Assembly Required

No floor in the studio yet, but my drawing table arrived. Unassembled. The three most feared words in the English language are "Some Assembly Required." Sometimes it is even called "Easy Assembly."  That's when you know to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.  Last week, besides the table we were also blessed by a chair and also a bench that needed some assembling.  The problem seems to be that most assembly instructions were written by aliens. And no, by that I don't mean people from other countries. These directions came from a galaxy far, far away - a planet where Part A connects to number 57, and the round peg actually does fit in a square hole, where triangles have four sides and left means right. Fortunately I am married to a man who is a genius at putting things together, so in each instance the end result bore a reasonable resemblance to the picture on the box. Not because of the clear, concise directions but because of Larry's great mind and perseverance.

At this point the drawing table is sitting by a big window in the living room.  Out of respect to the carpet and furniture,  I have to refrain from using any messy art materials, but I am grateful for a place to dream and to plan and to sketch. For now charcoal and graphite pencils will have to do, but it will be a thrill to unpack the pastels and paints when the studio floor is finally finished.  There are commissions to do, and paintings to paint - and they are waiting for me!

Waiting for the Sunshine

Waiting for the Sunshine

White Cat in the Window

Pastel 9 x 12

There are things to do,  people to see, money to spend and here we are stuck behind a window on a dreary, windy day. Lately it seems all we do is wait for the sun. Even indoor kitties like to have a little sunshine now and then.

We have been waiting for new flooring for the studio in our new home, and now it seems we must wait a little longer.  While removing the old carpet, the installers discovered a very soggy board in the sub flooring. They traced the problem to a leak between the siding and the window trim. Freaky, but fixable. Of course the new floor can't go in until everything is repaired, so a little more delay.  But I am grateful for this one - grateful we chose this larger room for our studio, grateful we decided that laminate hardwood flooring would be better for a studio than carpeting, grateful the heavy rain caused this problem to show up before things really deteriorated.  So there is a silver lining of sorts to these dark clouds, but I am still praying for sunshine.

Waiting for a floor

This and other paintings available through my online Gallery

The Creative Spirit Gallery Art by Della Burgus

Good-bye, Hello

A New Thing

Having a new home is an exciting and wonderful experience. Being able to live life on one level is a dream come true and I love our spacious, open floor plan. No more going upstairs to bed, or down stairs to do laundry. Yes, there is a finished, walk-out basement,  but I am not required to go there on  a daily basis. Only when I feel like it.  On the other hand, there are things I will miss about Woodward.  It is never easy to say good-bye to long time friends and good neighbors, but it is not as if we are moving to the other side of the world - or even the other side of the state. When the dust settles a little, I hope I will still be getting together with my painting partner Avis now and then.  No matter how tough or chaotic life becomes, painting and good fellowship always makes it better

I will miss my studio squirrel friend. He lives in the large tree outside my window and has become the subject of many drawings and paintings. He is also very good company and something of a comedian, often providing a much needed break from very intense work.

"Tiger Cat on A Red Chair," Pastel

Another furry friend,  the neighborhood cat, Maow.  I am sure he goes by other names aw well, but when I asked him "What is your name?" he said, "Maow,"  so that is how I always address him, and he always answers. He has become quite adept at squeezing through the door whenever it is opened, even just a crack.  I will miss him, but he has a home of his own, so he is OK. Not homeless, just sociable.

It hasn't been easy to leave our studio - so many good memories! But, I am also excited about setting up new creative spaces in our new home.  For our studio/office we chose the largest of the two guest bedrooms on the main floor. I felt a little guilty about this at first until we compared the number of days we expect to have overnight guests to the amount of time I will spend in the studio. No contest. If we ever decide to open a bed and breakfast (NOT on my bucket list. BTW) that might change, but for now this is the new Creative Spirit Studios. Of course it will require a few alterations. The carpet must go. Pencil and colored pencil artists and some who work in collage or acrylic may be trusted to work in a carpeted room, but I don't even want to try, especially not with pastel.  It has a mind of its own and a life of its own. Sometimes all I can do is get out of its way and watch it fly. Right now this does not look like much of a studio,  but imagine it with hardwood laminate flooring,  drawing tables, easels and special lighting.  It will take a while - two weeks just to have the flooring installed; the rest will follow in its own good time. I am learning a lot of patience with this move, especially with myself.  More photos will come.