Dirty Laundry Blog by Jennifer Hynes

1:16 Friday Afternoon

August 28th, 2015
can it be? How can time move by so quickly? Linda from Early Start, (Fiona’s school for kids with hearing loss, vision loss, and mobility issues) did a home visit this morning. She got to meet Lindsay, which was really cool! Lindsay is now our permanent nanny, yea! She has hearing loss too, so she has been giving me the inside scoop as well as Teaching us all sign language, it’s been amazing! I was proud during Linda’s visit because Fiona showed Linda what she’s been learning, her expressive language skills are exploding!! My anxiety about learning sign and teaching Fiona language are gone now that Lindsays helping us. It’s great! Anyhow that took up most of the morning. I’m finally down in my studio. I worked in here yesterday during nap time.



For some reason I had/ have the desire to work on some narrative pieces. I had an uncomfortable feeling inside me all day yesterday, it followed me to the studio. It might have something to do with the crankiness of Jack and Fiona and my own crankiness! It took all day to get the kitchen clean. I came down here when I put the babies down for thier nap with a sink full of dirty dishes waiting for me.


I thought it was important to at least have an hour of free expression after a morning of whining, billy panting and pulling me on our walk, Fiona throwing her shoe out on the street, which I didn’t notice till we got home, snotty noses dripping everywhere, one of those exhausting days!!



Jack had crayons in his poop this morning! We’ve been coloring in the mornings after breakfast but I think he eats more crayon than gets on the paper.

I’m going to get to work now. I have about 2 hours. Not long enough! That’s the big difference between having kids and not having kids. My time is not my own anymore. My time belongs to Jack and Fiona. I am on duty 24 hours a day.
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It takes a long time.

August 26th, 2015
It takes a long time. I started off the morning on the deck with Jack and Fiona, I had one of my notebooks from my note book project. (One of my thoughts is to keep one with me while on domestic duty) I bought Jack and Fiona each thier own notebook. Of course most of the time they are eating the crayons, chalk, markers, or putting paint in their mouths. When they did decide to lay down some marks this morning, Fiona drew on one side of the glass on the door and Jack drew on the other side. It was kinda cool so I didn’t tell them no. I worked on some quick sketches and played with the markers and crayons. I still have a challenge getting loose in those situations. But I’m working on it.


By the time I got down to my studio ready to work it was already 1:00pm. I wanted to be in by 12:00 at the latest, but the babies are still feeling yucky so I stayed with Lindsay until nap time to give some TLC. It’s something I like to do when I have someone here helping me. I can give each baby extra attention. Something that’s impossible when it’s just me and two babies.


I feel crappy too, so it took me a whiny while to get into things. It took lots of work as well, prepping all the paper and deciding what the hell to work on. I knew I wanted to use the press and collage.


I felt like it was hard work every step of the way, I had to use restraint. I was also fighting the voices in my head telling me my throat hurts, my chest hurts, my legs ache, and I’m kind of melencholy. But I stayed strong and tried to remember I’m a professional working artist. This is my job. I have two jobs, I’m a mother and Housewife and an Artist.


Neither make me any money, but both are equally as important. If I had to support us we’d be living on the street, but that’s not important right now.

What is important about today is documenting and realizing that it takes a long time to push through and work from a pure expression from inside myself.


When I painted my last group I felt totally connected with the process. I’ve been practicing something Carl suggested to me in the workshop, something I’ve been struggling with. I am getting closer and these last pieces Feel like I was one with all the parts on the paper and the paper itself.
I was able to keep any hesitation from my mind subdued.
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