I can't believe the weather here in Wisconsin this week. The temperatures have gone from 17 degrees 10 days ago, to a balmy 65 degrees today. I've swept the front porch, opened the windows and have been basking in the warm sunlight drinking my morning coffee. As I still here, dog at my feet, listening to the birds, the wind and the occasional passerby. I am thinking about what it means to be here. As in here in Wisconsin. Little by little the boxes have been unpacked. Our home in Vermont rented, our new lives in the Midwest starting to take root. Getting back into the studio after the whirlwind of graduating from VCFA and moving has been challenging, to say the least. There are still plenty of boxes that need to be unpacked. Lots of materials that need to be purged. Things that need to find their right space. My new studio is up on the 3rd floor of this old 4-square we've made home. I'm not crazy about the old paneling, but the finished attic looks out on the neighborhood and offers a quiet place to be by myself and work on my art. Opening boxes and shifting through all "the Stuff" has definitely been inspiring. I've finished a few new pieces and mended a few that were damaged in the move. There's new work on the table. My old style mixed with a new sensibility informed by 2 1/2 years of grad school. This is something I just cannot escape-the resonance of crits and reviews by my peers and faculty. The endless defense of the work you make and the "why's" associate with it. It took a long time for me to open a jar of gel medium and start working on assemblage again. Finally, I feel like I am getting my mojo back. It's not as if it really left me. More like it was taking a long nap. Winter finally breaking into Spring, has opened a mental door for me. I am excited about the months to come. So, readers, if you will allow me, I am back to provide you further musings on Art, Life and Making. I hope you have been well. It feels like it has been an eternity. I know it sounds cliche, but a new chapter has started. 2015 is going to be a fantastic year!