rewarding preoccupation

A question posed this week through an award given to me by the very talented yet insufficiently well known writer, Utah Savage, was to describe why I love blogging. The fact I post on a reasonably regular basis should indicate my interest in the pastime but I don't think I can honestly say I love doing it. There have been any number of posts in the past six months that could have heralded the final one.

I stay because of the connections I've made with all of you. Rather than putting my paintings in a portfolio never to be seen by anyone other than my husband and a few close friends I'm able to post them up here where you're kind enough to come by and say you like them. That means a lot to me. I don't think paintings are any more important than baking a nice cake but they're a different way of feeding people and no creative effort is done in vain.

It's the same with the scarves, little bags and jewelry. I have enough stuff around to stock a small corner on Etsy but that concept makes me very nervous. My reaction to being rejected by the formal arts community has always been to go back to my job on Monday morning where I'm appreciated for my ability to put in a good day's work and for my occasionally droll sense of humor. The regular paycheck has always been enough to fund the necessary supplies. That time will draw to a natural conclusion in the next year or two so I wonder about selling things I make (other than the paintings which I won't sell at all) but I can't be a factory.

Although I'm usually working on something I'm inconsistent about what I feel like doing on any given day. The purple scarf at the top was started last winter but was so time consuming I got bored and put it away for four months, only finishing it when I was home recuperating for a week. You can't very well have a business that way: 'Where's my scarf?' 'Well, I got bored and decided to paint two pictures instead.'

The other problem is not having a real workspace for the projects. Our apartment is a decent size but having a nine foot stretcher frame and all the accoutrements set up in the living room is noticeable. Fabric arts are like that and the only worse occupation I can imagine in that regard is weaving. If you weave you need a house and that's all there is to it. Watercolor supplies don't take up much space and I've spent more years working at a kitchen table than I ever have in what could be termed a formal studio. You just need some good lights.

I do appreciate the award, Utah, but won't be passing it on since my blog roll is so small. I enjoy visiting your site and a few others but I'm no natural at electronic communication and don't go round visiting linked blogs very much. I tend to be a bit reclusive and jealous of my free time (of which we all have a limited and diminishing amount).


I did finish the turquoise and olive scarf which now looks like this. It's next to impossible to photograph a doubled over and sewn 8.5 foot long piece but it is pretty.





PS: Crow says he's very glad I have a blog because his last bid for a tv show was rejected by Fox :-)