Summer Arting...

I really need to carve our more time to work on my art because I love it so. Sometimes I struggle between wanting to market my work or keep it private. Either way, the creative process keeps me sane and in focus. I have worked a bit on this summer; grabbing time when I can. Now I need to catch up with the posting. I have been working on a dyptic called 'House Keys'. It's an om age to all the addresses I've had since I was a kid. 10 total! I'm excited about where that it's going. I though they could be the pieces I try my hand at having prints made. We'll see how it ends up. It's kind of personal piece and I'm not sure I want to sell any part of it. I've got a few more houses to add, but it's coming along. I'll post pictures soon.

Another summer project was working with Pam Peterson on a chair for La Grange. Last year Pam and I worked together on a rain barrel. We really had fun. I like working with her to help make her vision come alive while adding a bit of myself in there. Pam is an artist with an amazing ability to 'feel her way' through her work. She listens to her intuition and beautiful things unfold as she goes along.... and she's a lot of fun to boot!

Student Show - LaGrange Art League

Another successful show at the La Grange Art League ended this weekend. I'm always impressed by the quality of work. I entered this piece. I did it earlier in the year in Dianne Martia's class. Because of the rental house, I don't have much space to work. It's rather frustrating but I completed one piece and I continue to plug away a few others.

Downers Grove Public Library

If you have some time, take a trip to the Downers Grove Library to see the show. I am a member of this organization and happy to show my work with these fine artists.

To Be Inspired

As most of you know, we are living in a rental house with not an ounce of room to spare. It's been frustrating for me to not be able to spread out and work on my art. Lately I feel I'm loosing touch with my creative side and it's taken me years to find the time to fit it in. Yesterday I spent the day walking the beach in Hawaii. My family has taken a much needed trip to relax and unwind. Breathing in the ocean air and smelling the flowers has been an amazing way to charge my creative battery. Tomorrow we come home and I'm ready to start working on all the ideas in my head but for today, I'll just take another walk on the beach.

A New Blog

Since this is a place for me to track my art journey and follow fellow artists, I won't be posting much more about our new house. We decided to start a new blog as a family. I hope that you will follow along and watch our green building adventure. Check it out! http://www.HouseofLews.blogspot.com/

Be Thankful

Sunday we took a walk through the new house and it occurred to me how very blessed we are. We are so excited about selling our home, the prospect of a new project and being debt free (at least until construction starts) that we forgot HOW we got this house... a foreclosure. Walking around looking at the big cracks in the wall, peeling linoleum and dirty carpet it occurred to me how sad it must be for the previous owners. They weren't able to keep it up or to pay their mortgage. I don't know way happened to them or where they are but quietly, while I was standing in the kitchen, I wished them well.

Our New Project

Look what we bought today... OUR NEW HOME! Well, it will be our new home in about 7-8 months. Right now it's our project. We hope to tear most of it down and build a 2400 square foot environmentally friendly house. We've been space planning for weeks and I think we've decided on a layout we both like. My husband Tony (an architect) will be drafting the plans and sending them to the Village of La Grange for approval. If all goes well we can start the tear down process in late February or early March. We've renovated a few old homes but this is the 3rd new home we've designed and built from the ground up. We love level floors and square corners! We work well together and in the end we will have a great house that reflects our personality and fits how we live. We are both so excited!