So I wonder what I need to say here. I'd like to be simple on updating where things are at for me.
I'm working on getting a studio space. Spring last year our landlord was going to replace carpet downstairs where my studio office was. So I moved out of that space. We finally got it recarpeted a few weeks ago! Yeah, I've been losing my mind on that one. I have decided not to move back down there though. Nadia and the kids need that space. Its cooler for the summers, and makes the upstairs room less of an overlapping space. Its hard for one room to be a sitting room for family and guests, a TV entertainment room, a school room, and dumping ground as you get in the door. Its been painful. So, School and TV go downstairs. The relief of just getting it recarpeted and having that 200+ sq feet back is hard to explain... and getting the mold we found on the walls KILLZ'd and painted over hopefully has our health increasing too.
I ended up divided after that with my studio office space. Nathan Frisby, my good friend, offered space at his shop. And then I set up a small blue foam office/cave in the garage in the meantime as well. This has not been healthy as the shop has dust issues and ladder only access, and the garage cave is packed like a storage closet at times.... and oh yeah, it DIVIDES my space. My friend Mark Alldredge and I are thinking of building a 14x14 shed/shop to have a studio setting in. I'm excited and anxious because I don't' know how to build the darn thing LOL. Nathan does, but he is swamped. I hope me and my brother Chuck can come up with some ideas, and say maybe perhaps come up with a modular shed idea we could sell. Who knows right?
My computer. 4.5 TB have been lost. I left little Michael to watch a show, and he found some fun boxes to beat on the ground. My mistake, but fortunately most of what was dire was backed up on Nadia's laptop or another drive of mine. Still, I think I lost some precious photos. $5K for data recovery in most cases makes this a serious venture if ever it can be done. And so now I have backups of my backups. :) My tower was working well when it was running. Turn it off though, and it really had a hard time deciding to turn back on! SO, I had a job from my old friend Kevin Stohl that gave me the option to be paid in part with a new $1K computer. I chose a Lenovo 27 AIO which I thought was awesome. That is until it couldn't run Photoshop well. Come to find out, my towers dedicated graphics Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ from 6 years ago were better than the Nvidia GeForce 740m in the Lenovo :( . Fortunately, my friend Joseph Brower was willing to do a trade for the Lenovo with his 3 year old System 76 laptop of awesomeness. He needed larger visuals for his eyesight, he needed touch capability, and an actually slower PC to do video game development on. I needed power and portability... because for years I have been frustrated being nailed to the desk with a tower. The laptop ran circles around both my tower and the Lenovo, so it was a good deal. My downside was that on one hand, I had a bill to pay and Joseph offered to buy my tower too... and, the laptops screen was terrible. Awesome for programers, and people who needed to see data and visuals etc., but for an artist who needed color and value accuracy, it was dismal. My portability was once again nailed to an external monitor. Not much difference other than if I really need to move, it is WAY easier. My tower setup was a 3-way monitor setup, so after being used to that, a dual monitor setup was almost painful. I've adapted well in the last several months though. My old LG Flatron W2452T died next a few months ago, but fortunately I have the Dell 2408W still, and it is wonderful. Color is off from the LG I was used to, but everything else is superior.
I had a show of my art last year at the Idaho Art Lab where I had a chance for the first time since my BFA Show to put out physical works of mine. I had fun, made a few connections, but didn't' make any revenue from it. I have another show coming up with my birth mother in June too. I'm a little panicked about how to get the work created for it. Another reason I am antsy to get a studio built? :P
I've had several pieces of work completed, but nowhere near what I have in progress. As usual I have an increasing number of pieces that are WIP and may never see the light of day. Never before have I had a time where I have said no to jobs as much as the last year too. Its this conundrum where I am sought out for my talent and ability, but too often those who want my art cannot pay enough for "my value" as I am told. I'm encouraged to not give up my art or to bury my talent... but still, at the same time "IT" has to get some compensation to survive, or to make me and my family survive... or "IT" has to know its place right? Honestly, it has been hell on the subject of being an artist. Lots of "why's" and "how's" have popped up this last year. Even going back to school to learn something that will make money. Most painful of all I think is the projects that intended to pay well, but either stretched so long that the payment became pennies, or the payment became me investing instead. Both have meaningful beginnings and compensations... but I've seen so many that my ability to financially live has been impaired.
Sigh.... well. Lets steer away from the stresses of money and value for now. You may notice that my website link is directed to a change in the hosts structure and that until I update my website is down. Feel free to visit my DeviantArt profile in the meantime. And now I'll post some artwork I have been able to complete. Enjoy.
