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For the past month, I've been drawing these birds again. These are old sketches found while trying to clear out my workshop. Maybe someone should write a song called "Yellow Bird."
I've been cleaning my workshop (another attempt) for four days--so far, I have one clean spot. Instead of a resolution for the New Year, I opted for an incentive. I ordered a Santa Fe II easel last week (on sale and a rebate) which will be delivered Monday afternoon--it will require space. I have looked at oak easels for several years and worried about the wood warping in the workshop because it's a separate building, and no heat or air conditioning unless I'm out there. Recently I thought, What the Hell--I'll warp before the easel warps; order the thing. As I cleaned I inventoried supplies, moved boxes of photographs into the guest house, and stacked things on the porch (to be moved to the storage shed or Good Will).
Here are some of the interesting things I found--charcoal drawings of my two kids from the 60s.
Items from my brother's run for the Virginia Senate (bags and a tire cover for my Jeep); also, a 20-foot banner from my husband's run for town council.
This photo of "my relatives" will continue to hang on the bathroom wall.
Photographer unknown.
I'm off to check my lottery tickets; I might have won $200+ million! If so, I'll skip the cleaning and build another workshop just for the easel.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
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Your relatives scare me... When your lottery ticket wins you may want to leave them out of the loop...
ReplyDeleteThe treasures you are finding in your workshop are priceless! With all these fun things to find I can see why you didn't make much progress in those four days.
Happy New Year!
-Don
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Hallie! Oh...the pain of cleaning out a studio. I just emptied my studio in NY and moved most of it to Maine. Stuff, stuff, and more stuff! At least you have interesting stuff :-) Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteYour relatives look related to mine ! I'm attempting to finish my studio clean up also. I'm pretty close to being called a "Hoarder"
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year
Well obviously, this is only my first visit to your post... I'll be back to look some more! I could spend hours discovering your workshop. Love the soaring bird and your charcoal drawings. I can see you've made great progress in your studio clean out. I know this stage well. The "what have I done" stage. Keep going, it only gets better.
ReplyDeleteThe family photo is priceless! I'll have to send you an image from my family past of something similar.
Happy New Year, dear friend!
What a great thought - win the lottey, have another workshop built instead of cleaning this one out :) And I think we might be related, based on that family photo. ha ha
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful 2011.
Happy New Year, Hallie. I look forward to following your artwork and blog in the coming year. Bare feet ... I guess you can do that in the south!
ReplyDeleteHi Don. This "family" photo hung on the kitchen wall in MD. My daughter's dates always brought her home on time. There are a lot of fun things tucked out there--a keyboard, boxes of kids' blocks, old tools, an old shopping cart, golf clubs, 7 chairs and 3 stools, a deer skull, I Ching sticks, about a hundred books, and at least 35 Ampersand painting panels.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy. It sounds like you're entering a new phase--moving to Maine. We made our after-retirement move about ten years ago and many items are still in boxes. I have trouble letting things go (and I buy more).
Hi Sue. I think I am a hoarder--I even have those plastic bins filled with "stuff." I came across several "getting organized" books.
Hi Pam. I am at the "I'm too old to be moving all this crap around" stage. Looking through my workshop is a lot like visiting a thrift shop--I find treasures and I never seem to actually discard anything.
Hi RH. Unfortunately, I didn't win the lottery so it's back to cleaning today. My mother always said "What you do on New Year's Day, you'll do for the rest of the year." I hope that's not true. I'm glad you have interesting relatives, too.
Happy New Year, Robin. We can go barefoot here in the south--I don't because I worry about stepping on a bee. (We do wear shoes during the Winter.)
Them's my relatives! Maybe we're related - some sister and brother getting together, or something. Happy New Year! I think it is funny all the parallels. I've been talking about a studio forever, and have just decided that I am going to buy my drafting table and that will force me to make space, i.e., empty piled up plastic boxes filled with stuff/ (I already have an easel - made of wood, I know, but don't know what type.
ReplyDeleteYellow Bird (the song): Yellow bird, yellow bird, dance across the sky, sing a lullaby, yellow bird, yellow bird, fly.
There you go.
Cousin Dan--hey. Buying the drafting table first; then making space is the way to go. I have an inexpensive wood easel and a Soltek one--I want a big, heavy one (one can never have too much equipment). I put away Christmas decorations this morning. I've been toting golf clubs and stackable chairs from the workshop to the storage shed all afternoon. Just one small problem--I found I was moving small things from the shed to the workshop. I am making progress; now that I can get to the bookcase, I can get some books off the floor (although stepping over things is good exercise for balance).
