I wrote a whole post earlier this week, and then Typepad went down due to a DDoS attack, and lost it. Now the platform is up again, but it's impossible to post any images because Typepad is having difficulty migrating to a new server.
The best news is that we finished the studio move on October 30 - the space is swept and empty, and we returned the keys. It's hard to believe that we're actually done. It was a good space for us for many, many years and I'm grateful for that.
Meanwhile, the leaves are coming off the trees and winter definitely approaches, even though we haven't had a major frost yet. We've usually had freezing weather by Halloween, but not this year -- in fact, it's supposed to be 68 degrees this weekend.
I began a new sketchbook in October, and so far it seems to be much more experimental than the previous one, perhaps as a result of the utter upheaval in my artistic life due to the studio move, that has made continuity next to impossible and perhaps not even desirable. I've been working in gouache and acrylic on paper, in addition to watercolor, and that feels good. But I hope to get back to some larger charcoal drawings and some paintings this winter. The new studio is quite small but efficient, and I think I'll be able to manage by working on one thing at a time rather than spreading out a bunch of stuff and leaving it there, just because of a surfeit of space.
Also, Instagram is troubling me these days. I spend too much time scrolling through my feed. I'm not sure if stepping away for a while is the right move, or sharply decreasing my time there, or simply cutting down the number of people I follow, but I do need to make some changes.
Let's hope the blog issues get resolved soon, but in the meantime, I'll try to write here a bit more often. I hope you are gracefully navigating the change of seasons where you live, if in fact you have a change -- it's never entirely easy. Always happy to hear from you in the comments, and with a bit more time now, I will try to reply!
Congratulations on the move out of the studio, Beth. Every time I read in your blog (Note to self, need to make that a more regular visit)
I feel inspired and heartened. There is such a generosity in how you share- art, life changes, spaces and places, and your inner experience of it all
(which is perhaps the most central gift) that is opening and affirming and a form of good company. A great example of the particular connecting to the universal. I am not feeling very eloquent on this early November afternoon a week after some surgery (all is well), but I did want to let you know your words landed for me in a lovely way and reminded me that in the changes there is often treasure to be found. Thank you as always.
Posted by: Vanessa Langloÿs Miller | November 04, 2022 at 05:36 PM
Thank you so much for these encouraging and warm words, Vanessa. I hope your recovery goes quickly and smoothly!
Posted by: Beth | November 14, 2022 at 06:34 PM