After returning from my trip to Oregon that I reported on last month, I don’t seem to have done very much of anything exciting in August. I stayed busy with a lot of contract fundraising work, hid from the Arizona heat, and painted. The last day of August, we headed for Puerto Peñasco (a.k.a. Rocky Point), Mexico, for Labor Day weekend. I’ll report out on that trip in my September blog, and spend some extra time with my paintbrushes instead of doing it now.

I undertook an experiment to cure my own olives this month. On my morning walks, I had started noticing the olive trees producing fruit at a vacant office building. I figured they wouldn't mind if I made use of a few. The process involved soaking the olives in a lye water mixture for twelve hours, then soaking them in a water bath for the next five days (changing the water two to four times a day), brining them in salt water for a week, and then putting them in a final brine with spices. They turned out well and I’m enjoying snacking on the fruits of my labor when I’m craving something salty (which is often!).

I didn’t produce a large quantity of artwork in August (five in total), but I did create some paintings that were large in size and rather time consuming. I’m slowly building up inventory for my show in March-April 2019 at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, trying to hold back the larger pieces if I can. Most smaller pieces I am continuing to put in my online shop, as I do need to make a few dollars now, too. :-)

One special piece I created was a collaboration with friend and fellow artist, Ursula Schneider, for the upcoming show at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop. The final piece was titled “Nourishing Community” and featured my watercolor work paired with Ursula’s ink and poetry. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and it was a fun and interesting new approach!

Ursula’s poetry reads:

Nourishing Community
Tall, strong, piercing defenses
Offer shelter for the vulnerable
Ubiquitous needles thread disparate dogmas
The robust can patiently endure the minimal wounds
Inflicted by the fragile
In the hope of humanity’s solidarity

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