeremy, being fair-minded, decided to limit those entrants to just one piece (as opposed to two), which I think is a good compromise. The weather forecast is cold but clear, so hopefully the turnout will be decent. We'll see!