ReplyDeleteI knew there was a song but all I could remember were the first two words, "Yellow Bird." Have a great new year playing at that drafting table.
Don--what?? You want me to look up the lyrics for Partridge in a Pear Tree--right? You probably recall that I have no ear for music or song lyrics.
ReplyDeleteRe my previous comment. Don posted a second comment: "and a partridge in a pear tree." I responded; then I somehow managed to reject (not delete) his comment from my email. And I haven't been drinking!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Hallie! What a treat! Those ampersand panels will be great when you get your easel; see you NEEDED the easel so you'd use them! I like the campaign poster; fun! Your yellow birds are festive!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Peggy. I thought of you when I was debating about pitching a deer skull. I thought, "I've already painted this." Then I thought of you--why not draw it or paint it again? I learn. I use ampersand panels often; when I attend an annual trade show in Raleigh, I sometimes get carried away. I've also used a still-wrapped cradled panel to cover my kitchen sink when when we have a party--no break in the buffet setup. I imagine birds dance when they're above the clouds.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Hallie! ......I bought a lottery ticket too. If I win I will buy us both new big studios that we will heat! haha. I very much enjoy going through your old stuff with you. Your drawings of your youngsters are very nice indeed...Those colorful birds are most intriguing. I LOVE seeing your studio--it looks quirky and very comfortable. Congratulations on the new easel. Can't wait to see what goes on it and comes off of it!
ReplyDeleteHi Hallie... I was referring to the list of things that you had found in your studio during your search. In the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" the list culminates with, "...and a Partridge in a Pear Tree." I know, it was a bit of a reach...
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to go hide in a corner and deal with your rejection... Woe is me...
-Don
Hi Celeste. Congratulations on being in Casey's Top Ten list. The workshop actually has a separate propane tank but I'm not comfortable leaving the heat on when I'm not out there. We have another chance at the lottery on Tuesday. My studio (workshop) is very comfortable for me; when I had it built I insisted on nothing fancy--just function. I know I'm messy. After reading Kathy's blog from yesterday I realize the workshop is crammed full of "intentions."
ReplyDeleteHi Don. Sorry; after I published your comment I went back to email and, instead of deleting the email, I deleted the comment--couldn't retrieve it. May that be your only rejection during the Decade of the Don. I did find an aluminum Christmas tree (never used from the 60s in its original box)and three birds nests--close. There could be a partridge in one of those lockers.
Extraordinaire de retrouver autant de chose, vos croquis sont magnifiques !
ReplyDeleteWeekend & Brush, Happy New Year. I am finding many things in the workshop; evidently, I never pitch anything. The sketches are from 40+ years ago--before I switched to sculpture.
ReplyDeleteI wish people would stop talking about cleaning out their studios! Cleanliness is next to godliness. Not wholly holy, just next to it. Worst case scenario--you clean out your studio and find that old winning lottery ticket that's expired.
ReplyDeleteWow, a new easel! Don't waste time trying to figure out why you waited for it; just claim that space, prop 'er up and git going. Do NOT save the box.
My folks have a name for unclaimed relatives. FLKs. Funny Lookin Kids.
You have a quetzal named Conti? Fabulous!
SamArtDog, hello. I might talk about cleaning; the truth is my workshop hasn't been cleaned in about six years--maybe ten (too much stuff, no way to clean). Major cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and forget about the trashcan--just drop it on the floor. I have the only key. Because the easel is about 100 lbs. I might have to ask for help. If I can manage by myself, I have wasted time cleaning. And the poor spiders have to rebuild.
ReplyDeleteSo I might have been Mayan/Aztec in a former life? I did sculpt a piece "End of a Previous Existence"--I dreamed I had been Native American. My feathered friends are always dancing.
May you soar too Hallie. Love all the treasures you found as you were clearing and cleaning your studio space. The soaring yellow bird sketch is a favorite of mine now.
ReplyDelete~ Kathleen Krucoff
Hi Kathleen. My kids look at my workshop and think "Oh, no--we'll have to go though all that stuff someday."
ReplyDeleteHallie, I remember the song "Yellow Bird" as sung my the Kingston Trio. One of my favorites as a kid. If you want more info, check out
ReplyDeletedeenotes.homestead.com/yellowbird.html
By the way, awesome easel. No easy task putting together. Very impressive. Also, I still have my "Bob" bag from elections.
Thanks for your blog, Linda
Hi Linda. I seem to remember my mother singing a Yellow Bird song--I think it was before the Kingston Trio--and she always hummed a lot of the words. I don't recall anything about a banana tree. I think you could have put the easel together, too. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDelete