I find it amusing some of the stereotypes about artists. One of my favorite is that it must be nice to sit around and paint and drink coffee all day. It must! I'd love to try that!

In reality, there is a lot of work on the front end of painting and a lot on the back end too...especially when it come to sharing and showing your work. I create to communicate; not sharing isn't really an option. This year's show is called Variance.

I spent hours and hours cleaning and staging my space and today, I spent a couple hours tearing down. More accurately, it is tearing down all the "dolling-up" I did to my space to make it show ready.

After getting my space ready last week, there wasn't any painting going on; my painting surfaces had tablecloths covering them! Today, all of the displayed items needed to be removed and relocated and I still have to re-locate many of my supplies that should be in a certain place. Should be, but there are no guarantees.

Functional item temporarily placed in storage must come out. Decorations borrowed from home need to be loaded up and hauled out to the vehicle, trip after trip.

Between the front end preparation for an event and the back end are precious slivers of time to create. As I write, am pondering what to paint. My brushes are out and there is clean water in the jar on my old drafting table covered in familiar paint, not a tablecloth.

Even though the prep and tear down work seems tedious at times, it is worth it in the end.

I create to communicate. One way I hope to communicate that I am glad you are here is by making my studio inviting. Whether you read about my art, look at my work online, or stop by and see it, I am grateful for the opportunity to share.

My studio is still nicely ready to show you featured art. But, my workspaces are ready to get messy! Contact me if you see something you like or would like a studio tour. Variance will be on display through the end of this year.

Now, it is time to paint!