Home again

Another week has passed and we are finally home, at least for a few weeks. This past weekend we went through dad's things and started moving things out of his house. It was way more emotionally difficult than I thought it would be. I had thought I was doing better, that is until we started clearing things out of his house. Then the emotions all flooded back in!

We are back home again and trying to get back to some semblance of a normal life. Time to get back to work and go on living. I keep hearing my dad saying "it's time to move on". I know he wouldn't want me to sit around missing him and crying over him, but somehow that doesn't help much. However, I know that moving on is what I have to do in order to get past my grief. Life does go on and I'm ready to get back to my life now. Sometimes I wish I could just forget that my dad is gone. I know that will never happen.

I'm sure everyone is getting sick of hearing me talk about it. Thank you to everyone who has left me a comment or emailed me with condolences. It really means a lot to know people are thinking about me. I will eventually post more about it but for now it's time to move on.....I know, dad, I know, I should have moved on already!

So much of my work has backed up on me while I've been floating around the past 3 weeks. I am very ready to get back to painting everyday! Plus there is a grand opening of Chroma Studios to get busy planning.

Thanks again to everyone for all their love, support and good wishes the past few weeks. I love you all!

Never the same again

It's been almost two weeks now since my dad passed away. I can still hardly believe it is real. I feel like I've been floating around above my body while it keeps moving around on autopilot.

I always wondered how I would handle the death of one of my parents. I thought it would be unbearable, and while it has been very difficult, somehow I keep on living, breathing, laughing and loving. My dad was right, life goes on. The problem is it will never be the same. I don't know how it could ever be the same. I used to talk to my dad on the phone almost everyday. We never talked long but we always ended with "I love you". I am so thankful that nothing was ever left unsaid.

My brother is a much better writer than I am, I am much better at expressing myself visually, so I will share what he wrote for the Memorial services because he said it all so well. I will eventually paint my emotions to exorcise them, until then..........

I cannot even explain the hole in my soul created by my dad's passing, But I know that anyone who has lost someone close to them, someone that was so instrumental in their development as a person, and a role-model for their existence, knows exactly how I feel. He was so important in my life, and I don't know how I will ever live without him. The emptiness is so painful and I know that it will never go away, but I keep trying to believe that everything happens for a reason, and that he left our world exactly how he wanted to. I feel so lucky because I was so very close with my dad and never left a thing unsaid. I ended every conversation with "I love you," and always knew the extent of his love for me…no question! It is still so unthinkable that he is gone and I will never have another chance to talk to him, or laugh with him, or even cry with him. But I know he is with me and I hold on tight to that thought. Dan "The Man" Manning, my father, lived for every minute, loved everyone he knew with no discrimination, and embraced life like no one I have ever known. And I promise you what he would say right now is…..life goes on…enjoy it!!

RIP Dad, I love you

Life is way too short! Last Wednesday, one day before his 65th birthday, my dad, Daniel P. Manning, passed away from a heartattack. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Most especially by me and my brother. I will post photos and more about his life later this week.

In case anyone who knew him sees this, we will have Memorial services for him on Friday the 18th at noon at Chapin HS in El Paso, Tx. and on Saturday the 19th at 5pm at the Mission Inn Best Western in Las Cruces, NM.

Where does all the time go?

I've been bad about blogging lately. Weeks are flying by, faster and faster, wasn't it just Monday yesterday?

Settling in to the new studio space. All the studios are rented now, for sure. We are having our first artist's meeting this Friday. One of the things I've been trying to decide lately is whether I should start yet another blog to keep the Chroma Studios news separate from my art news. Problem is that I hardly have enough time to keep up with the blogs and websites I have now, do I really need to add another one to keep track of? One of the features I am planning for the studios blog is individual interviews with each artist in the space. I'm thinking weekly, but maybe I'll do them all in 10 days. There are 10 studios here, but a couple of them have more than one person. We actually have 12 people total. Of course I don't need to interview myself.

Spring is finally here in northern NM! It has been so nice going on our daily walks to the river again. We always say we're going to walk thru the winter, but it never happens that way! I am a wimp when it comes to the cold. You would think that 4 years in Northern Colorado would have fixed that, but it actually made me worse!

I can tell it's been awhile since I've blogged because I'm all over the place and don't know what to write next! Oh well. I guess that's all for now, just wanted to put up a new blog so you wouldn't think I'd dropped off the earth! :)

Introducing......Chroma Studios!

