My Love/Hate Relationship with Art/Life/Time

Seattle for Christmas...I think this is the 6th one. Family is so precious, and Mom had so much fun out here last summer, she came to join us for Christmas, with performances by David and Hugh, and a wide variety of other festivities.










Through the magic of modern communication (SKIPE) Serene and Thayer were able to see and practice Arabic on their cousins in Isreal AND we got a real time tour of Shannon and Chris' house in South Carolina, well-decorated with Hastings' Art. I'm making a quilt for Steve's first grandchild in February.


Although Serene has declared a major in Industrial Engineering at Northwestern, her culinary skills are blooming. Her cake with the fondant ribbons looked even better than the model in Bon Appetitte



Hugh and Connie looking picture perfect on Christmas Day....and then in the painting I finished of them today.







A new year, and a three-day weekend are occasion for both joy and stress, since I want to believe that my life is more than only job/eat/sleep. Is my difficulty getting into the studio and facing the blank canvas/page/whatever because I don't enjoy the process? NO, it's because I don't feel the time freedom to founder or fail, to spend the time contemplating and exploring making Art demands.

Now that my time and energy are so short, the whole meaning of my life seems to hinge on finishing yet another painting...looking at all the potential side trips: revisiting my aptitude tests at Johnson/O'Conner with the book Doug gave each of us. I'm pointed toward three- dimensional visualization...my monumental sculpture wrapped in plastic in the garage. I see that my aptitudes do Not point toward successfully marketing my work.

My home is seriously grungy around the edges. I like cooking, don't mind laundry, and even iron my napkins. Money or Time Freedom? I need an obsessive/compulsive house cleaner...who will work for portraits! The giddy pleasure of completing a painting makes the aching knees worth while!


Final version of Doug and Amal from last Christmas morning. Living in the Northwest in
winter requires great courage, the too-brief transit of light low across the southeast quadrant.
A good walk for a new finances notebook, seeing a small tree with brave pink blossoms.

I was inspired by the size of Melissa Klein's show at Studio Bob to plan a monumental portrait show...hot flash women, meaning celebrating women who have dreams and are working to realize them.

There is never, never going to be Enough Time for the person who dreams.

See more paintings and books for sale at:
http://www.pamelahastings.com/