The past three months have been a roller coaster.
Holiday fairs and shows bled into a nearly month-long visit to Pennsylvania. While there, I created "The Grandfathers," spent the last holiday season with my own grandfather, and helped he and my grandmother out as his illness progressed.
The first week in January, I flew back to Montana, set up my show, and had the opening. It was a wonderful night, and it felt great to be surrounded by friends.
I wasn't home long. Cancer, the evil beast that it is, confined my grandfather to a hospital bed {thankfully in his own home} a week and a half after I left. My sister and I made the decision to hop on a plane and head back to Pennsylvania. Without getting into any details, I will just say that I now have a deeper respect for those people who choose to be caretakers.
"Tickled Pink" and "Dreams of Spring" were opening soon, and I needed to head back to Missoula to ship my pieces to Tasty and hang my work at Bernice's.
A few days after we left, and before my opening, my grandfather died.
There is no way I can convey how important he is to me in a few short sentences. {I was born on his 50th birthday, his first grandchild. We spent nearly every birthday together. the ones we missed, I can count on one hand}. I'm going to save these thoughts and stories for what I hope to be a well-crafted essay honoring his life and his influence on mine.
For the past month, I feel like I have been stuck on the aforementioned roller coaster. You know the straight part of the track, after all of the ups and downs, when the coaster slows before the end of the ride? That is where I spent February~ not touching a pencil or a piece of wood.
It is time to get off the ride.
Thank you to all of you who have stuck around this stagnant blog and artist. I hope that I won't disappoint in the future. I have an opening on April 1st to prepare for and a few other things I can't wait to share with you!
