We celebrated John’s birthday this week~
He’s just 49!
Yes, I’ve implied in the title of this blog that it is he I refer to as being over the hill 🙂
but truly, we are here together! Over the hill farm in Kentucky, NSW that is~
Our 8 days here began with a three day workshop here,
kept going full-bore with my hurry up 8-10 hour days in studio preparing work for my exhibit in Bundaberg,
and now concludes with the artist reception for the group show I’m a part of in Armidale. We drive north into Brisbane tomorrow, stopping through Noosa Beach then into Bundaberg on Sunday. In our Hyundai i30 mini car jam packed full of our lives~
It’s been one year; 393 days on this journey (minus 34 of that for John). It still befuddles me to realize we are here, and at the same time, this is life. This two suitcase, planes and now cars, no house and explaining this lifestyle over and over again to new people every week, has become our normal. And that’s it too; it’s just very normal.
As normal as looking out my bedroom window into Cottage Avenue felt two years ago.
As normal as talking to Patrick through his open bedroom door from the kitchen while baked did just 18 months ago….
I like that. For this dream, this ‘amazing’, to take on a sense of normal.
A sense of life fitting.
Because it does; fit.
It feels very good. It feels very right.
It fits.
Don’t mistake me; John can attest to the hard days and my not so perfect reactions to going through customs again, or packing again, or moving on again,
or best yet, waking to the momentary confusion of recalling which town we are currently in~
While in studio this week painting-I’ve a solo show opening 5 February in Bundaberg, Queensland if you happen to want to stop in!-the farm owners son came to visit my progress before leaving for his first day of year 6 school; summer break has just concluded down under.
He asked the question all artists get asked at least once; How long does it take you to paint a painting?
First on my tongue was the answer that really answers this question; My whole life.
But in the pause before speaking this, to an impressionable 11 year old eager and bright on his first day of school, I thought I could skip the sarcasm with which this might reek….
And tell him what he wanted to hear; 10 hours, (give or take a lifetime) 🙂
I am painting here in his grandmother’s studio, on his father’s farm, in his ‘backyard’, ‘playground’, his future and past~ And have been given this opportunity to not only experience where I can take my art as I prepare the body of work,
but also this place and these people wandering through the farm and my life.
I get to share; the art,
and the experience.
His question promoted me to realize this, and to commit to doing a better job of it; sharing the art and the experience.
The second year of this two year journey John and I are on in Australia has started from a new place of change.
John still looks much the same, (lol! He’ll love me for posting this photo!)
<it’s that man thing-to always look the same-
the curse of women in comparison (grrr!)>
but when I look in the mirror I see a much different person than the Trish who left Washington in the cold winter of January 2013.
I know everyone will still recognize me, see me as the same,
but in truth I’ve changed so much; it’s just all coming from the inside-and maybe isn’t so obvious as the grey hairs I cover up 🙂
in love.
trish