Mid Summer Update From Bridgette

Hello dear friends. It is I, alive and well. I realize this has been an extended period without a missive from me, and so Kai and I thought it was high time I sent a proof of life. I am lucky to have a job where I can hide out at my house and studio, and actually don’t have to show up or respond to the demands of the public.

After my last show in Durango with Diane West Art back in May, I wanted and needed to take the rest of the month off, but then May turned into June, which turned into July, and now inexplicably, it is the beginning of August. I finally summoned enough motivation to crawl out of my delicious summer to say hello.

Hiya. The boys say hi as well. Matt’s busy building out his van, but I’m sure he would also say hi.

I did take the rest of May off. Turns out I was burnt out from three shows last year, and my body made doubly sure I was forced into taking a break. I said, “Here, I’ll take a couple weeks off,” and my body said, “How about 4?” I said “3?” and it replied, “It could be 6 if you’d rather.” “No, no, 4 is fine.” And so I have been spending this summer trying to learn how to take it slower. It is harder than I thought it would be to recover from the bonds of capitalism, the patriarchy, and to unlearn The Hustle.

I have caught myself many times this summer resisting the urge of “The Shoulds.” I should be doing this, I should be doing more, I should try this or that. When you spend your whole life hustling and then your body demands that you do anything but hustle, there is an internal struggle, and I have battled against the voices in my head that tell me more is the answer. I don’t think more is the answer, but I have no good model for what less looks like, and we are making it up as we go.

Matt’s retirement this spring has added an extra layer of adjustment into our lives - namely that he is home all the time. And while I miss a little alone time here and there, he is rested for the first time in over 21 years, and that is wonderful. I am resting along side him, but also we can’t understand how we even operated with him gone 1/3 of the time away at work. How did we manage doing more all the time like we did?

These last few years especially, I had been pushing, pushing, pushing, trying to find the next thing that I could stake my claim in, develop a voice, and explore some new ideas with painting. I tried so many ideas and many of them could have worked, and would have worked, if only I had stuck with them. But recently, I found myself asking, “What is it you are actually trying to say?” And I will be completely honest with you - I don’t have an answer.

And rather than keep pushing, I’ve decided to chill out and see what happens naturally. I might be in limbo, an in-between state, the planting seeds stage, or perhaps even the “goo phase” where I completely dissolve myself and reform from caterpillar to butterfly, and reemerge with a new found sense of meaning and purpose. More likely, I am just being melodramatic, and making a mountain out of a mole-hill, and expecting far more from myself than is necessary. Not everything has to be meaningful.

Honestly, I just needed to take a break. Give my brain a little time off to remember what it’s like to not meet the 40 million demands of modern day society. Maybe do a little more cloud watching and a little less scrolling. A little more swimming, and a little less stressing. A little more reading, and a little less reading into the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

I tend to overcomplicate things. I really think it’s a lot simpler than I’ve been making it out to be.

So when I returned to work in June, rather than trying to reinvent the Mona Lisa, I returned to what I knew well - encaustics. The last two months, I have brought in a number of new works to Gallery MAR in Park City, and have plans to bring some new work up to Gallery Wild in Jackson in September. I’m exploring some old ideas with the eyes of someone returned from an Odyssey. Encaustic, my old friend, how sweet you are. How lovely the smell of the wax, how comforting the feeling of the torch in my hand, how delightful it is to while away the time in the studio doing something I know how to do.

See the new encaustics at Gallery MAR

I’ve also been teaching this summer with plans for more. Back in June, I taught a watercolor class at Swaner Nature Preserve, and this Wednesday, August 5th, I’ll be teaching another class with Summit Community Gardens from 6-8pm. As of Friday there were still a few spots open, and we’d love to have you join us if you are in the area. I’ll provide the supplies, you bring your beverage, a snack, and a friend.

Sign up for Gardens Watercolor Class

THEN, on Friday, Matt and I head to Yosemite National Park so I can volunteer to teach watercolor classes every day from August 10th-14th from 9am -1 pm. The art classes are offered through the non-profit Yosemite Conservancy, who provides a wide range of services, classes, and volunteer opportunities within Yosemite. You too can volunteer in the park, and get a free camping site, and enjoy the delights of doing good while being in the park. We are really looking forward to our time in the park again, this time with some friends who will join us. There are classes going on all the time in the park, so check out the schedule in case you are there another time.

Sign up for Yosemite Classes

Hopefully, I’ll be back here with another newsletter at the end of August to let you know all about our trip and whatever else I’m working on. But I’m also trying to work from a point of inspired action, rather than pushing myself to do things just because I should. In fact this morning, after putting off this newsletter for weeks, I finally wanted to write it. And I sat down and banged it out.

This summer, pushing is out, and following your heart is in.

While I realize it is now August and we’re ramping up for an intense Leo and eclipse season, summer isn’t over. There’s still plenty of time to get out there and delight in the warmth and long days. Get yourself to a body of water somewhere and let it wash over you. Let summer do it’s magic and remind you how much there is to be enjoyed.