Here are some photos of the new space.

Reception area

My Studio

My studio, looking into the reception area

Aaron's Studio
My husband and I both have our studios here, plus there are 7 other studios.

One space left!

Currently there are 6 other artists with one empty studio. 1 mixed media artist, 2 photographers, 4 painters and 1 musician. I have someone coming to see the last space tomorrow. I will get links up to all the other artist websites soon.

Multipurpose room

We are planning our grand opening show for the first week in May. Not sure about the exact date yet. I will keep you updated on that. We also have a conference room/classroom/gallery space. Let's just call it our multipurpose room.

One of my favorite spaces is the patio out on the roof! We sit out there on sunny days and eat our lunch.

Finally, back online!

Moved into the new studio space and after several days and several people trying to figure it out, we have our internet up and working now! I have lots to blog about but have to go out of town tomorrow and have to finish one of my needlepoint designs before I go, soooo I will get back to blogging when I get back. I will also have photos to share of the new studios!

New work!

Update: OK, so I couldn't get the video to work, so above is a photo of my latest piece. It's not a great photo, as it's difficult to get a good shot of such a large painting! This one is 48 inches square. I THINK it's done!
Still in progress, I cannot wait to move into the new studio space so I can finish it up! I just don't have the room at home! We are counting down the days until move in, Thursday is the day! We now only have one, possibly two, spaces available! We rented three on Friday and the one that is left could be split into two spaces. I'm having a difficult time getting anything done at the house, so it will be great to get in there!

Also, in preparation for my move, I'm cleaning out my stash of stuff! I have several embroidered, beaded butterfly and dragonfly brooches as well as some vintage Mucha and Vogue posters listed in my Etsy shop for incredible prices. Check them out!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Wow! Time has flown since my last post! I have been super busy with everything going on, but it's all good stuff, so I'm happy. We are still showing the new studio space to prospective renters. We were down to only 2 spaces left but unfortunately, a couple people had to back out on us so now there are 4 spaces available again. If you are interested you'd better jump on it soon though, we are making the rounds at First Friday this week so I don't expect there to be any spaces available after the weekend!

Lots of other exciting things happening as well! My husband will be appearing on television tonight on two different shows. They are both local cable access channel shows so unfortunately you have to be local to catch them. However, he does get a dvd of his appearance so I know he will be posting some video on his blog and youtube as soon as he can.

Also, it looks like a may have a position as curator for a local arts and entertainment venue. I don't want to mention any names until I know for sure. I should be meeting with the current curators soon. I will keep you posted.

I am close to finishing the second of two large canvases I've been working on over the past few weeks. They are reserved for a gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. Again, I don't want to mention any names until I know for sure. I have taken some video of the first one and I'm waiting for my camera batteries to charge so I can upload and post it.

And in other news, I have several new needlepoint designs that will be released to the public at a trade show in Dallas next month. I have promised to save them for the show, so until then I can't post photos here.

The best news for me is that I'm finally feeling better after suffering through a bout with the flu for the past 3 weeks! It was the strangest sickness I've ever had. There is definitely a new strain going around this year! It seems just about everyone I know has had it and some of them have suffered for over 3 months! So, I count myself lucky to be feeling better after only 3 weeks! I just pray I don't relapse!

Attn. Albuquerque Locals: New Studio Space opening soon!

This new space is something I've been dreaming of for a long time! I along with 3 friends and my husband have finally found the perfect space and there are still 3-4 studio spaces available!

Call for Artists - Looking for high quality studio space?

Chromatic Horizon Studios, Albuquerque's newest art & music studio space, is about to open on Central Ave. two blocks west of University, in lovely east downtown Albuquerque. Get in on the ground floor of our eclectic opening, and enjoy the kind of studio you deserve!

We offer an intriguing, classy, centralized location in a large office space, with secure individual studios, 24 hour access and a great view of our ever-changing Albuquerque horizon. Studios range in price from $175 - $350, with central heat & refrigerated air, free wifi, an upscale reception area, nice restrooms, parking, a communal kitchenette, access to an excellent classroom / mini show space, and countless other perks, including open studio nights, courtyard shows, and more.

Best of all, we're an artist-run studio space and active community of artists devoted to making Chromatic Horizon a cool place to be. Teach classes in our conference room, participate in shows, special events--and decision making, in our democratic, pro-active environment. We hope to attract other members who want to participate in our events and planning!

