Eye Strain

It has been difficult to find time to finish some new work. My in-laws are headed our way this weekend and I was hoping to send them home with lots of prints and pieces, but I've been waiting for supplies and have not had a chance to do anything. I'm customizing some Black Dog Canoe Co. pieces for some different lakes in Vermont and New York. Should have some old but "new" work up on Etsy in a couple of days.

One Down

Very busy, exhausting first week of school. I got very little artwork done during the week. Looking forward to getting up early Saturday, having some coffee, and spending the entire day drawing and working on some in-progress illustrations. I have a lot of prints that need to get shipped to Vermont, so hopefully I'll have everything ready by Monday. I have a couple new lumberjacks I'm looking forward to finishing up--especially their beards.

Hours

First day of the new school year today. I have a new role this year as department chair, which means I have fewer classes, but it seems like I have more work and less time than before. After finishing up some school work I was able to spend some time packaging prints and panels to ship to buyers. I'm trying to get a dozen pieces shipped up to Stowe, Vermont to the Stowe Craft Gallery next week. Looking forward to the weekend and hope to find some time to work on some new drawings for autumn.

New Print

Posted a new Lumberjack print on my Etsy page. http://www.nativevermont.etsy.com

Back to Skool

Today was the first day of faculty meetings at Lake Forest Academy, the boarding school where I teach visual arts in northern Chicago, Illinois.

Things are getting very busy and I'm hoping I'll have some time to work on drawings and panel work once school jumps into full gear. It has been strange to be back at my "job" and doing other things as I pretty much worked on artwork most of the day everyday from July through August. I got a lot of artwork done this summer -- maybe 25 finished images. I still have a few dozen images in process, and another few dozen ideas sketched and maybe even more just in my head. I remember when I started it was difficult to get things the way I wanted, but after sitting 6-8 hours at a time and just working it was as if I was going through conditioning! I was able to draw the way I wanted and actually became more creative the more I worked. It makes sense, but I have never in the past devoted so much time to working on drawings like this. There is something to be said for a having a studio and a place where you only do your work and you are free from distractions. Of course, it's also nice to see your work as it progresses, which encourages you to keep working.

My goal is to not get bogged-down this year with "job" things and try to make time at the very least on my weekends to keep drawing--and finishing some of these pieces in my head.

Iowa On My Mind

Had a great weekend in Bettendorf, Iowa at a fundraiser for my nephew. Played some really terrible golf, but it was for a good cause! On our way out of town today we stopped at a couple of home decor stores in Le Claire, IA. One really cool store was POSH HOME. http://www.poshhomeleclaire.com/

They had really nice stuff and a great setup. My brother and I spoke with the store manager about carrying some of our pieces and she was very enthusiastic, so we'll need to start thinking about some Iowa-themed pieces ASAP. Rolling hills, farmers, scarecrows, the Mississippi river, and horses are just a few things that came to mind instantly. I'm back to school in less than two weeks and I have a thousand drawings I want to make!

Sent a huge shipment of items off to Middlebury, Vermont last week. Hoping everything arrives safe and sound! Tomorrow we're hoping to get the website polished up and get some new work online....then maybe spend some time drawing some new stuff. I finally got a banner finished for my Etsy page, so we're making some progress!

Long day, but I got a lot of work done. I'm headed to Iowa on Friday for a golf outing supporting my nephew Jack who has Hunter's Syndrome also known as MPS. (http://www.heresjack.com). I'm hoping to get some pieces out to stores before the weekend. Looking forward to seeing Jack and the rest of the family in Iowa.

August 1st. Hard to believe the summer is almost over. I've been working on lumberjacks and polar bears and trying to get into the winter mindset creatively. I need to get outside tomorrow and enjoy the weather before it's actually winter!