a pleasant surprise

This morning when I left for work, our patio out back was as I had seen it last night-- lots of weeds around the concrete, maple tree "helicopters" all over the place and a generally unkempt appearance. Luke and I had discussed how we needed to work on it and make it more appealing and pleasant out there.:) When I got home from work, Luke had surpised me by weeding, sweeping the entire patio and laying mulch around the concrete. It was so sweet of him and now we can check it off of our long to-do list. With the warm weather we've been enjoying grilling out and eating outside and now the patio looks great and is a much more relaxing environment!

craigslist success

Craigslist is my new best friend.:) After the move we found that there were a few things we needed and craigslist has been a good go-to for some of those items. Granted, you don't hear back on about 50% of the emails you send, but when it actually works out, it's great.:) Since we got married most of our furniture has consisted of free items that we received to help get things started (a welcome blessing), so we decided it was time to replace a few of those items. One of the main things we wanted was a new couch and we were very pleased with the acquisition of this sectional. It's great for watching all those movies.:)

But my very favorite find has been our bikes. I had forgotten how much fun it is to ride a bike.:) And with the great walking/biking trail behind our complex we have a safe and pleasant place to ride. My brother helped us fix them up and we've been enjoying putting them to good use.
We also got a brand new bookshelf and a sweet chair for my studio. It's great to be able to get things for a good deal and to be able to use things that others no longer want/need. We're still in the market for a few more items, but I'm very pleased with our success thus far.:)

a brief update

I've taken an unintentional hiatus from blogging. I'm going to blame it on moving, unpacking, illness and... well a general lack of inspiration. Things are looking better around here, but there's still plenty of organizing to be done. Inadequate shelving is partially to blame for the time it's taking me to get unpacked.:) Between books, movies and records we need a ridiculous amount of shelving.

We are loving the Zionsville area and are very happy to have located here. My work commute is about half the time and is a much less stressful drive. I'm enjoying not having to get on the interstate at all.:)

We acquired a pair of old yellow his and her cruiser bikes from craigslist (I'll post pictures soon) and, after a few minor repairs, have been taking advantage of the nice weather and biking on the trail that goes behind the apartment complex. It's been a lot of fun!

With the move I haven't been to my studio as much as I would like, but I've still been able to get a few projects done and have a few larger paintings in the works. I recently finished this piece for submission to a show at the Harrison Center in August. We'll see what happens. The painting was done on book covers with ink & acrylic. The separate pieces are bound together with a leather like cord. This photo isn't the best, but it's extremely difficult to take an accurate photo of a painting. You get the idea though.:)

moved

The move has been accopmlished and I now foresee several weeks/months of unpacking and organizing in my future.:) We had a lot of people pitch in and help with the whole process, which was a big blessing. I am extremely exhausted, but very glad to be in our new place and to be able to settle in.

Moving

Moving is just too much work, if you ask me.:) Saturday is moving day and I feel like I have way too much yet to accomplish. Probably because I do. I'm definitely looking forward to being at our new place though and to being more proximate to work etc. So I must keep plugging away...:)

Sometimes I wish my brain could have an off switch

Insomnia, I loath you.

grey gardens

I recently watched the HBO film "Grey Gardens" and I've been thinking about it ever since. In 1975 there was a documentary made by the same name directed by Albert and David Maysles that became something of a cult phenomenon. The documentary and more recent film are about Edith Bouvier Beale Sr. and Edith Bouvier Beale Jr. the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and their life in their East Hampton home Grey Gardens. At the time of the documentary their home was in a state of great decline and Big and Little Edie were living in squalor almost without even being aware of how bad it was.

The documentary basically went in and observed them as they were living at the time it was filmed. They had been living in an unsanitary and shocking environment. I have yet to see it, but it is next on my list. The HBO movie spans four decades and shows the decline of "the Edies" and why/how these women of wealth and class (not to mention relatives of Jackie O) became two eccentrics living in a decaying summer home in the East Hamptons.

I highly recommend this movie. It is definitely somewhat depressing, but is very worth seeing. Jessica Lange's and Drew Barrymore's performances are extremely impressive. It is interesting to see how the decisions the Edies made and the strange bond they formed created this world that they lived in.

If you haven't seen the original documentary you should watch the the special feature on the new film called "Grey Gardens then and now". It shows parts of the documentary and compares it to parts of the film. It's amazing what a great job they did of re-creating the sets (not to mention the women). Initially it might seem like Drew Barrymore was over acting, but once you see the real "little Edie" you'll be shocked at how great of a job she did in taking on the eccentric behaviors and speaking style of the young Edith.

At times it's almost hard to believe that this could be true- that these two women could live like this and that they could fall so far/hard from grace. But that's what makes it such a fascinating movie and story. You should watch this film!