random thoughts – Day 1,110 – (Saturday) – art and thrift

It was a rainy morning and one with no commitments which allowed me to sleep late. It was 8:14 when I woke up and finally got up. I considered lounging in my nice warm bed longer, but I knew I had to get Winston up and feed him to maintain the insulin schedule.

Western Ave Studios.

The slow paced morning still saw some accomplishments. The wreath hangers were finally moved from the dining room table and put away in a drawer in the buffet. They used to live in the Christmas boxes in the basement, but it was a pain in the butt trying to find them so a new plan was formulated. The new vacuum that arrived on Wednesday is still sealed in the box, but the frames that arrived even earlier in the week were finally opened. Baby steps.

It was asparagus, broccoli, mushroom, and cheese quiche for lunch. Once fortified by the protein and veggies, I left the house for the Western Ave Studios monthly open house. 

Cool stuff at Western Ave.

It was the first time I’d been to Western Ave since before the pandemic. The parking lot was packed, but the buildings were not as crowded as feared. One thing I like about Western Ave is the way the artists decorate their studio doors, the art hanging in the hallways, and the random stuff hanging above the hallways. There are seating areas throughout the building if you need a break or a chat. 

There was a lot of great art to be seen, but much of it didn’t have a price tag. Just like at yard sales, I hate asking prices. I greatly prefer to quietly read the price and decide if it works for me. There were things I might have bought if the price was posted and didn’t require waiting to speak to the artists to ask the prices and then saying, “ok, thanks” before wandering back out. Dear artists, please price your works. 

The advice to studio visitors is, an artist studio doorway is not the place to stop for a lengthy conversation. Other people want to enter, people behind you want to leave, and you are standing there debating having lunch. Get out of the way and figure your crap out off to the side. Cripes. I missed visiting one studio on two different passes today because of this oblivious visitor behavior. But onward and upward and downward and all over. I managed to visit all five floors, despite my left leg aching with sciatica.

Thrift shop score!

After Western Ave, it was St Vincent de Paul, where I had it in my head to look for frames. I found four beige 4” by 6” wood frames, two black frames, and two small white bowls. Thanks to the discount ticket colors, it was only $7 for all of it. Gotta love a thrift shop with true thrift shop pricing.