Monday, October 12, 2009

When Life Kicks Art's Butt, Art Kicks Right Back

I have a nasty art deadline for a book I'm working on. Actually the publisher wants to move the deadline up. Oh, goodie. So, I'm painting away, swish,swish,dab,dab,noodle,noodle...Then the mailman has the audacity to bring bills like they are bales of hay. What to do?

"Well, there is that studio tour coming up." " Yeah, but the front deck has turned to dust. The rain forest has re-claimed it." For real. "And I'm on a deadline," I whimper. "A book deadline!" Like that will silence reality once and for all.

I brought in expert help.

See, the deal is we needed the potential sales from the studio tour to pay an eentsie weentsie part of the bills. You know, for electricity. And waffle batter. But we had to fix the deck first or our studio visitors would have fallen into oblivion. Really. Yep, life got in the way of art. Again. But you know the saying, "When life gives you lemons, start throwing them." I'm pretty sure Sandy Koufax had a lemon tree in his yard. So.

Well, I couldn't have done it without Susi, Jesse, and Grandson T's help. Here the grandkids test out the finished deck. "Hey it works!"

Ringing the Cosanti bells (Paolo Soleri). A tradition when g.kids come to visit. The studio tour was a success. No one fell to the center of the earth. Lots of wonderful visitors. Thank you to everyone who made the trek to our studio. Thanks, Elaine and Said for responding to my earlier post and zooming all the way here from Kenmore. So nice to see everyone. We've made new friends. A bunch of art and oodles of books sold. A soupçon of bills paid. Art and life find an amiable resolution.

14 comments:

Martha Brockenbrough said...

The deck looks great! I'm sorry we missed the tour. The kids brought home lots of fossils from Cincinnati, though.

storyqueen said...

I think your deck looks like a work of art in itself!

I am glad the studio tour was a success. I think it's an amazing idea.

Good luck on your deadline.

Shelley

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Thank you, Martha. Fossils from Cincinnati sounds most intriguing. I wonder if you found them in some limestone, or in a shop?

I appreciate that, Shelley. It did feel like I was making a functional sculpture. I will need luck and a miracle for my deadline.

Jo Potter said...

Hi Richard,
I found your blog through Ruthie's site.
I visit her often and I saw your wonderful blue face image, so I thought I would see who was behind the blue face...
Good to meet you and great work with the deck. It sounds like the studio tour was a success. I like your illustrations very much.
Best wishes. Jo May.:)
P.S. I'm now following.

BJW said...

Really cool looking deck. Can't wait to stand on it and stuff. Doesn't have quite the terror factor of the last leaning deck of pizza but looks pretty sweet al the same. Really sorry I couldn't help bend some nails, hit my thumb and curse and stuff, but was there in spirit. Congrats on a successful studio tour too.

Good work pa, keep it up.

PS My password is flude. Use that in a sentence.

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Thanks for visiting Jacob. I do enjoy C.S.L's writing as well as the rest of the Inklings. Batson and Hopper have their work cut out for them to write as well. I'll come take a look.

Thank you Joanne May for your kind comments. I enjoyed visiting your blog and seeing your lovely work. Thanks so much for being a follower.

BJW. Hi Buddy. Sounds like you had fun this weekend. Wish we had been there. If we had come we would have taken the ferry but then again perhaps we might have flude.

Ruthie Redden said...

Wow Richard, way to go, not to be beaten, thats what i like to see. I wish i had a pot of faerie dust so we could have sprinkled it a wee bit & paid a fleeting visit to the show. Glad to hear it went well. Love the bell tradition & the deck looks fab! *ruthie*

Elaine Asaidali said...

What a fabulous studio tour! Well worth the trek up north. And thanks to Susi for the perfect restaurant recommendation. About encouraging Said to add to his junk (I mean art) collection in the garage, you're forgiven. I think. We'll see what else he collects. Keep up the great blog!

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Thank you Ruthie. Great idea, let's scrape up some faerie dust. I'm sure it's organic and multi-purpose. Wish you could have popped in for a visit...

Nice to see you at SCBWI, Elaine, and thanks for your kind comments. Now as to Said's potential treasures; you just never know... In fact I'll wager that if you threw one of them out, you would need it within the week, if not within the day. Of course therapy might help as well.

jesse joshua watson said...

So, what does it mean that I took about three and a half minutes to be able to process the title of this blog post?! I think it means about the same thing as how long it took us to measure inverted, reversed dimensions. Or was that reverse inverted. Or....

steven said...

hello richard - i love visiting your sensorially/experientially kaleidoscopic world. i had so many things i wanted to respond to but when you showed the arco sante bells well i was speechless! those have been on my wishlist for years and years. when i get the right space, i'm hoping to get some. they look beautiful and especially because they are attached to such a small beautiful tradition!!! lovely deck by the way - especially the handrails! steven

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Jesse, the key is to turn the computer upside down and shake your right leg, like so```(((>>>.

Steven, I appreciate your comments, and am usually stopped in *my* tracks whenever I visit your blog. We got some of their bells at their small foundry just outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

Julia Kelly said...

I'm glad to hear other artist rush frantically around when "life catches up and we aren't ready for it- the new deck is great-and am sure set the mood- before anyone stepped into your studio.

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Thanks, Julia. I think you are right, It seems have never really been ready, so I am continually re-learning how to go with the flow...