Vaccinated I am!

 

Yay! I am fully vaccinated and I'm glad. Not that I feel like I/we can let our mutual guards down; there are variants, unknowns and stupid behaviors out there! But I do feel much better knowing that I will probably not get as sick or die and I can actually begin to see family and friends who are also on the vaccination train. And not a moment to soon.

And speaking of feeling better, thank you for asking. While my second dose experience wasn't as bad as some, I didn't feel like my typical chipper self. Many friends had reported semi-debilitating second shot side effects from Moderna including (but not limited to) 36 hours of general awfulness to lying in bed drooling for ten hours. I suffered a mild headache, some body aches and chills and spent the day in bed doing crossword puzzles and reading our most recent New Yorker from cover to cover. (*1) Not bad and certainly worth the end result: protection against a truly nasty virus!

And here's a bonus picture:

This is a detail shot of the Rhododendron lurking under that bedspread in my last blog posting. The central section is rewarding my vigilance with lovely pinky-purple flowers and the rest will probably come out today, as it's warm and sunny. On with the spring!
 

(*1) So at one point, when I had ventured outside to check on the horses and allow Robin the Good a brief respite from attending to me, I debated walking to the mailbox to retrieve the previous day's mail. We do have a very long driveway but I was game. I got to our peach tree and realized that if I were to proceed further, I would most likely not make it back. I saw me in a pathetic, crumpled, damp heap, awaiting discovery by a passing Good Samaritan. I retreated to bed!

Day Something Something Something: Bad Sci Fi

At least I'm hard at work in my studio. Above, "Medal of Freedom" (Feminazi)  honoring a brutal portmanteau from none other than recent Medal of Freedom recipient Rush Limbaugh. I proudly clutch onto that title and make it my own. It's in process but it looks good so far. And that's not the only piece I have fermenting in my studio...
Other than us working in our studios, Bob and I seem to be holding up just fine. We've been working out doors, still cleaning up from that crazy tornado from two years ago. We're hauling off piles of brush and opening up new areas- it'll look great once we're done. But it's been chilly so I haven't really begun to garden; I need to transplant some things and move a few other things and clear yet more leaves (a refined detail clean-up. I already did the rough clean!) We have plenty of time so it'll all get done. Today is sunny so far but very windy so forgot those leaves!
But this is all seeming a tad like one of those cheesy sci-fi movies; surreal images of people shopping in masks and gloves and tractor trailers being turned into morgues. The quiet continues on our road and in the sky over our house, except for our returning ducks quacking up a storm. Our neighbors are not to be seen; not sure why they're not all outside enjoying the sunny weather. I start picturing them all turning into zombies or vampires inside their houses. Probably not a good mental image to have!

So here's the other piece I have going on in my studio. That's actually an earlier state as I've begun sewing little beaded COVIDs onto it:

 (Note the bacterial/petri dish delight back round material! I've been saving that for ages, waiting for just the right piece to use it in. The  back round also alludes nicely to modern painting with the sort of smeary, painterly fields running together- maybe a hint of Jasper Johns? See below*).
Here's a funny coincidence: A friend Facebook messaged me a funny song about "Staying the Fuck Home" (thanks Bill!!) and I kiddingly said, "Sounds like a new piece for me!". He responded with a thumbs up and then I got to thinking, why (the fuck) not? I also went to work on this as I was solicited to be in an on-line art show of work created while quarantined and what could be more appropriate? (I'm hoping to finish this piece this morning if I could only get off the computer and get some real work done!!) And then we turn on the Jimmy Kimmel show and he's talking to Samuel L. Jackson who reads from the new book, "Stay the Fuck Home"! Talk about synchronicity!!!
So take that advice- Stay the Fuck Home!!!
 
*See? Same sort of painterly impulse. Thank you Mr. Johns!

Art, Sickeness and The Resistance Continues

I haven't blogged since that terrace completion because I've been really busy. I did Open Studios again this year, after a hiatus of four years. It was great! I got lots of good feedback and some serious interest in being informed of upcoming gallery shows (of which there are a few in the works. I'm excited about that!) There were something like 160+ artists in the building- a giant temporary space that used to be a garrison for some sort of military group, I think. And there was a surprising amount of really interesting and engaging work on display, along with several wacky performances that got me and my friends laughing. (We needed that after all the dire news recently.)
Above is one of the pieces I showed, "The Small Golden Pillow for the Resistance". I had three larger wall pieces on display as well as an assortment of artist's books. I was really happy because this years Open Studios was extraordinarily well attended. I spoke until I was hoarse and saw a lot of artists/friends that I haven't seen in ages. And then I got sick...
Well, that could be because of all the people in attendance, probably a half carrying some cold/virus germs... and there were children! Oh, you have to watch out for those little buggers wiping there snotty boogers everywhere. Did I mention that there were no bathrooms, just Port-O-Lets that got increasingly nasty as the weekend wore on? My last visit just before leaving on Sunday was particularly memorable. I bonded with several people in line who were brave enough (and desperate enough) to need to use the facilities. We played a good game of "what's behind Door Number 1 or Door Number 2... or do you want Door Number 3?" You can't win.
But it very well could have been my considerate co-worker who came in briefly on Friday to coach me in the use of the new photo lights at work. He came in briefly as he went home sick with a cold.  Yeeech. He never strikes me as being the most hygienic fellow at the best of times!
So I'm not feeling particularly smart- or well, either- and i'm going to go take a nap. I actually called in sick today, because unlike others whose names shall not be mentioned, I don't wish to spread illness.