Indulging in the Domestic

    Since arriving home from school just over a week ago, I have been indulging in the domestic. Cleaned the house top to bottom and the washing machine has been running non-stop. Of course, in the middle of all that, I did the filming with Opus Art Supplies but really, I have been loving the fact that I have a couple of weeks off with no deadlines. It has been nice to spend time with the kids school shopping, baking cookies, and making homemade salsa. I have even taken several leisurely walks through the woods with the kids and the dog. I almost feel lazy not spending 14-16 hours/day in front of a computer trying to write a thesis. I can’t believe that I have hardly even picked up a paint brush! As I often tell my students though and just like in painting, the spaces in between can be just as important as the time you put in. 

    My kids and my walks are what fills me up and gets me ready for painting. I get to observe, reflect, and photograph. This morning I did sketch my son as he sat on the couch waiting for school to begin. He starts high school today (only grade 8 but the high schools here are grades 8-12). It is a moment of observing him that I will look back and cherish. 

     I will be teaching a drawing course starting in a couple of weeks. Although I have taken many drawing courses and taught private drawing lessons, teaching drawing to a group will be a new challenge. I am trying to sketch something each day. I hope to capture my kids more often. 

Sept. 3, 2013

      But other than drawing my kids more, I have another goal for the coming year. It is fairly simple but I am going to try to take a photograph of my surroundings each and every day. Most of these will probably be of Pacific Spirit Park. I already photograph a ton of images as painting references but not on a daily basis. 

The reason for my wanting to do this daily is that my family tends to move every 3-4 years, just as we start to feel really settled. We don’t have any plans to move any time soon but I also realize that I will probably not live in Vancouver forever. I love it here and I want to capture what to me is the best part of Vancouver and all its moods before I am gone. Even if it is years before I leave. I wonder what I will notice about my surroundings by keeping a daily photo journal. 

       I am interested to know if any of my readers  keep a daily photo journal. Is there anything you have observed that you would not have otherwise by doing so?