I have to take a shower, before the babies get up from their nap. I have a thick coat of grey and blue acrylic paint on my fingernails. The warm water runs over my head first, then covers my body washing away the grime from my studio, from painting. I feel ragged and spent. I’ve been working full steam ahead for months, as an artist and a mom. Both dirty, emotional, intense, in the trenches work. Both break the body: back, neck, knees, hands, wrists, and mind wearing out quicker than your average day job. Feet tired and destroyed, mind wrecked. Being a housewife and a painter have a lot in common. Both are alive, transformative. Both jobs, inspiring, exhausting. Yesterday I cleaned my studio, (in-between OBSESSING on a painting)

 I started getting my work organized for Susan’s visit on Friday to help decide which works should go into Carl and my show. We had a meet on Monday at Carl’s studio. We went through our collabs and Carl’s solos. We have a great collection. Too much. Beautiful pieces. Carl and I fit in a session too, we painted on canvas for the first time together. Results amazing. It was a great session: magical, spontaneous, surprises emerged, a whole new series developed. We need to line up more shows! Yesterday as I worked in my studio I wondered what it would be like for Carl to work in my space? I’ve only worked in his space. Does that influence the outcome? I looked through the work done by GAP in Italy this year, wonderful pieces. I noticed the palette was much brighter, and wondered if that had to do with being in Italy. My studio is filled with psychological angst. I’m filled with psychological angst. When I work with Carl in his studio, somehow the angst subsides. Is that one of the beauties of collaboration? Of working in different environments? When I was working yesterday in my studio I saw the line and the mark making in a clearer way.  I saw my work in a new way, that is a result from working collaboratively, I know this much. Time now to go, be mom, make the lunch, take Jack and Fiona to Early Start, go to sign class.