Yesterday was such a wonderful day, great visits, and wonderful "picking." However, I awoke in a full on desperate realization.
There is no more lagging. The paintings must be completed. The plates must be fired, the sculptures beg to be created. And the next bi-yearly artists studio tour is the weekend of March the 31st. I am in Frantic mode. No more fun and games. Got to get working, NOW!
I am waiting for my pottery clothes (pottery-which I should have been at at 9a.m., it is now 10:57) to wash while writing this post and I am feeling like a pressurized bottle. You know when you just wake up with this huge weight on you and you see everything you have to do is less than two months away. AAAgggghhhh!!!! I have a lot to do. Nevermind that I have the gallery completely torn up as I like to give it a new look for every tour.
What I do is, I keep my studio private but I turned this little building on the property, that I adore, into a "little barrio style funky girl in the country gallery." I did this about 3 years ago and I am a location for the Catalina artists studio tour. You might ask why I am freaking out??? If you can imagine this, it takes 3-4 weeks for a batch of little plates to be completed and about 2 weeks for oils to completely dry, even with the pale drying oil…And, what do I have started? Oh, maybe 15 plates!!!!! Now you see my pain.. I need help breathing…Also, every item in the shop is made by "MOI", and most of the pottery has sold, which is good, but!!!! Yikes again…..Breath……
Okay, enough of that, let's put it in the back of our minds for now…And, Let's Switch to the "Picking" and the visits…I bribed Dino to go into the world with me and deliver cookies. We had a fun time, singing and laughing in the car. We even did a surprise delivery to Bonnie, the owner of "Bon," when we ran into her daughter Crystal who informed us that she had a morning burial. Her old chicken, Hennie, had passed away. So, Bonnie was very happy to receive a Valentine. Then we went to one of my beloved's homes and guess what we found???? Hundreds of Lemons and Oranges! I mean Hundreds. What I took filled a box and a huge bag. And still, you could not even tell citrus thieves had been there.
Can you believe how many lemons and oranges I picked. Every time I would pull a lemon from the tree, 5 would come tumbling down. I was afraid that one would knock me out. The lemons remind me of Spring, and I intend to make a huge pitcher of fresh lemonade this weekend. I think I might share the box full at pottery (oh, you can catch a glimpse of me when I was young and free in the pic behind the box, an 18 year old me, those were the days… what happened!!! TIME. It goes by so fast). I also got to visit my Piano. The one that came to me in a dream last year, telling me exactly where it was and what it looked like and what year it was. And, voila, I went to the store the next morning and it "WAS" there!!! It really was.
I had to find my sister so she could bribe a friend, with some dollars of course, to haul the thing out of the store!! The story still gives me the chills. Well, there were gypsy witches in my family… who knows… Hmmm, maybe I should get a crystal ball??? Scary….Spooky! Nevermind! Oh, I just can't wait to get my hands on this piano like I did to La Pianola, who lives in my home.
I need a mansion!!! Then I can put my three pianos in there…My treasures galore…And you girls can come visit and play!!! Wouldn't that be lovely… I can see it now… I will go into the rest of my day thinking such thoughts… And, maybe it could happen one day? You never know??? Let me whip up a quick drawing…That makes it more real….You kow, visualize it and it shall happen, or something like that…
hi babe keep up the good work. I Know the feeling! I can’t even keep up with my blog…that is sad. Nice work …..best of luck—-Meesh
Why did you delete my previous comment??? I don’t censor the comments you leave on my page. Hey, I think the saying is, if you build it they will come. The day you get a mansion, I will personally wrap all your things in bubble wrap and hand carry them to your new place. Hazel invited us to her 60th birthday party. I would like it if you could come with me.
It was not me. It was the elves. You were a cute baby and an even cuter little girl. Let’s go have a rootbeer float together. And a patty melt??? Whatta you say???
Maybe you need a Silver Palace that has like 50 stories… or 50 trailers? Either way, sounds like a fun time!
oh my poor dear! it will all work out. keep taking those deep breaths and take it one plate at a time. i love your drawings. have i told you you should have a comic! it would be fabuloso! kind of dame darcy-ish. please!!!
and i am so visiting your mansion. let’s have a pajama party!
Your drawnings make me smile, they just hit the emotion on the spot. I´m still lurking around your block(blog, LOL).hugs.
Wish I could come and create with you!
You will get it all done! It’s creative adrenaline that assures it. And oh, can I bring my piano to the mansion?! She needs a tune-up. And let’s have a lemon tree on the land, and a cherry tree, and bake lemon cakes and cherry chocolate cakes and wear big floofy dresses and costume jewelry and run up and down squeaky creaky steps with our skirts swishing!
Ahh, that’d be the life.
Oh the piano is lovely…And I think it would be a nice addition to the singing group we’ve come up with…and with all the room in the mansion, and all the extra girls it will be just wonderful! The lemons are gorgeous…and yummy looking as well (darned the time that goes by. 18 one minute…and the next…well, um not so 18) I Think sipping lemondae in between all the breathing and creating will make for a fun and exciting weekend…don’t you??
Most artists are procrastinators arent they…you will meet your deadline…just breathe…
Love your little drawings..so sweet! and how pretty are you!!!
we have a lemon tree in our garden – fresh lemonade sounds yummy…I wish I knew how to play the piano,intoxicating music!
Build your mansion so we can all come to visit and stay a while…that would be fun!
oooo I knew you had gypsy witch blood in you…we are bonded you and I….my ancestors got kicked out of Canada for practicing magic and then relocated to new Orleans….
any way….get to work, I need to do the same thing, If you need a stress relief I am having ab blog slumber party all weekend.
xoxoxoxo
I think pianos are wonderful things to have in homes. I never got past the resentful key thumping from piano lessons I thought I wanted, but the potential to make music is there when a piano is in the house. Best of luck with the open studio preparations – it will be fabulous, but maybe make a list or two, breaking things down into smaller more manageable bits always makes things seem less impending doom for me. That and keep thinking of pianos.
Sometimes the best work comes out when you’re under super-duper pressure. And I would totally come visit your treasure mansion. I don’t play piano but I can spin around in circles while you play. 🙂
Could you bring some of your fresh lemondade to Jenn’s Virtual Slumber Party this weekend? Yummm! Those lemons are beautiful!!
Just for the record, the walk-in closet I enjoyed for 5 months out of my life in the spring of 1999 is at our parents house. My bedroom at our house now is about the same size as that walk in closet. I only have one Vera Wang dress and it is in black box storage. Why are you deleting all my comments?? I let you make me look like an ass with the comments you’ve been posting on my page this week.
Oh Vanessa, you are the funniest girl in the world. I love your cute illustrations, hope you get lots of crafting done over the weekend, I’m glad most of your pottery has sold (do they really take that long to complete)? I would love to visit your mansion, I bet it’ll be a treasure chest to be opened and you being Alice(in wonderland), we can have the best tea parties, I’ll have a lemonade please!!
He there busy bee!You are doing such a great job.I love the arts they are so versatile.I hope to see more soon after the weekend.Have a fun weekend and I hope you can get some rest too!!xoxo desirée
..BREATHE.. that must be the “in” thing here lately. Now go get to work..LOL
Vanessa, your pen and ink drawings make my day. Your shop looks amazing, your pottery is awsome! Good luck with all your projects. I know what you mean about the pressure. I am 16 orders behind, it makes your stomach hurt a little, but selling your own art is living the dream!