Downsizing...Again!

 My eBay inventory and art supplies--all of my work life--

ready to be transferred into the "basement" of the Beluga

I've been looking back at my blog posts from just over two years ago, when I was getting ready to leave Oregon and travel indefinitely (or so I thought at the time) in the Guppy, my 22-foot 1982 Toyota Dolphin Class C motorhome.   

It was hard to downsize then, and it's still hard now, even though I have less stuff and I'm more experienced with the process.  

Fortunately, I have learned a lot about how to do this over the past couple of years.  An essential thing I've become very aware of is the need for self-acceptance.  

I am not, by nature, a well-organized person in all aspects of my life.  Some, yes.  I'm really good at organizing my eBay inventory and getting the stuff that sells packed up and mailed pronto!  I'm good at organizing my kitchen cupboards and coming up with creative ways to use up food.  And, once I actually get around to making myself do it, I'm good at filing important papers.

But in the more creative parts of my life, such as my art supplies, ooh, boy!  That's a different story.  

Being a mixed media artist, I see the potential in all sorts of odd stuff.  An empty banjo case discarded in an alley is a treasure, even though I don't play the banjo.  It's the armature for a collage/sculpture tribute to Steve Martin.  A tired old rococo shelf can be brought back to life with some papier mache and gilding.  You can add legs to antique glass windows and make them into fabulous shabby chic coffee tables.   

So...in one year in my Truth or Consequences apartment, I managed to amass the goods to make at least 20 cool art projects that never happened.   

Now, in anticipation of moving into the Beluga, my 35-foot 1991 Holiday Rambler Class A motorhome and traveling for the summer, I've had to get rid of a lot of the things I'd hoped to make into art.  

I've become okay with the fact that I drag home things that I dream of making into artwork, and I've become equally okay with the fact that I sometimes have to later say goodbye to those same materials and fantasies.  That's just who I am.  It may make my life more complicated, but there's no shame or sorrow in it anymore.  Just a little frustration until I remember, "Oh, yeah, this is just what I do."

I've learned a lot in these past few years about taking responsibility for myself and my possessions.  My boyfriend Steve has more clear and healthy boundaries than anyone I've ever been involved with before.  Even though he's a guy with a pickup truck, he doesn't jump to rescue me when I need my stuff moved from one place to another.  He gently points out that I make my own choices.  And this has helped me to really grow up, finally.  

I made a decision today that some of my heavier art supplies will go into storage here in TorC.  The Beluga is big enough to handle everything I own, even my mosaic tiles and drywall mud carving materials, but I don't anticipate using any of the heavy stuff while I'm on the road.  I have a couple of solo art shows coming up next winter for which I'll be doing some lighter work (collage and painting) while I'm on the road. 

Another aspect of self-acceptance I've had to learn about downsizing is that I need to stay entertained while I'm doing it!  So I've watched lots of DVD movies these past couple of weeks while sitting and sorting through my stuff, and I've picked out some lighter reading than usual for when I need a break from packing.  

I've also been doing what I can to make the rest of life easy while I go through this process--I've had simple-to-prepare foods available so I can throw together a meal quickly, and I've gone out to eat more often than usual. 

Steve has had the Beluga at his place in Arizona since I purchased it last month, and he'll be bringing it here to TorC in a few days.  My landlord has already found another tenant, so the sooner I'm out of the apartment, the better.  I'll get a little of my rent back, plus the deposit once the place is all clean.  

The plan is that we'll spend about a month here, getting acclimated to the new rig and how everything works, and then hit the road.  I'm excited!  I'm looking at maps, asking people about places they've been, and daydreaming. 

We do not have a set itinerary.   We may make it up to the Pacific Northwest to see family and friends there, and we may get over to Minneapolis for my 40th high school reunion in August.   

However, if we find someplace along the way where my Verizon internet connection works really well for my eBay work and where Steve is happy fishing or treasure hunting, maybe we'll just sit in one place for the rest of the summer.  We're planning to truly take our travels one day at a time.   I do know that we will aim first for the Mogollon Rim.
         

Don't forget me, Mom!

Life Keeps Changing!

 

Resilience.  12 x 12 in, acrylic on canvas

I have heard that life is what happens when you have other plans.  I believe this is true.  I would never have guessed some of the things that have happened for me lately.