Our artistic body so far consists of two painters, a photographer, a jeweler, a mixed media artist and even a classical guitarist/composer.

Please contact me for additional information, or if you would like to arrange a meeting to see the space. There is a jurying process (no fee), which requires a brief interview.



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How many people have your name?

A friend sent me this link and I found it very interesting that I am the ONLY Paula Manning-Lewis in the USA! There are 99 Paula Mannings and 744 Paula Lewis'. So I guess using the entire hyphenated name is a good thing as an artist since I am the only one!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Featured on another blog

George McKim was kind enough to feature me and my etsy shop on his blog! Thanks George! Now it's my turn to feature him. Stay tuned.......

It's a beautiful life!

So much going on right now, I barely have time to breathe! Figured I'd write a quick post to let you all know what's up. Several deals in the works, can't really say much until I know more, but stay tuned and I will keep you posted.

I'm working on my largest canvas to date, a 48 x 48" oil painting, a new spiral abstract flower.

I have a couple of Canyon Road galleries in Santa Fe interested in seeing more of my larger work which is why I'm busy painting more!

Preparing to move in to my new studio (again, I know, I've only been in this studio for 1 1/2 months!) at the beginning of March. Much nicer place(heat and air conditioning!) with a gallery too!

Spring is coming! I love this time of year! I'll post more news soon, I promise!

Another week already!

Dreamscapes #2, 20 x 20" oil painting on canvas

Sheesh! I've been so busy, I let another week slip by without a blog post. I'm working on new needlepoint designs that I can't share until they've been released to the public. However I do have a couple of photos to share. The first is my latest Dreamscape painting.



The other two are photos of a found art painted rock(what does she actually call them?) by Jafabrit that I was able to aquire all the way out here in New Mexico! Long story short, one of the Jafagirls has a gallery here in Albuquerque(Dreamscapes) and she gave it to me at her First Friday show last week. Jafabrit wanted me to post photos so she could see which one I got.




In other news, I'm planning to move my studio yet again, hopefully for the last time for awhile! Previously mentioned gallery, Dreamscapes, also rents studio space so that's where I'm going. It is actually only two blocks away from my current studio, still on 5th street. I'm excited as it is a very nice place and Jan, the owner, is a wonderfully nice lady!



Oh and in case I don't get back to post another blog before this weekend, my husband Aaron is playing a gig here in Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon at the Market Cafe located on the corner of Corrales Rd. and Alameda Rd. He plays from 12 to 2pm. So, if you are in the area, come out and enjoy some great guitar music and a yummy lunch!

A Whole Week!

I just realized that I mentioned my recycled, hand painted furniture in the last post, but forgot to post the photos. OOPS! See them in my Etsy shop. (I was unable to load them here, something up with blogger)

It's been a week since my last post. I was out of town last week from Wednesday to Saturday. I went down to Las Cruces (my home town) to help a long time and very dear friend pack up her mom's house. Her mom, also a cherished friend, is moving to New Hampshire to complete her PhD. She has lived in this house since before we were born (as far as I know), almost 40 years let's just say. It was like going back in time and reliving all my memories of growing up. I spent a LOT of time in that house. It was so much fun to hang out with my friend and her mom. We haven't spent time alone, just the girls without kids and husbands, in at least 20 years!

Since I came home I have been busy, busy, busy in the studio. I'm currently working on some new needlepoint designs. I hope to have all my designs posted together with a link to the company that is selling them VERY soon! As soon as I know where they are being sold retail, I will also post that information. I had contemplated selling them retail in my Etsy shop but decided that I didn't want to compete with the shops. So I will provide a list of shops as well as a link to the website where they can be purchased wholesale. So far I have 9 designs completed with a couple more in the works. However, there are a couple that I won't be able to share until later in the year because they will be released exclusively at a show in April. I will share more information about that as it comes available.

I am also currently working on finding companies to license my designs for use on tiles and fabric. If you have any recommendations please let me know.

More recycled paintings

Purple Night ACEO(2 1/2 x 3 1/2")

Green Moon 8" square oils on canvas board

I've been painting a lot of smaller pieces on recycled matboard scraps. Each piece is gessoed by me before I start. The mat scraps are plentiful in my framing studio. When I am out of ideas for larger paintings I like to paint small ACEOs or 6 - 8" squares. It helps to get my creative juices flowing and I usually come up with my next large painting concept while I'm at it. That is exactly what happened today! I painted Purple Night aceo and then came the Green Moon on 8" canvas board. Now I'm working on a similar idea on a 20" square stretched canvas. It was a very productive day in the studio. I've also jotted down some ideas for my next needlepoint designs.

