YIKES! I’m moving!!! Seriously?

Creativity in the Midst of Chaos

I’ve known we would be moving for some time now.  As I mentioned before, my husband had/has long COVID and cannot deal with the cold weather.  This Winter/Spring/Summer has been an especially cold and damp one in the Pacific Northwest driving the message home that we need to look at an alternative living arrangement or be stuck in the house for months on end. 

Where in the World is Marana, Arizona?

Last January we spent some time in Tucson and found an area north of Tucson that we liked and found a builder. We made an offer, but the house won’t be completed until mid-December if not later.  The plus side is that the time allowed us some leisure in packing up.  The downside is we need to be out of our current house by the end of July!  Most all our belongings will go into storage until we are able to move them into the new house. 

The Adventure Begins

Using Airbnb and VRBO, we scheduled a month in a cabin in Montana and another month in Walla Walla, Washington.  I have my high school reunion scheduled for mid-September and Walla Walla is about an hour’s drive away.  Expect to see more posts of this new adventurous vagabond life.

Can I Manage To Do Any Art As My World Was Being Packed Up?

I had to make some decisions about how much I could reasonably expect to accomplish related to the creative arts when my priority was to pack up and move.  I had been working on a few oil portraits and hoped to finish them before I had to pack them up, but they were taking too long to dry.  These portraits were from a workshop I took in Vancouver, Washington with Robin Damore. 

A few artists were offering taster/teaser free sessions and as much as I like to try them out, I recognized I would not be able to do them all.  I did manage a few.

I had a previous commitment to teach a collage course and I had to honor that commitment. 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Then I had to decide what to pack, what to sell, and what to bring with me for art supplies while traveling. 

Some of my art supplie wouldn’t survive storage and I opted to sell anything in an aerosol can. I also sold duplicate paints and flammable solvents.  I sold my big easel (sigh). I plan to replace it with a better one eventually.

I packed my oil paints, most of my acrylic paints, most of my watercolor paints, colored pencils, pastels, and everything related to Cricut. 

My French easel, a small set of acrylics in mostly primary colors, ditto for the watercolor paints will be going with me on the road.  I’m taking some Tombow markers, watercolor paper, a few small canvas boards, one slightly larger canvas, and a couple of sketchbooks.  I plan to catch up on some of the art lessons that I signed up for and haven’t finished.  What will I accomplish on the road? Stay tuned. 

The Next Chapter

This is another opportunity to explore a new area and discover new art opportunities.  Tucson has a lively art scene and I’m looking forward to getting to know more about it. Please comment if there would be anything you’d like to see in my posts going forward.