Showing Off the Studio

Yesterday was a fun day. Our “California Girl” — Liz Sherwood — was here in the midwest. She’s accompanying her husband while he makes business calls in Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Chattanooga, and Birmingham. So, it was a perfect opportunity for us to visit. This is the first time she’s been back “home” in several years. It was, of course, the first time she’s been to our new home. 

Liz is also an artist. She paints rocks, or at least, she did before she came down with a strange disorder called MDDS — Mal de Debarquement Syndrome. For those whose French might be a bit rusty, this translates as “Disenbarkment Illness” and it occurs to people after being on a ship. Liz and her husband were on a cruise at the start of the year, and since then — until recently — Liz suffered from the dizzy, swaying feeling that everything around her was still rocking and bobbing with the ocean. She suffered with it for months, and it became so bad that she could no longer do any painting. She gave all her art supplies away to young artists in need.

Finally, a few weeks ago, the dizziness went away. She was concerned now that the flight from San Diego to Oklahoma City might cause a relapse, but so far, so good. Her husband rented a car in Oklahoma, they’ll be driving from one city to the next for his business, and then next week they will fly back to California from Birmingham, Alabama. Say a prayer for her, please, if you’re so inclined.

Liz loved our house — so do we — and she couldn’t wait to get down to the studio. I’ve shared it with her in a few pictures. But nothing beats an in-person visit, and together we gleefully headed downstairs, ready to make messes and create… well, something! 

She had fun just exploring the different “art boxes” around the studio. One has acrylics. One has alcohol inks. Different boxes have drawing supplies or pastels. Like a kid in a candy shop, she was poking her nose into all of them, and in the end she settled on grabbing watercolor and watercolor ink to make a few bookmarks.

I didn’t think to take pictures — until afterward. I came downstairs this morning, rolled my eyes, and looked at the big mess we’d made. Later I discovered that Liz had taken a few pictures — and posted our mess all over Facebook. Oh, what are daughters for if not for sharing our messes! 

So, take a look for yourself and see how much fun we had. I loved showing off my studio, and together Liz and I loved playing in it.

Here’s a quick look at the big mess we made. 

 

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Yes, it was fun to visit with Liz, and we enjoyed making bookmarks with bright watercolor inks and paints. No, she didn’t stay around long enough to help clean up the mess! Oh, well. It was great to visit with her, and I really did love showing off my studio.