Another month gone by and I feel like I have been living in a bubble. Eat, paint, make food-watch TV (way too much), and sleep.  My hubby will turn on the TV at 6:00 and watch "something" until it's time for bed.  I am getting so I hate the TV, so things are gonna change there.  Granted, in Norway in the winter, it's dark at 3:00 p.m. and cold and wet outside, so people tend to get in a rut by zoning out doing dumb things.  But now it's actually light out until 7:30 p.m., and that means going for walks, bike riding and otherwise just getting up an going out cause you feel that there is still a day out there left to be used up.  This weekend we move the clocks ahead an hour, and that really extends the days....YIPPIE!!!!  I love that.  I am so light sensitive and living in scandinavia has it's challenges.....the darkness being the big one.  Forget the language, food, culture transitions.  The WEATHER is the biggest challenge, and specifically, the extremes between midnight sun in the summer and near total darkness in the winter.  No problems with the first one, but the second.....is a killer.  Took me many years and a light/sleep therapist to discover what the heck I was going through.  Now I have a Phillips "Bright Light", actually, I have two, one in the studio and one at home.  They simulate daylight, and using them in the mornings, for 30 to 45 minutes, gets the hormones moving and charges me up for the day.  If you don't have one of these, you will be dragging your butt through the winter, never really rested and tired all the time. 

The painting has been going on like it should, though, and I have a new series of paintings that I will show at an exhibit in May at Lille Atelier in Bergen.  The month of May my work will be hanging there, and I fully expect to sell a good majority of the work.  (Positive thinking).  I'll write more later, as I am already late getting to the studio today.  I've had a cold and sinus problems the past couple of days, and have stayed home, but I just have to get back there.  There are problems to solve and work to be done.  Bye for now.

This weeks work has yielding  some interesting paintings.  The direction is definitely spring, what with Scandinavia finally receiving some sunshine, after the months of darkness.  The palette changes with the seasons, and now things are running greens and yellows and plants.  That is not to say that it's been SUNNY here...quite the contrar.....grey, wet and cold, but the sunsets are extending with an hour a week and that means that sunrise is about 07:30 and sunset is about 6:00 p.m.....a more natural cycle for a human.  If you've never been far north (Alaska or thereabouts) you don't know how the shifts in season effect your mood. Lack of sunshine in the winter months, and overabundance of sunshine in the summer (midnight sun) makes for an extremely crazy personalty.  Anyway,  I will be attaching some of the newest creations as soon as I can find my digital camera....my husband needed it this week to take pictures of our car for the insurance company......Have a great week everyone.

Blogging is great for keeping in touch with a generalized group.  How in the world can I update every one I know except by writing on this and sending it out.  It's amazing, really.  

I have been at the studio for the past 6 months, creating paintings and drawings for the upcoming May exhibit.  Now, I have had the good fortune to be invited to show a group of paintings at Hardanger Fjord Hotel in Oystese (outside of Bergen, Norway) all summer, so that will mean splitting up the paintings I have, and trying to create more than I had planned on.  Challenges like this stimulate me to enter into the creative environment (my studio, combined with nature) and pull up the elements that transfer themselves to the medium I am using.  I have 10 yards of canvas that will soon be stretched, primed and made marks upon.  The fact that I just had my knee operated on (menisk, only...no big deal) just means I have to overcome alittle rehab time and not let it prevent me from climbing the 3 flights of stairs to my studio.  I will post some of the newest creations as they present themselves... 

Sept. 15, 2008

This past weekend the historical building next door to us burned to the ground.  It is a motive that I have painted many times in the past 3 years, and I am glad that I did.  Not that it looked good even before it burnt, but using artistic license, I have created a compositions and paintings that will be memorable for the future.  The entire area where I live is considered of historical value on a national level, but you would never know it to see the condition of alot of the buildings.  The owners of the buildings bought them with the intention of transforming them into useful, profitable replicas of their former selves, but when national conservatory office declares them "historical", the options for restoring and using these buildings drops dramatically.  No longer can they be restored as the owners intended, but, being of national historical value, the restrictions are enormous.  What then happens, is that the owners drop all plans, let the buildings deteriorate until they either fall down on their own or some sets fire to them.  The fire that took place this past weekend is the 5th fire in 3 months in our area, so I suspect that there is foul play, especially concerning the fire in our neighborhood.  The press is digging for answers, and I for one, hope that light starts to shed on why this hopeless situation can not be solved to everyone's satisfaction.

My First Blog EVER.....

This is where I'm gonna keep the ball rolling as far as mental exercises connected to the processes of creating; both at home and at the studio. At home one needs to be creative in a completely different, but equally demanding way, so I"ll put some words on here about keeping the troops together, working as a team, encouraging each other, etc. Since I love to cook, there will be stuff about food.  The home front is always competing with the studio for my time, and I won't be denied the necessary hours with canvas and paint (or paper and charcoal/pastels). Without them, I'm a very edgy person.

So, I'll be updating this as I feel the inspiration to do so, and I hope there is something that others can relate to. Thanks for checking in.