Ret' to go
Everything went swimmingly with the commission client this morning... brought the elements I plan to use, including this paper:
Even though the client has seen my work, in person and on my Flickr account, I was still kinda nervous. But as we examined the papers and inks and other elements I plan to use, she oohed and ahh'd and brought up a couple of things I hadn't even thought to highlight.
She mentioned that she'd had no idea what it took to make the notebooks, until she saw the elements and we began talking about what I was going to do with them. I loved hearing that -- I've had my moments when I had to bitch and moan about how no one seems to understand that making things takes time. How it actually takes time to buy (or order online) materials, to decide if this element goes here or there, adhesive drying time, etc.
And when I brought out the artist-client agreement I drew up for the project, she listened carefully and was pretty pleased about signing. Apparently she's constantly wrangling with someone who teaches her son... there's always some sort of misunderstanding. And it's all because the teacher refuses to use a contract to spell out what's expected of her clients and of the teacher.
Whew! I best get to work.
Even though the client has seen my work, in person and on my Flickr account, I was still kinda nervous. But as we examined the papers and inks and other elements I plan to use, she oohed and ahh'd and brought up a couple of things I hadn't even thought to highlight.She mentioned that she'd had no idea what it took to make the notebooks, until she saw the elements and we began talking about what I was going to do with them. I loved hearing that -- I've had my moments when I had to bitch and moan about how no one seems to understand that making things takes time. How it actually takes time to buy (or order online) materials, to decide if this element goes here or there, adhesive drying time, etc.
And when I brought out the artist-client agreement I drew up for the project, she listened carefully and was pretty pleased about signing. Apparently she's constantly wrangling with someone who teaches her son... there's always some sort of misunderstanding. And it's all because the teacher refuses to use a contract to spell out what's expected of her clients and of the teacher.
Whew! I best get to work.
Prime time, take 2
Good news: the commission client and I are back on for tomorrow. So I'll pack up my stuff tonight and be ready to go tomorrow morning. Hope The Boy gets a good night's rest -- we'll have to be up and at 'em early!
My heart goes out to them
Hadn't planned to paint a plastic heart on Valentine's Day, but it's worked out that way. It'll be part of my Artfest piece. Doesn't it look like a real one in miniature? Either that, or a piece of ABC gum.I believe that God made chocolate because he loves us and wants us to be happy. (Apologies to Ben Franklin for that one.) But news this Valentine's Day reminds me to be picky about where a chocolatier buys their cacao beans. Jesus, I've been to Ghana. Some of the most beautiful children I've ever seen in my life live there. But endangering the health and lives of children is an acceptable cost of doing business for some corporations.
Maybe George Bush doesn't care about black people, but FEMA does. Today I also found out that FEMA loves black people in Louisiana. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained that it's bad for humans to live and breathe in formaldehyde-leaching trailers, that is.
Surprise, surprise: I'm not much of a Valentine's Day person. I do buy cards, and I do like receiving flowers. But I'm no longer the type to make valentines for everyone, and I'm more interested in what those little candy hearts say than how many I can fit into my mouth. (Approximately 15.)
Plus, I used to work in TV news. That either cures you of velvet and lace, or it sends you into the deep end of the frilly stuff.
The Husband says he's not a Valentine's Day person either. But he bought me several sci-fi books (they're also for himself; we have very similar tastes) this week, including a sequel that I'm dying to read. And last night, he bought me a pair of avocados [mmm... drool slobber] and a small box of Dilettante chocolates -- the kind he brought me on our first date. He likes how appreciative I am of the just-because gifts he brings home.
It's probably sticking my head in the sand, but these little expressions of love in my life make me feel like there must be enough love in the rest of the world to change the big stuff. The chocolate-from-Third-World-children and formaldehyde-poisoning stuff.
The best Valentine's gift, hands down: The Husband's belief in me as an artist. He even made me an Executive Crafting Kit, which you'll see if you're going to Artfest. It's a briefcase he outfitted with wooden dividers for my supplies, and strips of Velcro and faux red velvet ribbon hold the contents in their respective compartments. Whenever I go arting somewhere, I get ooh's and aaah's and someone invariably says, "Ooh, he's a keeper!"
Yes, he is.