Home For Thanksgiving...And it's alright. Really.

For the past ten years or so I've not really had a Thanksgiving (or even Xmas)holiday (read, rest) vacation...I've had to drive here or there to set up and sell my artworks. Blue Genie and Eye of the Dog in Austin and San Marcos, Texas and the past couple of years, the Little Craft Show here in NW Arkansas. This year, due to many reasons; I'm still here in NW Arky.  I didn't get picked for the Little Craft Show, haven't done Blue Genie in a few years because I moved, and my cat got sick, my back is bad and I'm exhausted from my work schedule.  But mostly the cat getting sick threw me over the edge, so I cancelled my annual trip to Austin where I usually have turkey with friends and then spend the weekend in San Marcos, selling and hanging out.  At first the possibility of not going was so strange and foreign I didn't even want to consider it. My younger self would've said, "Oh what the hell, just go and get through it!" Now that I'm somewhat older and maybe just a little bit wiser I thought, "Well, what's the worst thing that could happen if I don't go?" And that's when I realized that while I will and do miss my friends/family there, I'll live, they'll live and I can drive down another time, when I can really spend a good focused visit. It's nice to be relaxing, eating, working on a bazillion pet portrait commissions that need to be done before xmas. It's a good life. I do have some small scratchboard trinkets and art pieces at the Walton Arts Center gallery here in Fayetteville during the holiday season. The gallery is open one hour before events/shows until December 23rd. There are 20+ other artists there with pottery, paintings, jewelry etc... It's a good show, and the best part about it is they do all the selling and smoozing. There is an artist reception this Saturday from 2-5pm. I will clean up and go mingle.  I also have many little pieces of art that were destined to go to Texas to sell...contact me to see/buy them. That's it. The above piece of art is a mixed-media piece from my "Little Houses" series. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope my cat gets better soon. I hope y'all had plenty to eat and good times wherever you spend your turkey day.

All Is Good--All Is Fine

The above are some earlier examples of my "Little Originals". They are 2x2 inch scratchboards colored with Ampersand Scratchboard inks. These are from maybe two years ago.

These "Little Originals", on the other hand are from this past spring. I love making the "littles", they are challenging detail wise and just darned good fun for me.
I'm working on several pet portrait commissions, along with creating a heap of the little original scratchboards for a few holiday shows.  It's all good here. I'm fine.
I've spent the past four or five years sorting and cataloging the archives of my favorite poet and there is still so much to do. I'm happy with that for now. It's incredibly interesting and helps me to feel even closer to him though he's been dead now for nine months. I suppose I will be extremely sad when I'm finished, it will be another kind of letting go. And damn, I've been learning to let go for sure.
 I'm terribly busy...what with the art-making, archive sorting, and oh yeah, caretaker of a almost 98 year old man (that's a whole different storyline for another time). What curious twists and turns my life has taken, from artist to plumber, back to artist, to archivist, to healthcare. I'm usually juggling all of them, well, not so much the plumber anymore, as it's too hard on me physically. And that's just fine with me.
Today I travel to Boston for a week with friends. My first time off in quite a while. Excited. Happy.
Sorry for the somewhat blurry photos. I prefer that to finding them duplicated without my permission...and I really hate the 'hallmark' thing that some artists put on their images to try to prevent copyright infringement. Just don't use something that doesn't belong to you. Simple as that. Got it? Thanks.

Free Art--Yes Free

I've been spending some time cleaning out my studio in preparation for the next big adventure. Currently I have a heap of large and small art that is old work just sitting or hanging around and I am ready to heave it out the door. I started yesterday on facebook and have already given one away. So starting today until I'm finished I will be posting at least one if not two pieces of artwork at my facebook page Linda Sheets Art. You can go there to see what's currently on the way out. And for the love of crap, like my page while you're at it. I don't know what benefit that is to me, but everyone seems to be doing it for some reason or another, and god knows I like to be liked.
Here are some rules:
*You will pay for packaging and shipping. If you don't have the money for this, obviously don't say you want a piece of artwork. If you are in Fayetteville, AR or Austin, TX we can arrange for pickup...so it will really be free--free for y'all.
*The artwork will be available for 36 hours (give or take a few) and then, if there are  no takers it going in the dumpster
*If you've already snagged one piece from this give-away, hold back and let someone else get one
*You must give the art a good home...but knowing that I can't control your behavior and the destiny of the art after it leaves me at least know that I retain full copyright to the piece.
Ok, let the games begin! I appreciate you helping me lighten my load and hope that my art makes you happy. If you don't see something you like, for crying out loud, commission something. I'm fast and not too expensive. This is how I make my living...and while giving it away may not make much sense, I can't take it with me when I'm on the road (or when dead) and I don't want to take up the space in the storage unit. Plus, and I know a lot of artists who agree with me here, if it hangs around me unsold I feel strange about creating new art. It's a mental thing...and I want to continue creating new...so out the door with it.