Endings and Beginnings

I have been in kind of a funk since yesterday and I realize now it has to do with the fact that I began moving out of my studio. It's a really strange feeling. On the one hand I am very excited to start a new body of work, change my direction. But on the other hand it is so weird letting go of what I have been doing artistically for the past three and a half years.

Moving out of my studio is a big part of that feeling of Ending. Smith Ranch Studios has been a great home for my art making and I really loved my little space. (In need of studio space? My studio has yet to be rented.) But I cannot stay there if I want to focus on stone carving. That studio served it's purpose and was what I needed at the time but I no longer need it anymore. Sad. Plus, I will miss the folks that run the place. They are just great.

Yesterday Eric helped me move some of my big stuff (pedestals and furniture) into the storage unit. This morning I went to the studio and packed up all the little things. I figured out what I wanted to have at the house and what could go into the storage unit. I threw out a lot of stuff.

That definitely felt weird. Tossing out old test pieces and art that was not worth keeping. It really drove home that what I had been doing there was done, finished, over. No more, for now anyway, working with recycled materials. Out goes the excess fabric strips, bottle caps, toothpicks, thread, balsa wood. I will say it is nice to get rid of unneeded material.

I still need to move my artwork out of the space. And then I have the fun job of cleaning up and organizing the garage. But I have until the end of the month before I need to be completely moved out of the studio so it'll be fine.

Anyway, I am looking forward to getting myself set up to carve stone. I am pretty sure that I'll be able to work in a space in Petaluma, on land where some friends of mine live. But there's a lot of clean up and set up that needs to be done before it's actually ready for me to work in. I feel like I am starting over and it's a little scary.

Change is so hard. But change is necessary for moving forward. So here I go, towards a new Beginning.

Band Recommendation of the Day: Honeycut

Eric and I saw this San Francisco-based band play at the Treasure Island Music Festival on Saturday. They were awesome. A highlight of the day. I loved their groove and energy. I could not stop dancing. And the keyboard player is phenomenal.

I am so excited we'll be able to see them again at the Monterey Music Summit next month. They are also playing a show at the Bottom of the Hill on October 5th. We'll have to miss that, though, because we're going to see the Shins at the Greek Theater that same night.

If you can, check them out.

Back To Life, Back To Reality

Well it's taken over a week but I am finally cleaned up and back to normal after Burning Man. It took so many days just to clean up all of my gear. The dust was Everywhere! My situation wasn't helped by the fact that I've been working a lot at the winery since I've been back in order to make up for my missed work days while at Burning Man.

I was supposed to work yesterday but took the day off instead and will work an extra day next week to make up for it. It gave me a chance to do some last minute cleaning. I finally hosed down my bike. And I cleaned up the Bottle Cap Tree which was absolutely filthy.

The tree is in pretty good shape, though. It got a little battered and bruised but held up quite well while out there. I will be displaying the tree one more time at the Burning Man Decompression party on October 7th in San Francisco. I think that will be the last time it will be seen, though. I'm not sure it could handle any more travel.

One funny note. While cleaning up the tree yesterday I found that someone had attached a magnet to the tree during Burning Man. It managed to stay attached all the way through the event, deinstallation and transportation back home. It's the funniest, creepiest little thing. It's about one inch round and has an Anime pornographic image on it. Crazy, huh? Makes for an interesting Burning Man souvenir.

I had a really great Burning Man experience. All the hard work and effort that I put into this project for the last 7-8 months was so worth it. You can read all about my time at Burning Man here. I finally got all of my journal entries and photos compiled and posted on-line. I must give credit, however, and note that not all of the photos are mine. Some were taken by my friends, Bottle Cap Tree crew members and fellow Burning Man camp mates Kaly, Lori and Chris.

Now I am in the process of gearing myself up for the next stage of my art making. First step is to move out of my studio. I gave notice right before leaving for Burning Man and need to be out by the end of this month. Yikes. Two weeks away!

I did, however, secure myself a small storage unit so that I have a place to put some things that just do not need to be cluttering my house and garage. I will begin moving stuff into that on Sunday. That should help the situation.

I also would like to have the sculpture that I did in Marble this year completed by the end of the month. Hmmm. With my work schedule and moving out of the studio being a priority it's pretty much Good Luck With That.

I really cannot wait to get focused on my stone carving. I'd like to have a new work space situated in October. I have a potential place in Petaluma. I'm really hoping that will work out because I definitely am skeptical about my abilities to work at home without being too distracted (or distracting to Eric, for that matter).

Ahhh. So much to do, so little time. Where did this year go? I can't believe summer is almost over!

Movie Recommendation of the Day: The Simpsons Movie

Duh. Of course, I'd recommend it. I finally saw it last Sunday. For this long-time fan, it was hilarious. Not for everyone, I know. But I loved it. Spider Pig, Spider Pig, Does Whatever a Spider Pig Does......