One of my Christmas gifts from Robert this year was paint! He is currently out in my tremendously dismantled studio painting the walls for me. Finally. The metalsmithing side of the building was a truly awful mocha hue when we moved in and for whatever reason, I never took the time to change it. Let me rephrase that, mocha isn’t an awful color, it can be very nice in some situations, but it is dark and dismal and sort of…grubby…in my studio space. The room is being repainted in a feathery light grey (almost white) and one wall, the one that hosts my pellet stove, will be a deep, deep midnight blue. Delicious. Rob is also building me a new modular shelf unit for this wall to display all my inspirational bits and bobs I find whilst out on my rambles in the wild and wide open. It’s going to be a sort of gallery wall for me and I look forward to it being finished, very much.
In the meanwhile, while the studio is down, and I’m in the throes of recovery from the jabberwocky of a cold I had last week, I have had plenty of time to set the entire house in order, purge a few cluttered corners, launder all that needs laundering and best of all, I’ve had time to slow down and read and sketch. I’ve been doing so very much sketching, everything from blind contour drawings to more detailed sketches of beautiful tiny things, and rabbits, too, as always.
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Something I listened to last night.
A wonderful interview.
The book I have started to read.
The music we are hearing.
I’ve been meaning to mention Susannah Conway’s brilliant end of year workbook for weeks now. We did not travel for Christmas this year. It was our first year ever simply staying at home, by ourselves, having a quiet and relaxing time. I had time to look back over the year past and lay some bricks for a path forward into the new year. The hurtling speed of December usually results in me bellyflopping into January and simply keeping on keeping on. Not this year! This year I pinned the 2014 calendar to the wall with intention and momentum and managed to wave 2013 goodbye with a plenty of grace. I don’t think it’s too late to take on this work book. It’s basically a collection of writing prompts that help a gal look at the year past and prepare for the year coming. Thanks Susannah.
Hope you are well, darlins.
X
Your studio will be amazing, Jillian. Can’t wait to see those shelves full of nature finds! Thanks for the book recommendation. I spent half my life in Cody, part of the Big Horn Basin, where it takes place. Just ordered a copy for myself.
Diana! You’ve lived in some great spots, here in the interior West!
What a nice way to begin 2014 – a fresh coat in the studio, sketch time, and mapping out intentions. 🙂 J-bird, can I be your apprentice someday? I’m a fast learner and promise to make you laugh! x
I would love that. 🙂 Laughter is VERY good for the studio.
“Jabberwocky” is funny!! Hope you are feeling better, now.
I’ve been cleaning out the house as well. Purge, purge, purge! Your studio space sounds lovely – nothing boosts creativity like a clean and organized space.
Love those rabbits!
I’m getting there.
And I agree — a clean and organized space really has me firing on all cylinders.
so glad you are feeling better.
i had that awful illness at the beginning of december and am just now healing from it….
immersing yourself in colour, you are.
such a blessed thing, new studio surroundings, provided by your partner….
loving the rabbits.
loving you.
xx
Ugh.
It was a dreadful cold.
I hope I heal faster than that…
Snicker-snack to that jabberwocky cold! Off with its head and commence galumphing, I say. Glad you are diving into 2014 instead of flopping, but I do think the new year should start with a splash sometimes. A splash of bubbly, perhaps. I do love seeing those sketches (I’ve got a rabbit mind these days, if you can’t tell by the rambling) and OH! Dessa is such a treasure. You know she lives and breathes in my city. Just the other day my friend popped over, all breathless, exclaiming that she had just had a pedicure right next to her. She’s rad and I’m glad it’s not just locals who know that. Well, there I go again, hopping about. your new studio will suit you will and no doubt inspire. Happy New Year, dear one. Wishing you joy.
There WAS a bit of a splash…but only a bit…my diving form was spot on.
Love that Dessa. A lot. She’s a badass. A beautiful badass who speaks a lot of truth.
*Y, *Well. ARRGH. Also, in reference to the workbook, I forgot to say that a wise Dove once told me, “You are on time for your life.” What a gift those words are.
There’s a lot of hope in that!
so glad to hear that you are on the mend! i love what you said about closing out the old year and starting the new with intent. that’s exactly what i’ve been working on, and was delighted to realize that as awful as 2013 was for me in several ways what i took away was deep learning along with incredible soul-softening. i have lofty goals for 2014 and my word for the year in “embrace”, no doubt a result of reflecting back on recent events. the only moment we ever truly have is now, so embrace it and live it fully! here’s wishing you a fully lived 2014– i look forward to seeing what you create with it!! xoxo
Great word for the year.
Here’s wishing YOU a fully lived 2014, too. I love that.
You’ve gone so long working in a “muddy” room. A spanking new warmthness and a clean feathery white, you’re going to feel so good! Not to mention the toasty stove dropping its tinkling pellets to the rhythm of your hammer.
Your sketching! It’s wonderful! I like your bunny’s eye in the second picture. A drooping sort of wiseness to it. And I’m promptly going to download Susannah’s workbook. I love stuff like that! Cannot wait to dig in. Thanks for the heads up.
Glad to hear the laundry’s done and you’re on the mend. xO
Muddy!
Well that’s the most perfectly awful word to use for that color in my studio! It really was muddy. Ugh. Glad that’s all gone now. It’s like the studio has experienced a massive revolution these past few weeks. The stove is just…well, it’s changed my life. I don’t take it for granted, not for one second.
Let me know how the workbook goes for you.
The refreshed studio space sounds fantastic! I can’t remember if I’ve recommended this book to you before, but you might enjoy “The Year of the Hare” by Arto Paasilinna. I read this one last year and really enjoyed it (and it’s stuck with me as well).
Ooh! I’ll look into it. Thank you!
~healing wishes be with you as you continue to recover…we too got hit with a nasty bug just as the year was coming to a close…may you find creativity flourishing about within the walls of your renewed space…sometimes it is in the simplest of things that bring forth the greatest of change…blessings be with you and yours~
Thank you, Brandi.
I agree, a coat of paint has surely transformed the studio space in a massive way. I’m loving it.
Just wanted to say thanks for the link to the workbook. It may be just the thing I need to shake off 2103 and begin anew. So, thanks!!
Glad to hear you’re on the mend and I love the wise expression on that rabbit.
Have a wonderful time working your way through it! I did.
new paint colours sounds so wonderful! yay!
*hugs*
🙂 True enough!
Beautiful sketches! As always, I am so inspired by your photos, they take me to happy and peaceful places during my lunch hour. 🙂 I’m so glad you are feeling better! Darn colds!
Thank you, Janet!
Me alegra tanto ver que esos pequeños pasos de 30 minutos están dando tan buenos resultados :).
te felicito, me encanta ver tu progreso.
🙂 Thank you for being here, Alita!
Ugg. I was sick too. So much of that going around. I still have a smidgen of a cough. I would love to see pictures of your studio space as it progresses. I’m such a nerd for studios , inspiration collections, wall colors. Stay warm and brilliant up there in the nort.
I know. Seems like everyone has had it.
I still have a whopper of a cough but I’m hoping it’s going to fade away fast.
I’ll be sure to share studio shots as soon as the space is fully operational once more!