My paintings are safely back home, minus the one which was sold. This is one of my faves, as I really enjoyed painting this.

My plan is now to regroup. I will paint, without the pressure of an upcoming show, and rethink my art business plan.

Gale force winds are pummeling us for the second time in a week complete with a rain-snow mix.

Still the temperatures have not plummeted, so I suppose this still qualifies as an early spring.

The magpies had to take refuge in the lower branches. The nest they built in the top of one of my trees was not serving them well in this wind.

My yard was sculpted by the arborists, readying the palette for gardening. And my bathroom was redone, which will allow for pleasurable soaks after playing in the dirt. Dreaming of sunny days! My kitty is recovering from a terrible abscess, and she was ill for over a month. I am so relieved to see her on the mend and we are thanking our lucky stars for homoeopathic remedies, l-lysine, and calendula infusion.

Our artist run centre, ARTPOINT, is in the news presently. You can read about it HERE! Since the city doubled our rent to 64,000 per year, our resources have been drained. We have a motion to restore our rent to the previous amount, retroactively.

The building is slated for demolition, and really is not up to standard for any other use. A strong possibility exists that the building would sit empty, if we were not utilizing it. We are one of the largest artist run centres in North America. Makes you wonder, if we cannot make it, how will anyone else. Our organization has an excellent history of fiscal responsibility, and interactions with many other arts groups in the city including Theatre Calgary, Alberta Printmakers. We house the Heritage Weavers and Spinners Guild, and host the Unseen Artshow, which supports emerging artists, to name a few.

Calgary Art Blog gives a clear interpretation of the issue, and the surrounding climate. This is not just about ArtPoint. It is about buildings slated for demolition, that could be affordable for use by arts groups to sustain culture in the community. We could certainly use your support. Community Support is ESSENTIAL!

If you are in Calgary, the best way you can help is to contact your alderman before the vote on May 11, 2010. Or you could attend the meeting on Tuesday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. in a committee room at City Hall. IF you can attend this meeting, this would be extremely helpful. It’s hard to say no to a gallery full of interested supporters!