In my Studio - Wintering
Retreating for the winter, last Art fair, new ETSY store...
For me, the shortening days in November always create a sense of drawing in, a feeling that I need to retreat from the hustle and bustle of the year, a desire to rest and rejuvenate. I guess it’s the Celt in me responding to the midwinter darkness.
END of the YEAR
This year, I feel a strong urge to retreat, away from current political events in the US and election disappointments.
I'm reminded of Katherine May’s book “Wintering: the power of rest and retreat in difficult times”. She suggests not only enduring difficult times, but also embracing the opportunities and lessons it offers us in changing how we relate to fallow times.
My Last Painting of the Summer
I’ve just finished the last of my summer Door County paintings, “Egg Harbor, summer morning”. I found myself packing up my plein air painting kit and retreating indoors. I have put away my palette of blues and greens until next spring.
I'm cooking thick hearty soups, baking brown bread, knitting, and working on a Northwoods quilt. I’m conjuring light out of the darkness. Decorating indoors and out with holiday lights, lighting a comforting winter fire at night, and sitting under a sunlight lamp for my first half hour every morning.
This Year, Next Year
I’m looking back over my achievements of 2024, observing the ebb and flow of my art year, understanding that my best times for creating new art are during the summer months, and during the fall and winter for generating revenue.
I am learning to lean into that ebb and flow, anticipating this time of rest and recuperation from late December into early March, before arising, ready for a new season next spring. I’m selecting a few projects to work on over the winter to relax and recharge: playing with pastels and watercolor, trying some botanical line drawing, painting mixed media abstract flowers.
Local Craft fair and new ETSY store
So far. So good. Two more Art & Craft fairs and that’s it for 2024: Sat Nov 30th and Sat Dec 7th. I will have a booth at the (indoor) Holiday Craft market in the Whispering Hills Garden and Landscape Center, on south Rt. 31, Crystal Lake, IL. Stop by and say hello if you are in the Crystal Lake or Cary area in the far Northwest suburbs of Chicago,
You can also visit the NEW Susan Clancy ART online store on Etsy, where you’ll find some unusual and creative downloadable zoom backgrounds, some of my paintings, and my unique Junk journals.
Until later,,,,