A glorious autumn

Even our granddaughter is loving the fall this year. This is her picture of her favorite thing to do in the fall--jumping in the leaves. Please note in her left hand that she is carrying her purse while jumping. She is such a girly-girl.

I'm back on the nanny-track now that the sinusitis has improved a bit. I haul a lot of my work to my daughter's house in case Daniel decides to take a nap. About every other day I have up to three hours to work. There are still some loose ends to tie up on the book. Now that I'm feeling better, I should be able to wrap it up.

I didn't think we would have a colorful fall this year with all the dry weather, but the rains came before the leaves dried out and fell. All week the drive to my daughter's house, about 27 miles through hilly countryside, has been more than glorious. I'm glad I'm doing the drive. If I stayed in my studio, I would be missing all this wondrous beauty.

While I was away

Not a whole lot of painting was done by my students. Seventeen of them have returned to class, along with three newbies, so I have my work cut out for me to motivate them to paint more. I talked about limiting their palettes and I was pleased that several actually did begin mingling colors to make their selections before starting a painting. There are some good painters in the class and others with potential, so I hope I can bring out the best in all of them. In case any of you are reading this, class, go back to your painting spot and paint for awhile. 'Bye!

Re-entering the real world

I haven't exactly been in Wonderland, but for awhile I felt like I had dropped into a big hole. It was great getting the book finished and enthusiastically received by my editor. I still have four items to turn in, which I've been doing off and on. In case you're wondering why I don't blog when I travel--I leave my laptop at home and pretend I don't have one. I need to take a break from the computer now and then, especially after the intensive work on the book.

The workshop in Montana was great--another terrific class of artists working together to discover the creative process. I was pleased with the show I juried in June. You never really know what you've done until you see the art hanging in a gallery. The Montana Watercolor Society offered some big prize money and lots of smaller awards. This show hasn't been discovered by artists who enter the bigger shows. Next year they're going digital, so start now to find a good photographer or polish your digi-skills. It's worth a try.

Kalispell is a neat little Western town. Bigfork, site of the show, is a vacation area with many galleries. The area is absolutely beautiful. Just a few miles away is Glacier National Park. I wish I could have gone there, but I had to return the day after the workshop.

Unfortunately, I came home with a sinus infection that laid me low for a couple of days. After that I did some baby-sitting for Daniel, 7 weeks old now. I'll be on nanny-duty starting next week for 4 1/2 days a week when my daughter goes back to work. I can work on her dining room table while the baby sleeps. Tomorrow I'm starting a new watercolor class at Hithergreen Center and looking forward to seeing what my students have been doing while I've been away.

Feelin' good

My editor stopped by this morning and picked up the new book. I was beginning to wonder if I would make the deadline. My daughter stepped up and helped to proofread the art numbers on the manuscript and flat plan, then the artists' permissions and the art log, which are both huge jobs. I couldn't have made it without her help. Granddaddy entertained the four-year-old while the baby slept at Grammy's feet as she worked. What a scenario. One of my students volunteered earlier and I put her to work taping vellum overlays onto 150 small pieces of art, another time-consuming job.

Sometime I may blog about what I learned about digital art submissions for books, if anyone is interested. It has been quite a learning experience. I think it will all turn out all right. I did have to go back and re-do all the images as I finished up the captions and the manuscript, but it was worth it.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Montana to teach a workshop and judge awards for the show I juried in June by slides. This will seem like a vacation. In the last workshop two weeks ago in Louisiana I worked on the book in the mornings before workshop and until late at night after class. I'm looking forward to being in the West--it has been awhile.