Urge To Purge

It's been a minute since I've posted but I've been very busy,  busy with sketching that is.  After writing the last post about "ME" I started looking at the photos and wanted to sketch them, then paint and hopefully make an entire show around the world of "ME" and my evolution from baby to adult (so far.)  

This one I used to also reference my anger, disappointment, and utter deflation on finding out that I was yet again turned down membership in Women Artists of the West (WAOW).  I have entered no less than three times and just knew that the third time was the charm but I was sadly mistaken.  I mean, really, what does it take.  Good grief I juried into one of the biggest show around in NYC!  Well, I'm not giving up and will again enter in the fall.  

Then it is back to sketching... 

Today, Saturday I decided it was finally time to yet again organize my closet.  You know, since we have been married, 43 years, we have moved every 10 years so I at least clean out and get rid of every 10 years.  But, we have been in this house 14 years and WOW, it does accumulate.  I've had the incredible urge to purge lately.  Probably because Brother and his wife built a new house and have moved and my studio partner, Linda and her hubby bought a new house (after 25 years) and moved and is purging.  It just put me in the mood and I needed to do it before fall.  Last night when I went to bed I told myself, "Tomorrow it is clean closet time," and this morning after coffee that is exactly what I did.  I purged clothes to go to Goodwill (or other) and my purses, OMG, my purses.  Really I have a love-hate relationship with them and there were some that I had not carried since 2013, (there's proof with receipts in them.)  Plus they are not cheap, my love-hate relationship is with Coach purses.  EGAD!  I also know Sister loves Coach, so, I sent her a text asking if she wanted, and guess what the answer was, YES!!!  Yeah, they will go to her house on Monday and I only kept a select few that I more than love.  I got rid of at least 15 purses guys!!! 

Part of my clean out agenda was to go through every single purse and pull out the trash, receipts, notes, fingernail files, my pocketknife I lost, gum, change, a $10 bill and lots and lots of fortunes form fortune cookies that I collect.  One of these days I will use them in one of my paintings, maybe one of the self portraits.  

The GREAT Clean OUT

A couple of weeks ago I started to clean out "MY ROOM," my space, my inner sanctum.  You have to note that the rest of my house is NOT like this room.  It is orderly and neat but my space....

I started around my chair as that was starting to crowd me.  I began making piles and soon realized that I had created more of a mess than I had before.  You have to understand that I am the keeper of family history, my high school class crap, my crafts, my books, my family pictures, paper (love clean paper and empty journals, obsessively), more books...AND MY ART stuff like canvas', paints, cleaners, brushes...

This is not the first time I've had to clean out my room but honestly, it's the worst it has ever been and I was a bit ashamed and extremely overwhelmed. 

I put the S.O.S. out to my oldest, B and she dropped everything and flew over to assist as I was about to give up but I HAD to do this.  

What happened kind of created more of a mess than I thought and it spilled out down the hallway into the guest bedroom.  I had to get the art stuff organized and we moved all of it to the guest room.  Guess what, I CAN'T get into that room now!  EEK!!!!  It has been this way for a couple of weeks not, dodging the piles down the hall but on Thursday I got busy.  I purged probably 100-150 books so far.  I'm a book whore, what can I say.  See those cabinets that are closed, well they were full, FULL I SAY of books that I could not even get to.  One side is empty now, the other has art magazines, so far. 

Look, you can see actual floor, not floor in the hall or guest room, but floor. 

I also have a collection of Stuart Woods books.  I've collected everything he has written and even though his recent stuff is kind of crap, it is a collection and I am dedicated to it.  So instead of filling up my book alcove in the living room

I'm moving all to the top shelf in my room then moving hard backs and old books to the alcove.  Paperbacks that I have not read yet will be put in a side bookshelf that has NO DOORS.  When it is shut away, it is forgotten.  

Today I will tackle the closet that isn't quite as bad as before and I think I'll be able to purge a lot out of there too.  I HAVE to have this done by June 7 as I'm hosting Daniel Keys and the workshop art students here for dinner and an evening of visiting and I have to have my home studio in tip-top shape.