Gone South

So much for my plans to do a lot of blogging over the summer.  Now I am back down in Charleston, SC.  I know my Pennsylvania friends will be calling this time of the year "fall" now that school has started, but here in Charleston, summer is still raging on.

Summer in the City I, collage, 20 x 20"

This piece represents summer in my "new" city.  Green, lush, fragrant and a bit gritty and prickly.

I have yet to do any creating since returning three weeks ago.  We are busy having the exterior of the house painted.  Each time I approach a window, a head pops up to surprise me.  A little too disconcerting when it happens in my studio.  This is a good time to photograph newer pieces and update my website.  And enjoy the rest of a long summer.

Mosquito

Next up, a piece that represents Charleston, SC.  Now that it has been 19 degrees overnight, I'm thinking that I won't see another mosquito for a couple of months.

Charleston, SC: The Fall Tour 2014

Autumn here in Charleston is subtle.  Shy.  And a little bit late.  I do miss the brilliant display up north.  But if I still lived there, it would be long over.  Autumn here is looooonnnnng.  And just when you think there is nothing left, the camellias begin to bloom and spring is not far away.

Humidity 95%

Back in Charleston, SC.

Hot.  Well, actually pretty warm.  I think this mid-80 stuff might just be a cool spell.  Humid, definitely.

Slowly things find their way into their original nooks and crannies.  Some things are finding new places.  Some things will just have to wait awhile (much to the dismay of my husband).  Things must move a little slowly.  The combination of a broken toe and 95% humidity will see to it.

The studio needs some sorting.  But every time I walk by the door my heart races.  I cannot wait to get to work.

Soon I will totter out for some iced coffee.

Charleston. The Little Things. Part 1

I've had my new Canon Rebel camera since Christmas.  I have done so little with it.  I'm somewhat intimidated by it.  I am easily intimidated.

Today I decided to take a short walk with my camera.  My plan was not to take "big" pictures.  I am most fascinated by the little things in my new town -- especially the small bits of foliage that have carved out hostile places to live.

I can somehow relate to them.

and Beyond

(exploration and experimentation)

I'm finally working on my newest piece in more than three months.

I've heard of artists moving and, between packing, moving and unpacking, almost no time was lost.  Can't say that about myself.

A new city invites (demands) almost constant exploration.

My new piece is based on exploration and experimentation.  I've spent this week working with Vasco
da Gama, Charles Darwin, Ferdinand Magellan, Isaac Newton and Henry the Navigator (whoever that is).  The piece also includes some bird and boating imagery.  Perhaps this all reflects my move to Charleston.  If so, it was not intentional.  This piece also contains a diagram and information about diphtheria.  I'm hoping there is no connection there.

To infinity . . . and beyond!

Here.

Finally.

Snow up north.  Sixty-five degrees here.

The windows are open (one of them out while the carpenter repairs it).  The sounds of sawing and drilling flow out of the window and down the street from my house.

The clomping of the horses and buggies.  Just nine months ago, I was a tourist bumping through the streets of Charleston.  From my perch in the wagon, I viewed those I suspected to be residents.  Oh, how I envied them.  How could I ever have such a life?

The dog’s ears lift.  A distant staccato solidifies into the echoing tread of horse hooves.  From the wagon, the tourists look into my windows.  Perhaps they are thinking, “How the hell could anyone ever live here?”

Winter does not have much of a hold here.  Camellias bloom.  Pansies.  Snapdragons.  Even a handful of roses.  Even January is lush in Charleston.  I am slapped by foliage as I stroll down the sidewalks.  Far, far better than being slapped by an icy wind.

The only thing icy here is the coffee.  I cannot restrain myself each afternoon from beelining to one of my local coffeehouses (or even Starbucks), politely demanding an iced coffee (in my new southern drawl), then heading down a new sidewalk.

Finally.

Almost Here (or Almost There)

Today is another lovely day in State College, PA.  Possibly as lovely as yesterday.  October in my neck of the woods can be quite lovely.  It is coming to an end very soon.  In a few days, the high temperature here will be in the 30s.  Then the long, long winter begins.

This year, however, I get to experience an abbreviated Pennsylvania winter.  After the first of the year, I will be residing in Charleston, SC.  Jeez, I can't believe I just wrote that.  Just eight months ago, I had never set foot in Charleston.  Early this past April we went there on vacation.  By the end of our fairly brief visit, I knew that this was where I wanted to live.

And so, there we are in front of our home in downtown Charleston.  Contractors all over the city are dancing with joy.  Just look at the smiles on the faces of those suckers.  At least the toilets flush (for now).

Now there are two months of packing and planning ahead of us.  What to take.  What needs to be left behind for renters. 

We will be meeting lots of new people:  contractors, painters, electricians, plumbers.

I can't wait.

We're almost there.