What have I even been doing??? I am not asking this as if an imaginary person is asking it of me. This what I am frequently asking myself these days. “What have I even been doing??? Because it sure doesn’t seem like you’ve been doing much painting or drawing! What’s up with that???” I ask this question of myself in a very judgmental way, as if to say you are one lazy so and so, are you even committed to doing this art and painting thing?!

In all honesty, I do tend to ask myself this a lot anyway and especially at this point in the summer.

Though it has been almost two months or more, I did finish the “Yellow House and Green House” painting and started the “Grey House” painting. These are part of a series of suburban landscapes of the houses on my street painted en plein air.

In June ACME Art Studios where I rent studio space opened its doors back up for the city’s Fourth Friday Gallery night with a studio wide group show. We were all beyond excited and happy for it. So there was that and it did take me a few days to prepare.

One immediate outcome of June’s gallery night was this still life. These are the flowers that were placed out in my studio as part of my welcome to visitors. It was pretty easy to get this painting done considering there was little option but to get it done before they wilted beyond recognition (which I think would make for an equally nice painting). Now I could have certainly taken a picture and then paint from that, but then I have made a resolution to paint not quite exclusively from life. So, yeah, not an option to not finish it.

I have also worked on two commissions. There’s that. For some reason I tend to exclude those in my count of “What Have I Even Been Doing?” survey. However, they do count and other than the fact that they are not my personal projects, I could not explain my reason for stubbornly refusing to count commissions as getting-some-painting-done.

The job that I do not grant myself much kindness for in my “What Have I Even Been Doing?” survey is a kitchen remodel. I have installed a base cabinet, custom built and installed a shelf, tore out two base cabinets, custom built and installed a bench seat, and turned a coat closet into a kitchen pantry. The job, as you can imagine, is still in progress.

No Trey, it is not drawing or painting. You are right about that. However, it is design work. It is creative work. You have also been trained in that kind of work. You enjoy that kind of work. It is a BIG job and summer is pretty much the biggest chunk of time you have for such a project.

What have I even been doing??? Maybe not as many paintings as in years past but the year is not over and I haven’t exactly been sloughing off. Be kind to yourself.