Sent out resumes. Ran a buttload of errands. Painted. Juggled simultaneous phone calls and emails from my WSDOT relocation specialist, the gallery owner about the show that opens next week and a woman from the personnel agency about a new job, beginning as temporary with a very real possibility of becoming permanent.

I thought I was going to start work tomorrow, but due to WSDOT stuff and the show stuff, tomorrow will be filled with more running around to complete details for both, including a show statement to write as well as continue working on a draft for my appeal to DOT. So I'll begin work on Wednesday.

This position has much of my wish list: a small company, casual, family-like, manufacturing (textiles/fabrics), longevity with its employees. I'll even be trained on Peachtree accounting software, which was on my must learn list. And thus far, another bonus? My studio is exactly half way between my apt and the job. It's almost a direct line. So it's a fairly short commute and convenient.

I'm thrilled to be working again and at the same time, sad that the flowing nature of my weekdays is coming to an end. Despite the anxiety about getting comfortable in a new place, not having my friends around, and no job...I've enjoyed what has felt like what was a good beginning groove to being a full time painter. I was slowly shifting my work mentality to encompass right brain work.

One day it will happen.

This morning I decided to take the day off from painting and job hunting and do nothing but go on a full day adventure, discovering more coastline. Yesterday afternoon I spent a few hours exploring the east side of the bay. Today it was the west side. I headed to Narragansett and then followed the shore road past Point Judith.

It was a very bright day and the color of the water was well...astounding.

I also enjoyed my first lobster since I've moved to Rhode Island. It was perfect. Not overly mayo-ed and had celery, onion and dill. And major chunks of lobster. A gin and tonic and an ocean view made for a pretty fabulous meal. So filling that I didn't finish the fries.

This is the fourth painting (in progress) in my new series of self portraits of little me, that I worked on yesterday. 24"x12", oil on canvas.

The light was so beautiful in my bathroom after I returned from the ocean yesterday.

Horseneck Beach. It's a gorgeous beach. Many dunes. Wild. Vast. And today, exceptionally windy. I couldn't even stare at the ocean for more than a few minutes. The sand was whipping my face and getting into my eyes. I only took a few photos because I feared getting sand in my camera. Other than the short weekend near Newport, when I was apartment hunting, I haven't allowed myself any beach time. I felt vast pressure to get the studio going, become familiar with Providence, and especially...find a damned job. Today, while painting, I knew I just needed to find the ocean. And I did. It was good.

Do you know how difficult it is to find a simple radio nowadays? I have an iPod Nano and a speaker dock for it. But I've been hankering for NPR in the studio and it took me three days to hunt down a no frills am/fm radio that I could plug into the speakers. was successful today...for under $10. LOL. I'm so high tech.

busy day. submitted more resumes. in studio early. worked on the "little me" series and now have four paintings going. four hours later left to go find the ocean. was successful. took this photo as i was leaving the studio. apparently there is an open figure drawing session every saturday for 3 hours in the studio right across from mine. i'm gonna hit it hopefully next saturday.

I'm finally getting around to going through some of the photos I took back in March during a really great afternoon at the Seattle Aquarium with a friend and her little boys.

Trying not to freak too much because I'm still looking for work. So after sending out resumes each morning, I hit the studio. It's the place where I can attempt to ground myself...while working the paintings. In my normal fashion, I have 5 paintings going, being able to pick one up while allowing others to dry before going into them again. Two of these are self portraits of little me at the beach. both the same size, about 28"x22" (I think). Being patient with them... Here is self portrait #2 after today's studio time. This one is finally starting to get somewhere. The other is still a mess.

Lots going on. Still on the job hunt. Met a good friend from NYC who is in Boston this week for work and drove down to Providence yesterday so we could hang. Today...spent all of it working on my May show, including 3 hours on the phone with the gallery director as we completed selection of the work.

Photo taken on Thayer St.

It's after 9pm and I'm bushed. Time to zone with a cuppa tea and some tv.

Some photos from yesterday's walkabout...campuses of RISD and Brown.

A couple friends came down from Boston and we spent a wonderful day walking around College Hill and getting a personal tour of Brown.

