So first day of my Winter Break starts with a 6 AM wake up call. Apparently no one has explained to the dog’s bladder that I’m on break. OK. I can handle this. 6:02 AM finds me with my head leaning on the door, waiting for the dog to come back from outside, my eyes closed. I know she’ll whine to come back in, and she does. But it’s OK, because I have a lot of days to sleep in. Twenty three of them, I think. Well, I have training one day and will have to be up early for that unfortunately, but otherwise, I sleep. Sleep is good.

Yesterday both kids came back. I missed their noise and presence. Girlchild went right back to leaving dishes and trash on the counter though. Sigh. Boychild make himself an egg and turkey tortilla hash for breakfast. Useful skill. They both cook better than I did at that age. I hang out with them in the morning, because I can. And then I go off and run holiday errands, because I have to. I have three drawings looming in my head at the moment. I need the time and mental space to get them out. Maybe this weekend? Maybe not.

I did cut things out last night. They went to bed before me, both still on Eastern time. I didn’t get very far…

I was very very tired. Still am.

The tree is slowly getting decorated. I need to be home to do that shit.

Maybe later this weekend.

I have 6 assignments to grade over break. I have an art quilt to finish, a baby quilt to make, one quilt to make as a gift, and another art quilt to start. I need to clean house and organize shit. I need to finish Christmas shopping and wrap everything. I need to ship a box to my brother’s family.

That’s it. That’s all. And enjoy the kids for the short time they’re home and other people too and oh yeah, make a plan for the exhibition in February that gets installed in January. What’s going there and do I have hanging stuff for all of them (of course I don’t). Not a lot. Right? I know the art will rule…I’ll spend more time making art than doing other stuff. That’s OK. Right the balance a bit maybe.

Here’s some more pictures from that Star Wars exhibit from last weekend…woodburning tool used on this one, by Jorge Piña…

Some attitude in Star Wars Kids, by David Russell Talbott…

Quilling at its best in Quilled Storm Trooper, by Iwatsumi.

Raz Holly‘s piece…

Gmonik‘s Rebel Alliance on the left and Ashley Gallagher’s Rebel Princess on the right…one of my favorites.

Although I also love this one by Keith Greene, Rebels, Blast Them!

Then I headed over to a mentorship show in the area at Gallery D in Barrio Logan. The show is called It Takes an Artist: A Show about Mentorship. I’m not entirely sure who did what pieces, because I think students did some of them, and there were numbers on the walls, but the book with all the information in it was in someone else’s hands…so here are some things I liked from the show…I didn’t photograph everything I liked because people were in the way! I know.

There were many of these small origami frames with photos inside…

Then I went next door to my friends’ studio…here’s a wall of Anna Stump’s current work on animals and bones in terrariums…

And a few of Daphne Hill’s pieces about STDs and the like.

Then I went across the street to the Glashaus to see Dripping Glitter by ManRabbit…

Kind of glitzy and decorative…

ManRabbit is two artists who work together.

Anyway. It was a lot of art in one night, but enjoyable enough. I like nights where I’m bombarded with art.