Sisyphean to do list:

I suppose after about 5.5 years of blogging, it might be obvious that I tend to write when I'm feel like I have a million other things to do. Like now.

Here's today's Sisyphean to do list:

1. emails thanking people who responded to my call for finding affordable studio space in Nashville.

After scouring Craig's list, I surmised that studio space in Nashville was something I would need to find on the black market, so I sent out a few emails.

I had high hopes yesterday when I thought there was a good chance I could have a dog-friendly studio space in exchange for some nominal fees and community service work, but it was not to be. I try to be one of those people who thinks that when something does not work out, it means something even more fabulous is out there. Of course, more fabulous is probably not going to be cheaper and considering the circumstances, I was shooting for cheaper until I could fit the rest of the puzzle together. I also thought it might be good to work in a building with other artists for a change. I'm a hermit. I like working by myself, and Fang and I have had it good. But when I moved to Los Angeles, my first 3 studios were in buildings with other artists. I still keep in touch with a few of them. It's also how I started getting involved.

2. Post Office. Need to mail my piece for the Incognito benefit.

3. Complete my application for an exhibition I'm applying for in Nashville.

4. Finish my accounting

5. Play with Fang.

6. PAINT. It's too late to wish for a residency, a pot of gold, a fairy godmother, a magic lantern or any of the other things that would run the rest of my life while I work in the studio today, but hope springs eternal.

7. Yard sale. Next weekend. Saturday. All those pocket warmers, eraser heads, electronic sports gadgets and some clothes I could not live without, along with just about anything else is up for grabs, including art. I don't really have time to do etsy or ebay, right now, so I'm thinking I might do a super sales blog, but making current work is superseding that right now.

8. Packing up books and stuff I can live without for a few months. The housing market is good right now. It might behoove us to put it on the market sooner than later.

9. I need to shoot the new work.

10. Housekeeping. ROTFL.

11. Fill in the blank.

12. Tonight I'll be making one of my rare appearances to a friend's opening at Jancar Gallery. Double bonus because I know both the artists and it will be a great show:

MERY LYNN McCORKLE - "Silence"

DAVID McDONALD - "Tiny Histories, 2005-2010"

13. There's a panel discussion at the Eagle Rock Cultural Center in conjunction with a group show I'm in.

14. Way behind on seeing other people's art, but next week. Promise.

15. Try and not be annoyed that some people think my last name is Addison. I'll reserve another post for the troublesome name issue and why I prefer to be called Maryaddison as opposed to Mary, but not today. Some people get it, some people don't. Five syllables seems to tax people. If they only knew it was three.

16. Something else I can't think of right now, but is probably on my desk mocking me.

Stuck.

1. Describe the work you intend to pursue during the grant period.

For starters, I'll just tell you why that sentence stops me in my tracks. The grant period takes place in the future, approximately 7-10 months from now. With all due respect to artists who have a crystal clear vision of what their work will be about in advance, I do not. My work is responsive to the present and right now I'm working myself into a lather trying to even think about how to craft a paragraph that is descriptive of work I have not yet created in lieu of the fact that I am just now evaluating work I painted THIS year and on top of that, I have thrown myself the biggest wrench in the system ever by a) drastically changing scale and b) gadzooks- using imagery from real life. Even if I weren't at a crossroads in the studio, this question always feel like a ripe opp for some heavy BS and I'm so anti-bs right now.

2. What are the goals of the project?

This is actually a little easier. Although I can not yet articulate the work I intend to pursue, the visuals are registering in at about 95%, meaning I can roughly visualize the final project installed and ready for viewing. I know then, that it will have to do with some personal things, some technical things and successfully blending the two. Goals are things to aim for.

3. How will pursuing this work advance your artistic practice?

That's an easy one.

4. What are your motivations and methods?

Not terribly difficult, but still hearkens back to question #1 and #2.

5. Would you prefer we scrapped all this paperwork and set up an appointment for a mind- meld?

Most def.

I'm beat.

...as in tired. I haven't been on the bike much lately. I've been out of town a lot and it hasn't been under the most pleasant of circumstances. I'm looking forward to staying in the same time zone for more than a month...after next weekend. I go back to Nashville next weekend, but that's another post.

I meet a group of like-minded individuals who ride motorcycles every Sunday, and 4 out of 5 Sunday's, I ride my bike to meet up. Other than that, it's mostly been little short trips to run errands or catch a show or lecture. I haven't commuted to school on the bike once this semester. Today some of us rode up the Mulholland Hwy. to hang out in the backyard of a friend of a friend's B & B, The Knucklehead Inn. Quite lovely and beautiful scenery. And although it would be a decadent get-away for me to hole up in a B & B a mere 40 miles down the road, it's totally a possibility if I need a quick retreat.

It was gorgeous day full of traffic. Nary a pocket of unoccupied asphalt the whole ride home. Which is to say, I was lane-splitting and on the clutch the entire time. Which is to say, I was tired when I got home. Good tired. Which is to say it proved a successful procrastination tactic in avoiding the tiresome divorce paperwork required by the state of California.

So today, I am doing nothing. Tomorrow, I have much to do:

1. Drop off painting for the Venice Art Walk and Silent Auction. I was hoping to drop off a larger painting from '07, but found out there was a size limit, so instead, I will be donating one of the new small paintings, titled, Shelter from The Storm.
   
2. Look for additional work. I'm crossing my finger that I may have a class at Riverside Community College. It's a haul, but it's a nice department & if I'm really lucky there will be a watercolor class to teach.
   
3. Figure out how to manage 3 large crated paintings in a city 2000 miles away that are now at another artist's studio when ideally they should have been shipped back here on someone else's dime.
4. Figure out how to sell a motorcycle that is in a city 2000 miles away and whose battery is dead.
   
5. Go to the bank. Cash the Traveller's Checks I was holding onto in case all hell broke loose.
   
6. Write large checks to people who want money for doing things like accounting and legal stuff.
   
7. Run.
   
8. Write out the syllabus for the summer Drawing Class.
9. Stretch 5 more canvases.
   
10. Figure out my net worth and itemize my possessions as required by the State of California.
    
11. Spend some quality time with Fang.
12. Be grateful.