waiting...

The packing is finished, now it's just a matter of waiting till the movers get here in a couple of days. I leave this weekend. So I will be offline for a little while till I get to Portland. Till, then, take care everyone and I will be posting in a couple of weeks.

more pages

Another journal page....

more old journal pages

Another old journal page.....

open figure drawing session

There was an open figure drawing session yesterday at MCC, arranged by my life drawing teacher. It was so good to go, to draw and spend some time doing art. I didn't realize how much I needed to do this until afterwards. On the way there, I was in an out of sorts mood, feeling pretty annoyed at everything. Then I drew, and I felt better. I think the drawing helped me regain some balance that I sorely needed. There's another session coming up the week of 6/25 that I'll be attending, so I'll have another chance to draw from life.

another page

Another old journal page. This one needs some writing and doodling to finish it. Will post again when it's in the final stage.

items found while packing

Found a journal buried under a pile of other books while packing today, and scanned in some pages. The journal is from about 3 years ago while I was making the decision to accept the buyout my business partners offered me. I wanted to do more art at that time, and this journal was a start in that direction. Will be sharing more pages in the days ahead.

journal page

Am working in my little journal, just drawing as things are being packed up every day and I don't have access to my usual supplies. Maybe it's good; it's forcing me to draw, to think creatively with very few materials. Not having the security of everything handy has been interesting.

small journal page

Finally sat down the other night and worked in my small journal. It felt so good to do that. All this moving stuff has everything in chaos, my studio looks like a bomb hit it, and I'm at least a month and a half out from getting everything settled. I've kept a little "journal kit" out, so I'll be able to do a little bit anyway during this time of upheaval and resettling.

I'm leaving Phoenix on 6/30, hoping to arrive in Portland on 7/1. It's a 2o hour drive, over 1300 miles. I'll get there, spend a couple of days with my friends while I buy a bed and basic supplies to get me going in my new place. IKEA opens 7/25 there, so I will be waiting a bit to get some furniture, etc. from there. It will be bare bones for about a month. I won't set up my new studio until after I get bookshelves, etc. to store all my supplies.

I also plan to hit lots of garage sales for furniture that I can repaint, refinish, and use in my new place. Portland is the town for re-use and thrifting, and I'm looking forward to doing some creative things for my new home.

finally...some photos from my trip to Portland

This is the neighborhood I stayed in while visiting Portland

And this...

And this...

It's just beautiful! And my apartment is in this area as well, so this will be my regular walking route/stomping grounds. Sweet.

The three photos above were taken on the Lost Lake hike. What a spectacular place, majestic, beautiful.