The day ended with some killer grilled pizza on Federal Hill at Bob and Timmy's.

All in all...a perfect day.

This sign tickled me - Built c. 1765 Moved here c. 1865

Morning errands. I'm learning my way around the city. The branch of the Post Office Credit Union that partners with my BECU CU is midway between the studio and the apartment. Fairly convenient. From there I had another interview. An interesting job as Importer Coordinator for an Import/Export Brokerage firm that deals with international imports. The brokers need to be licensed by Customs. I'd be entering in the information of shipments coming into the country. From there it gets transmitted to Customs and if everything is cool, the shipment can be released.

Definitely an industry I didn't even think about but was quite impressed with the vibe inside the office. There is much loyalty within the company and the new COO began over 20 years ago as a runner. My skills are suited perfectly. And the bonus is that it is barely a mile directly north of my studio.

There were four candidates and I think I was the final interview. We'll see what happens.

From there, I painted for a couple hours. Yesterday's painting is still wet so I put it to the side and need to be patient with it. I pulled out another canvas and began a new one...of the same subject matter.

I am enthralled with, as a friend noted, "visiting my younger self". When I was in the 619, I had a strong sense of urgency with the work. Right now, I'm taking it slower. Doing more feeling and thinking along with the active painting. Granted, it's only been a few days but I'm enjoying the slower pace. Maybe in this I can finally break through to something courageous and even more honest.

A b&w photo of a painting begun today. 28"x22", oil on canvas. And...it doesn't look like this anymore. I moved the girl to the far right. Changed the background. But I'm excited about it. On Wednesday I began painting. Worked on two little canvases...just to get my hand moving. Today, I began this piece - a self portrait from when I was little. At the beach. Can't wait to see where it goes.

Found in the grocery store near my apartment. Guess they don't want you to miss out on the experience if you can't get to Boston for a game.

Mother Earth: "Each day is a choice of what to do."

I know this 9 minute short may be a little long for the Twitter generation...but it is filled with all sorts of massive amounts of awesome. Dizzy Gillespie as Father Time. Maureen Stapleton as Mother Earth. Great score by Gillespie.

From the NPR link, which includes the story and summary:

A Concerned Dizzy Gillespie Explains All Of Human History

"The iconic trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is best remembered as a jazz pioneer. But somewhere in his 50+ year career, he also lent his talents to a trippy animated parable made for an activist think tank. For "Voyage to Next," he voiced the part of Father Time (alongside Mother Earth, played by Maureen Stapleton) and scored the soundtrack. Everything about this screams "the '70s" and is, not incidentally, wonderful."

Embedded video:

It's been a day.

Actually it began at 11 pm last night when people next door decided to party outside. At 2:45 am I called the cops. They came by, told folks to hold it down, and everyone disappeared by 3 am. I slept until 6ish. Frustrated and angry. I hate having my sleep disrupted.

So...I woke out of sorts and sleep deprived. Opened up the blinds and the thing came crashing down. Broken. Jumped in the shower and the shower curtain came crashing down. I had an interview at 10...which also included testing on data entry and excel. Great. Always fun to do with major lack of sleep. Picked up a new blind and attempted to hang it. Nothing was working. Dropped a saw and it almost hit my apartment mate's bare toes. She kindly put up the blind for me. This afternoon the most I could do in the studio is pick up a tube of titanium white and hang more paintings. Then came home and spilled my big glass of water all over my apartment mate's grandmother's hope chest.

Now I'm safely tucked into bed at 7 pm needing a little familiarity and so am watching episodes of "The West Wing" with a cup of tea and looking forward to a better day tomorrow. The world is a little safer if I stay put this evening and do much of nothing.

Chocolate would be good.

The Sophia Room v2 - Providence









Almost nine months after our eviction from the 619 Western Arts buildind...I am ready to dig back into oils this afternoon. Just needed to hang the sign.

I've been working in the studio since Saturday, slowly attempting to figure out where to put things, how to organize the space, and simply get a feel for it.

For now, all the amazing art from various Seattle artists will be going in my bedroom in the apartment I'm sharing. But when I unwrapped this wonderful piece by the more wonderful Joseph Keppler, I knew it had to go in the studio.