Turning Back Up With Lots of News!

Spring is springing, the days are flying, and it’s time for me to dust off my LMLD keyboard a bit to check back in here – I know it’s been a long, quiet while for me!

A lot has been happening with our little family! Which is why, in part, it’s been hard for me to find the time to contribute.

You may recall, a few years ago, when I shared that The Artist and I had come to the decision that we would leave our dear community in the DC area and leave his job teaching at a great school in order to pursue the dream of full-time, professional artwork. He knew that he wanted further training in order to master his craft, and the man he wanted to study with was in Manchester, NH. That’s how we ended up with that whole Chesternest chapter.

Pause for a few before-and-afters from that dear, quirkly little apartment:

Well, we’re on the other side of that now. After 3+ years of living in the best neighborhood we’d ever known and experiencing our happiest times as a little family, we decided that The Artist had indeed achieved his goal in his studies and it was time to take the leap.

He worked so hard during those years and I am so proud of him. If you will allow me a moment to honor him: rarely will you find a young man who is artistically inclined apply himself with so much focus and discipline to a craft.

Art is not about emoting on canvas and it’s not about self-discovery (although emotional expression and understanding of self can certainly be part of and result from good art!); to study art seriously is to be dedicated to enduring principles and meet the demands of objective standards. Pursuing art ought not be selfish; the Artist has been given a gift and he believes in working hard to put that gift at the service of others by communicating beauty.

He put in 8-10+ hour days through most of the year, often traveling on foot or bike to the studio (so that I could have the shared car at home) in all kinds of New England weather, and taking up various freelance work on the nights and weekends and over the summers.

He put in months of work on individual paintings so that he could totally integrate all the feedback from his master (which was generally received on a weekly basis), who was very encouraging when he saw how rapidly The Artist advanced and how deeply he grasped the concepts and the technique.

A glimpse from his Manchester studio of some of the illustrations he did for a children’s book which is due to come out this late summer/fall! More on that soon!

It was a slog at times, and it sometimes felt like we were crazy (maybe at times you’ve thought so, too!), but it was time well-spent. And now it’s time to put the practice into practice!

So we looked around for our next move and how to go about launching him as a professional artist. After discussions with my parents, we decided that we would move here to the LMLD homestead and take up the third floor “apartment” (now dubbed The Snuggery) and do the four-generations-under-one-roof thing.

My parents have been very gracious and accommodating in letting us disrupt their erstwhile quiet lifestyle with a group of noisy littles and our own comings and goings. We all, and especially the kids, are loving being so close (couldn’t be closer, really!) to extended family. The decision was ratified when we also landed on a perfect space for The Artist’s studio right here in town, an easy mile commute for him! He is taking on commissioned work (portraits, custom still life, what have you) as well as working on his own project of The Faces of New England.

If you’re interested in following along with The Artist’s endeavors (which are also mine, of course, not only because I’m his wife and have always collaborated closely on and discussed all his work with him, but also because I’ve taken on the role of his manager and am handling the business end of things for now), you can browse his website. Better yet, you can take 3 seconds and sign up for the occasional newsletter I’ll be sending out (about to launch!) by clicking here. Also follow him on Instagram! He’s been posting “process” pictures — they are fascinating!

So! There’s been that. We moved back to my old home just in time for Easter. A lot of shifts and settling, farewells and greetings.

But there’s more.

If you haven’t already heard from my Instagram… I bet you can guess.

Baby “Quillabee” is expected mid-late(ish) September. Finnabee is hoping fervently for a little sister (and I would love that for her too, as well as to be able to pull out all the sweet little girl dresses that have been sitting in storage for years now!). Peabodee is pulling for a little brother and is feeling certain about his odds. When they argue about which it will be, I say, “well, we’ll have to find out! One of you is right!” To which Peabodee replies, confidently: “I am.”

Chickapea, having just recently passed his first birthday, is clueless as to the developments but I’m sure will be fascinated and delighted with (and hopefully won’t accidentally crush) whomever comes along. This has definitely been my fastest pregnancy and I can barely remember it’s happening, I have so many things on my mind.

The other night my friend asked me to remind her when the baby is coming and, for a split second, my internal reaction was “what baby?” But with each day, as I get bigger and bigger and the baby gets squirmier and stronger, it sinks in a bit more and we get a bit more excited and aware of how much we’re blessed.