 After the Rain.  12 x 12 in, acrylic on canvas

 Up on the Ridge.  12 x 12 in, acrylic on canvas

First there was the five weeks I spent in Why, Arizona, with my boyfriend Steve.  I had planned to only work on eBay while I was there.  I had been invited to participate in a local artists exhibit at Grapes Gallery in Truth or Consequences for April and May, but I thought I would put off doing any of the artwork for this show until I returned to New Mexico, after my visit to Arizona.

Sensory Overload at the Annual Dahlia Show.  12 x 12 in, acrylic on canvas

 Dream Garden.  12 x 12 in, acrylic on canvas

However, I found my time in Why to be so relaxing and inspiring that I changed my mind.  When Steve was going into Tucson for a couple of days, I went with him and bought canvases, acrylics and brushes, and painted for the rest of my visit.

 What I Remember of the 80s, Minus the Mullets and Muscle Pants.  

12 x 12 in, acrylic on canvas

I'm happy with my paintings.  They are the first pure paintings (without being mixed media) that I have done in a while.  I liked working with the smaller canvas size and the square shape of the canvas.  Today I will get the wires on the back so they can be hung tomorrow.

When I got home, I also pulled this mixed media piece out of my storage room.  It's one I haven't shown anywhere yet.  I had sort of a love-hate relationship with it, but I like it better now that I've given the alligator teeth:

 

 Florida.  16 x 20 in, mixed media

So...for the past several months, I've been musing about how I could maintain a presence here in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where I'm having some success as an artist, and also be able to afford to travel several months of the year.  How could I leave during the hottest part of the summer and the coldest part of the winter, and still pay rent on an apartment, while incurring travel expenses?  

Steve and I discussed lots of possibilities and finally decided it made the most sense for me to buy a larger RV, one that I could live in during my stays in TorC and could also use for my travels.  The Guppy, a 22ft 1982 Toyota Dolphin mini-motorhome, was great for when it was just me and the neurotic cat driving around the southern part of the United States, looking for where I was going to settle down.  But it didn't give me room to spread out, and my life has grown.  Now I do lots of artwork, in addition to selling on eBay.  I also like to sew and do various crafts.  And I have a relationship with a guy who enjoys travel as much if not more than I do.  

So immediately upon my return to TorC a little over a week ago, I began seriously looking for a larger rig.  And I found one right away, up in Mesa, Arizona.  So I had barely caught my breath when it was time for me to turn around and go back to Arizona.  I bought a 1991 35-foot Class A Holiday Rambler Imperial motorhome, in excellent condition.  As a tribute to the Guppy, I named the new rig the Beluga.  Thar she blows:

 

She is magnificent inside and out, having been well cared for by the original owner for about 20 years.  I bought her from the second owner, who'd had her only about a year.  Here are some interior shots:

 
So next begins the process of downsizing, something I've been through before.  I've lived in my apartment for about a year and have acquired some furniture that has to go.  I have to sell my beloved Guppy.  I will basically have to go through everything I own (again!) and determine what goes with me into the next phase of my life.

Steve is keeping Bel (short for the Beluga) over at his place in Arizona for about a month.  When it gets really hot over there, he'll move into the motorhome and bring her over here to New Mexico, and I'll move in, too.  We'll probably stay here in TorC for May and perhaps part of June, then head off somewhere cooler when the temps reach 100 degrees or so here.  

At least that's the plan for now!  Given life's tendency to drift in directions other than what I've planned, we'll just have to wait and see.

    

    

Back in Arizona for a Spell

My eBay inventory, organized by whether it's been listed yet or not

When I last wrote, it was the beginning of the new year, and I'd just quit my part-time job in order to devote all of my time and energy to self-employment as an eBay seller, artist, and antique dealer.  

At first I worked hard to get a bunch of scarves and Western shirts listed on eBay in anticipation of backing off a little while my son Sly came to visit me from Seattle.  Sly came for about a week and it was the best visit we've had together since I left the Pacific Northwest two years ago.  He is really growing up.  After a scary time when he was homeless and hopeless, he now has a job, a place to live, and over a half-year of being clean and sober.  He's been patiently (well, sometimes patiently) waiting to get into a halfway house that's specifically for transgendered young adults, and it looks like there will be an opening for him very soon.  Spending time with Sly was pleasant.  He took responsibility for himself in so many ways and even bought me a lot of groceries, which I'm still enjoying over a month later.  

