on the road...again

sketchbook page

bamboo sculpture at Amboy Park

Hello! Its been a busy week for us! We had a lot of catching up to do after our trip to FL, so Greg occupied himself with the large task of filling the massive pile of orders (yay!) and I worked on cleaning the house and designing new goods. I pretty much do that everyday, I don't feel like my day is complete unless I draw something. I went to Sam Flax while I was in Orlando and now have tons of new products to try: the elusive acrylic gouche (see lioness above), shimmer watercolors, gel pens and new papers. I experimented with about half the stuff I got, the rest will have to wait. I think trying new materials and exploring new color palettes is the best way to stay creatively charged.

We took a break from work and had a party for Greg's 32nd birthday on Saturday and enjoyed loads of good company and yummy food. I even baked key lime pies from scratch! After feasting, we played cornhole and lawn golf till it was dark then proceeded indoors to play music. It's fun to have musicians as buddies, as there is no need to fight over who's Ipod to use. As the night continued, we had a great time enjoying new friends, listening to good music and making things around the dining room table - the creativity was palpable. Good times!

We went to Charlotte yesterday to take Bob to the airport- it was sad to see him off, but we comforted ourselves with the fact that'd he'd be back in September for more metal madness. We will be representing his work on our website, so if you get the chance check it out (we will continue to add new work). Good. After the airport we ran around Charlotte, stopping and shopping anywhere that struck our fancy. It is such a pretty city! We then returned home to get ready for a late afternoon picnic with some friends. That turned out to be the perfect end to the day, grilling food and playing frisbee. We spend a lot of time working, either on our writing/art or on the business- work that can be very isolating, especially when self-employed. I think all this socializing and fun has actually improved my productivity! No hemming and hawwing here, just making stuff and getting on to something else! I like this new schedule.

We drove all day today, making our way up to Chicago. It was a good drive, no traffic and amusing stops at craft centers (I love me some wooden spoons!). Greg is participating in an authentic Indian wedding on Saturday, so we thought we'd spend an extra couple of days with our best buddy Jeremiah Ketner and his charming family. We've been good friends since my first year at art school and have that kind of friendship seems like no time has passed and we continue right where we left off...which is usually wacky, weird and always inspiring. His work amazes me, it always gets better and more beautiful everytime I see it. That's why I love collecting it, I think I have more of his stuff than my own! Well, its late here and I think Jeremiah plans to walk all over the city tomorrow... hopefully, I can keep up.