The month of gratitude: Day 3

I missed the first two days to be publicly grateful/thankful, but today I'll make up for it!

Day 1

I'm grateful I made time to visit a gallery outside the neighborhoods I usually visit.

Investigating a gallery in Tacoma. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

Bonus: one of the gallerists was there and had time to talk. (That never happens.)

Day 2 

I'm grateful for a new color combination I might use in a small art work. Where did I find it?

On top of Mount Laundry.

Day 3

I'm grateful for the gym treadmill.

Exercising to make mental room for new art inspiration. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

But only because I admit exercise helps quiet down the Inner Critic so I can get more work done. There, I said it.

If I received a Facebook challenge to do this, I'd probably refuse on the time-honored grounds of You're Not The Boss of Me. I'd rather do so as an extension of my art practice. (Many thanks to Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Blog for the recommendation to hand-write your "gratitudes.")

See you tomorrow for day 4's gratitude!

Post-"Best": mostly pain-free lessons learned

What a great experience being an artist vendor at "Best of the Northwest" was! And not just because some lovely people became new collectors of my art. 

I learned more valuable lessons from old friends, too.

1. Set-up help is good, but breakdown help is better: Not only is my friend Satira great with big power tools...

Satira making sparks fly in her studio. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

... she also happily helped me break down my booth at the end of the show. Which took us two hours. I shudder to think how long it would've taken to pack up without her help.

2. Catch up when your friends show up: My fellow classmate Vikram Madan, from the Artist Trust EDGE program, helped brighten day 3 of the show. 

Painter/poet Vikram Madan stops by to chat at the Best of the Northwest October show. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

After two months of meaning to contact him, I finally got to ask Vikram for suggestions on art galleries which might be a good fit for my work. 

3. Step it up: Despite self-delusions to the contrary, I am not tall enough to mount booth lights while standing on the ground. 

If only I were as tall as the guy in the jeans, I could adjust booth lights from the ground... Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

The art is the most important thing. But I need to remember to bring a &%@#$! stepladder next time. Hopefully, "next time" will be the spring Best of the Northwest show. Crossing my fingers that I'm one of the select few...

New art: the script for "Exposure"

I'm the kind of (art) nerd who writes a running commentary on my own life, inside my head. Especially when we're traveling as a family. [You know, something like "She bit her tongue to avoid yelling at her children and tried to look calm as she corralled them through the TSA checkpoint."] I don't know if it's a good thing, but I cast us as the Brave But Vulnerable Wanderers during that unpredictable journey between home and destination.

Have you ever put one of your mental scripts down in ink or paint?

"Exposure" (2014). © Lisa Myers Bulmash. Photo: Bellevue Fine Art Reproduction.

So I used this old photo of TwoBoo to express that vulnerability. In reality, he was just staring off into space and in no danger. But his expression captured that uncertainty I so often feel when I'm on the road with my children.

Getting through the "ugly stage" to a workable portrait. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

I created symbols of permanence and comfort on his (my) journey: a home...

... a representation of plenty.

Library of Congress

To me, the feast symbology above means less than what a house represents: the structure is literally shelter from the cold. 

But I still like the "offering" aspect of the feast platter. So with help from my fellow artist Satira and her power tools...

I made the "offering" more three-dimensional.

And because none of us travel these paths alone, I added fellow pilgrims in the distance.

"Exposure" will be my "wow" piece at the Best of the Northwest next weekend. Please come see me and my work at Booth H-12 (one of the long booths against the wall) and I'll show you the details up close!rta