Art on the side burner

Not much art going on last week. A week ago Sunday I picked up my rejected painting from the Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors. Eighty pieces were hung and more than eighty were rejected. The rejects would have made a very good Salon des Refusés. Yesterday I collected my two paintings from the Fairborn Art Association show--I don't think I mentioned that I got a Judge's Merit Award for one of them. I'm finished with entering shows for awhile. This year I got into three out of five and received two awards, not a bad showing, but I don't have enough work and don't want to enter the same pieces too often. Haven't even had time to work on the pouring and I want to get that one off the drafting table.

I finished the last of my spring watercolor classes at Hithergreen Center on Monday and I'm on hiatus for four weeks so I can work on some new book ideas and catch up around the house and woods.

We took a two-day trip to northern Indiana and Chicago to visit family and search for family gravesites. We found what we were looking for--my husband's grandparents' graves and their old farmhouse near Plymouth, Indiana. Two years ago we couldn't find them, but had a few more clues this time.

I'll be concentrating on the release of The New Creative Artist over the next few weeks. Less than two months to go. My pre-publication offer has been well received and the orders are coming in. Yay! It looks like Amazon.com is taking quite a few orders, too. Last week I scored a book-signing at Books & Co. in Kettering on Thursday, August 17. They've hosted signings for all my books and always do it right.

In two weeks I'm having a studio open house and art book sale for my students. I've promised them this for a long time. So I'll be sorting and pricing books--I have at least five crates in the garage and bookcases all over the house filled with art books. I hope it isn't a mortal sin to have too many books.