And that's what I have been doing.
Spring cleaning at home.
Spring cleaning at the studio.
Moving things around, sorting them, giving things away, posting them on our local free-cycle and elsewhere.
At home spring cleaning means, raking leaves left over from winter; uncovering awakening flower beds; staining the deck (a full two day job) and pruning: apple trees, blueberries, Euonymus alata (burning bush) and hydrangea.
In my refuge, my studio spring cleaning means clearing a whole wall on the north side to begin a large mural: 4' tall by 16' long.
The plan is to
hang this mural on the north side of my Gallery building at 22 Center Street, which is in the center of our quintessential Vermont village, Brandon. We're right on a park, with the Neshobe river tumbling in a lovely waterfall on the other side. Quite a unique location.
In this photo students from one of my summer Aartz groups are drawing in the park. My studio is now in another building a few blocks away since we expanded the frameshop into the downstairs of this building. Route 7, one of the main north south routes through the state runs right in front of the gallery.
This summer the whole town will be full of sunflowers. Many artists are painting cut-out wooden sunflowers to fill the town with light and art. I'm doing one of those, but also filling my gallery flowerbeds with dwarf and full sized sunflowers in many hues, and working on this immense mural. Sunflowers have been a favorite subject for quite a while! Cafe Provence and Gourmet Provence, two of our fabulous world class restaurants, both have original sunflower paintings hanging.
Placing sunflowers in a plausible 16' long landscape is another challenge.
Brandon will be blooming beautifully this summer!
Come see!