"See You Soon . . .

God willing and the creek don't rise."  One of my favorite southern sayings.  And now that I will be living where I have to cross a creek to get to my new home, I completely understand where that saying comes from. 

During the summer months, the creek bed will be fairly dried up, but during the winter and spring, there will be times when I won't be able to cross the creek when the waters are exceptionally high.  But for me, a self proclaimed recluse, it will be a bit like Brer Rabbit saying, "Oh, please, don't throw me in that briar patch!"  I will be happily holed up in my studio, knowing that no one will show up to bother me.  I can hardly wait!

Creek crossing.

House of Belonging

A lot has happened since my last post.  I had recorded in my journal for November 4, 2010 that I was done with struggling with my art and my living situation and I made a decision to "Let go and let God".  Not only did that work for me, but it may even have worked too well!  Within a month, I had received a new House of Belonging.  The House of Belonging is an ancient Celtic metaphor for the human body as the earthly home for the soul.  Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of  "Simple Abundance", says that "the blueprints of your House of Belonging exist as spiritual energy and hover over your head, ready when you are, to be pulled down from Heaven to shelter your soul on Earth."



Painting by my husband's Uncle Leslie VanHook.



I believe I have been ready for quite some time for my new home and was pleasantly surprised when the perfect  home appeared for me.  Of course, as with everything that seems to simply appear, there are certain unforeseen problems that must be dealt with.  In this instance, my husband and I have received a wonderful new home that was never really finished and, having sat for a long time unattended, was in bad need of repair.  But we are getting closer to the finish date and will hopefully move in soon.   The image shown above is a picture of a painting of the house as it would be upon completion.   You will see in subsequent pictures that  not everything was finished.



Split cedar log house built partially by my husband almost twenty years ago.

The greatest surprise for me, however, is that I will finally have a good sized "wet" studio that can also easily be vented if I choose to continue exploring mediums that need a good ventilation system for safety.  I have wanted to try working with encaustic medium but have hesitated since I did not have a good way to ventilate the wax fumes.  So, I may just jump in sooner than later.


The living room/den in need of some repairs and finishing touches.

We are just in awe of this room.  I haven't decided if this room will be the "man cave" or something more matriarchal where I can dance by the light of the moon coming in through the large plate glass window opposite the stone fireplace.  The walls are split cedar logs, sanded smooth and varnished, the ceiling is sassafras, and the floors are handpegged, white ash -- stunning!

Now on to the next order of business.  I have to find a realtor to sell my house.  I will be meeting with someone this weekend who seems to have great potential.  And more great news, I have had an article accepted for publication by "Cloth Paper Scissors" for their Sept/Oct 2011 issue.  I have to dig through my packing and find the materials I need to get started on it.  Not sure when I will be posting again.  I am just going to have to wing it until I get settled in my new home.