Tree House

Nice message I received through Etsy today about my Keewaydin print from someone browsing my shop: http://www.nativevermont.etsy.com.
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Okay, this is funny.
I randomly clicked on your whale print off the front page and stumbled upon this.
Last weekend my family spent our 16th year at Keewaydin for our family reunion.
We've been able to use the camp because Abbott Fenn is my cousin.
It was bitter sweet because this was our last year there and i've spent a good chunk of my life visiting with family there. It was such a nice surprise to click through your work and see this. It made my day.

brie
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Seems as though my lack of sleep has caught up with me and I'm a bit under the weather with sinus-congestion-headache-thingy. I'm trying to make the most of my weekends now that we're back to school, but it seems like Saturday and Sunday fly by and I accomplish a fraction of what I planned. Nevertheless, I was able to fill most of my orders and I'm hoping to get ahead this week so that I can draw some new pieces next weekend.

I bought some really nice paper today, but I'm trying to forget that it is really nice. There's something about crisp, clean, expensive paper that makes me very cautious about drawing, which is counter-productive when you buy paper for drawing. As I leafed through the paper at the store I fantasized about having this tall, tree house-like studio in Vermont where I would sit up on the top floor and draw all day. The studio would be full of really nice paper and I would not be afraid to draw all over it.

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!