 Sly enjoying being away from the Pacific NorthWET

While Sly was here, he helped me hang the "Art from the Heart" show at January's.  This is a really nice mix of work from about a half-dozen artists.  There is fiber art, quilting, sculpture, and collage, in addition to drawing and painting.  I had intended to take a bunch of photos which would look really nice right about here, but that hasn't happened.   

After Sly left, I worked hard at eBay again, plus I had the opportunity to add a little more work to the "Treasures of Truth or Consequences" show which is still on display at Grapes Gallery.  Two of my pieces had sold, so my portion of the wall space was getting kind of bleak.  

I decided to brighten it up with a tribute to chihuahuas, which are very popular dogs down here near the border.  I had never seen so many chihuahuas in my life until I moved here.  I've heard several people who own them say, "I never really liked chihuahuas before, but now that I have one, I love them!" 

One time shortly after I moved to TorC, I mentioned to a friend that I was lonely, and she said, "You need a chihuahua puppy."  Evidently chihuahuas are therapeutic, but I did not bite.  

Did you know that Aztecs and Toltecs believed that chihuahuas were holy little critters who should be sent into the afterworld as guides and to carry the sins of their human owners?   Anyway, here is my "Ai Chihuahua Mandala!," based on the Aztec calendar.

After I got the chihuahua piece done and there were some art-related social events to attend and so on, I decided to go to Arizona to visit Steve for a month or so.  My eBay work is completely portable, and my RV is set up to serve as a mobile eBay office, so off I went, in time to spend Valentine's Day with my sweetheart in Why, Arizona.

We've been having a very nice time.  I usually spend a good part of the day in The Guppy, working on the computer, and then I come back into Steve's 5th wheel for afternoon coffee and a little drawing.  We've shared some really great meals and enjoyed watching some movies in the evenings.  We went into Ajo one night expecting to hear the Tucson Symphony, but the concert was canceled due to a weather-related power outage.  The weather hasn't been great while I've been here, but it's improving.  This morning it was well below freezing when I got up, but it's probably in the 70s this afternoon.  Windy, though, so it's kind of challenging to spend time outside in a quiet activity such as reading or meditation.  

Sunset from The Guppy, Coyote Howls RV Park, Why, Arizona

This place is relaxing.  After I got here, I thought about all of my social and other activities in Truth or Consequences, and I realized that I probably usually spend at least 20 hours a week outside of my home.  No wonder I have trouble finding time to do artwork.  Here it is another story.  I draw something every day.  Besides Steve, I have maybe two friends, and I only see them if I make a point of going into Ajo.  Mostly I stay in Why to work, read, beat Steve's butt at cribbage, stuff like that.  There are no coffee shops here like there are in TorC, and, as much as I enjoy my social life there and miss both Passion Pie and the Black Cat, it's a great break to be here and have a different focus.

Colored pencil drawing of Sonja, asleep in Steve's 5th wheel

I have some excellent new inventory to sell on eBay.  A former eBay seller who was known online as "The Scarf Lady" has moved on to a new career in fashion design.  She was recently selling off some of her inventory in lots of 20 or 30 scarves, and I asked her if I could buy her entire inventory.  Fortunately she lives in Sarasota, where my sister also lives, so my sister went and picked up all 1000 scarves and will ship them to me.  I am currently working on a box of 200 that I purchased as a preview to the remaining 1000, and it is really fun to be working with such great scarves!  

Here is a gorgeous pure silk scarf, vintage but with the London shop tags still attached, never worn--flying dragons on a silvery gray background.  Fabulous!

I'm unclear as to when I'll be heading back to New Mexico.  I qualify for inexpensive health and dental care at a clinic in Ajo, so I'm getting medical and dental check ups within the next week, and I'll see if there is any follow-up care indicated.  Then Steve has to report for jury duty in Tucson (120 miles away--Pima is a big county!) next week, and we'll see if he gets selected for a case and how long that lasts.  I will probably try to get back to TorC in time for an April art show at Grapes that I've been invited to participate in.  So I just keep working on my eBay sales and my daily drawings and see what develops.

Obligatory cat picture.  What is my blog without one of these?