Blog

Sometimes life hands you lemons and you have to made lemonade. We've all heard that phrase but do we really know what it means? Well, those of us who travel through our art life with difficulties do. Early in the 1990's I was diagnosed with Rhuematoid Arthritis which is an immune system disease with many facets. Basically, your own body attacks itself usually in the fluid which surrounds all your joints and organs, well, just about everywhere. You can have flares(active ) and remissions(non-active), however, when you have a flare the damage is done and cannot be reversed. So you strive for those remission times in which you can have moments of "normal". Because of the damage though, you are forced to make changes in the way you live and move and work. To that end, I have tried to make my art journey easier and more productive. I have succeeded and also failed, but that is life-anyone's life. So I will be blogging about my journey and the steps I'm taking to achieve a more productive and easier art life. I'm starting with the biggest change in my plein aire adventures, my new art van. We purchased a 2017 Ford Transit with a medium hieight top. I immedialely bought a porta potty for it (as I suffer from IBSD which is a direct result of my RA). I am able to now travel and feel safe and free. It also has a smal mattress in it for those times when I am tired and need a short rest. Now, I'm ready to take it to the next level. I have designed new cabinets for each side of the van. One side will be table height which wil enable me to frame my paintings and anything else which requires a table. The other side will be bench height with a cushion for resting when I need to and it will be better because it will be off the floor and easier for me. All the cabinets will have storage for paints, canvases and panels, frames, and tools I will need for my plein aire journeys. I also travel with a folding chair and a rolling apparatus for getting my gear around as I have limited strength to cart things for plein aire. So, follow me as I work out the new travel and plein aire needs and continue on my art life journey. Thanks .