I’m in limbo…or perhaps purgatory (my catholic upbringing peeking through).
Since early July, we have been diligently purging, packing, painting and preparing to get our house ready to put on the market…days spent on nothing else but unloading excess stuff, cleaning every nook and cranny and learning more about the safety aspects of handrails and stair risers than I thought possible.
I moved all of my art supplies, materials and tools to a rented storage unit here in town since I needed to clear out my entire studio space and figured I would have no time to create.
Everything was spic and span…the house was listed in mid August…and then we waited.
Last time I sold a house 20 years ago, it was all over in 2 days. This time, its been two weeks as I write this…I know its a very different time and place but I wasn’t prepared for the waiting.
I was eager to get moving…and to be inspired in a new space…I had to find something to fill my creative void…so I turned to cooking more involved dinners since we still had most of our kitchen equipment at hand and we love to eat.
I’ve made Pickled Dilly Green Beans, Salmon Patties with Homemade Tartar Sauce and Basil Lime Fruit Salad. I dug out my mom’s recipe for potato salad and banana bread. Each week I’ve been playing around with more ways to use zucchini…but it just didn’t satisfy the creative itch.
Reading Heather Bullard’s September newsletter ignited a spark in my creative conscious…
and Christie Juhasz Instagram posting set me on fire.
I was determined…so I looked around the house…we had plenty of packing paper, tape, bubble wrap…and I still had my bin of paint samples…I went to work…
I torn off a length of brown packing paper and taped off a grid with blue masking tape. I gathered up supplies…a broken chopstick, the top from the milk bottle, an empty deli container to hold water, the lid of an egg carton for a paint palette, an old paintbrush and my brayer.
I splattered and smeared…I stamped and scribbled…without a care for design or esthetic. I let it all dry overnight and the next day I peeled off the tape, trimmed up the rectangles and contemplated the results…the cropped rectangles could be a good starting foundation for new collages…and the painted tapes could bind the edges…possibilities to consider.
We’re still waiting for an offer on the house…and we have everything rolling along for the new home…I’m sure it will all come together soon…just have to remember to make the best with whatever is at hand.