Above and below are photos of all the aceo paintings, daily journal paintings and handpainted furniture I've finished in the past week. All are available in my Etsy shop.

Please Don't Break My Heart 7" square Oils on recycled matboard

Waves of Love 6" square Oils on recycled matboard

True Love ACEO

Flowerette ACEO

Heart in Love ACEO

Two Hearts ACEO


Music Playing 8" square Oils on recycled canvas board

Needlepoint designs a hit!

The weekend of January 11-13 my needlepoint designs made their debut at the TNNA(The National NeedleArts Association) Trade Show in Long Beach, California. They were a hit! My sales were great according to the company representing my designs! I debuted with 9 designs and had a few that sold really well. So, now I'm busy working on more new designs. If you are interested in seeing/buying any of my fine art needlepoint canvases, you will need to contact Lynda with Dreamhouse Ventures. I don't think she has my designs up on her website just yet, but I plan to post a page of my currently available designs with a link to her website until then. I will try to get all the images posted by this evening. It is so exciting to think about my designs going out into the world! My goal is to have at least 50 designs by the end of this year. I have 9 so far, so I guess I'd better get busy.

I also have a new section planned for my etsy shop. Recycled, handpainted tables. These are mainly the small, round, decorator tables. I have saved several from the landfill by taking them off people's hands on Freecycle. Freecycle is a great site, if you have never heard of it before, please follow the link and sign up! It is a national site, with smaller member groups around the country. Basically, people post listings of things they are trying to get rid of or things they want and other people respond to take things off your hands or to give you things you want, and it's all FREE! It's a great way to keep things out of the landfill and you would be surprised what people will take! It is so true that one man's trash is another man's treasure. I plan to put up the tables on my etsy site sometime this week. The cool thing about these tables is that they can be used as a table or hung on the wall like a piece of art. Plus, they're recycled!

I've been having a hard time deciding what to blog about. I have visited so many cool artist blogs and they all seem so much more interesting than mine! So, anyone out there, give me your ideas for what you want me to blog about. Is there any burning questions on your mind? What do you want to know? Do you like the blogs with nothing but images? Should I talk more about the art? Help me out people, I need ideas! :)

New aceo paintings in my shop

I've been trying to work out a slight painting funk by painting a bunch of little ACEOs (artist cards editions and originals), plus I did a little 6 inch square painting. You can find them in my etsy shop.

Dreamscape

Today's new painting is a 20 inch square called Dreamscape. If you look at the studio photos in my last post, you can see it in progress on my easel. This was a quick painting, it's a little different from what I've been doing, but it flowed from that place where painting comes easy and I never get frustrated. I've been working on another painting that I've named Controlled Chaos that has been nothing but frustrating. So, I took a break from that one to start another and Dreamscape is what resulted. I guess I should do that more often!

Not sure if I've mentioned it here yet, but I have put a bunch of paintings on sale in my Etsy shop. I'm working on cleaning out and organizing and decided to let some older work go at a scream of a deal! The discounts range from $5 off to $100 off!

New Paintings and Studio Photos

Reconstruction, 20 x 24 inches, watermixable oils on canvas

Two new paintings finished this week. The first one is called Reconstruction and I started it last year, just put the finishing touches on it Saturday. The second one is called Organized and it is one of my small daily journal paintings from yesterday.

Also see below, photos of my new smaller painting studio. Still at the Factory on 5th in Albuquerque, it's in a different building. At first I had a little trouble getting used to the smaller space, but now it just feels cozy! The new space is only around 8 x 12 feet. My office and framing workshop are now back at the house in one of the spare bedrooms vacated by my sons in November.

Organized, 8 inch square daily journal painting, Watermixable oils

Robert Genn's Twice Weekly Letter

For those of you who receive the emails from Robert Genn, I made it to the clickback!!! I was so excited to see it I had to share! For those of you who have never heard of it, check out http://painterskeys.com . This is a twice weekly email that discusses different apects of being an artist. I finally responded to Robert's last letter "Art in bad times" and my response was posted to the clickback ! Now if I can just get an answer to my question. If anyone has an answer, please let me know.