PineShoreStudio/Paintings by Helen Harris

It wasn't until I began painting again this past week that I realized that my music had stopped along with my painting. As my brushes swished in the water,splashed into the paints ..I started up my cds ..and like old friends reunited, the conversation of heart and soul picked up without missing a beat. If I ever doubted it,this time away from my art, taught me that it is not just what I do it is an important part of who I am. Let the music play.....again!

Slowly I am returning to my painting. Memory muscles flex and my heart is lifted by the the sheer joy of splashed color . Purchased new brushes, cleaned the studio ...uh -oh ...paints are as hard as rocks! Was I really away from my daily work that long? Yes! and it shows. Just like a musician ..I must return to some basics to get back up to the level I was last October when my painting came to a screeching halt. Brush strokes, like scales, color combinations, like chords....the music will return ..my rhythm is just off. Practice, practice, practice....but it is a labor of love. I'm reevaluating "Colorburst "before framing . This piece will be exhibited in October at Idiosyncrazies .

Week 2 of The Cookie Cab Summer Camp is over. This time I was teaching baking skills to 6-8 year olds! What was I thinking..lol?! Developing a taste for foods starts young. It's always fun to see the expressions on a child"s face when they smell something and then experience the taste as something unexpected..such as vanilla extract or baking cocoa. Blahhhh! Here are a few photos from this class. I'm taking this week off from teaching but will have another group the following week...back to baking !

The ever changing needs of the bakery/cafe continue. As we enter the hot summer months I've changed our hours a bit to allow me some time to go home and begin painting again . It's working! The studio got cleaned up, brushes washed out fresh and new ones ordered but most of all I've begun to put brush to paper again. woooohooo! I've scheduled a solo show in October at Idiosyncrazies in Pt. Pleasant, NJ....more to come about that later. In the meantime I'd like to share a few photos from our kids Summer Camp Baking program that I've begun. Our first class of 9-12 year olds baked up a storm of cookies ,cinnamon buns, and cupcakes from scratch! Our enthusiastic customers cheered them on and tasted their baked goods offering words of praise. Challenging games and prizes rounded out their mornings ending with a lunch. Next week ....6-8 year olds will tackle some hands on projects.......wish me luck!

Finding ways to remain a working artist while building my bakery/cafe business, The Cookie Cab has been a challenge. As the bakery moves into a more routine schedule and its ups & downs become easier to handle, my art plans have begun to come into focus. Small steps have been taken here & there but not consistently enough to gain any momentum. The first step was simply to create a space within the bakery for the art work to be displayed. The Cookie Cab Gallery became a space that I offer free to local artist, by my invitation,to exhibit work. All work is for sale and any sales go directly to the artist, no commissions are taken. This may seem crazy to some but it is in keeping with the "pay it forward" concept upon which the bakery was originally funded. The second step was to hold an opening for the artist, 4 Woman Art Show , that had been featured throughout the winter. On May 2nd, the opening was held with a very respectable turn out of visitors. The Cookie Cab ...

Ha! I'm looking forward to the rest of this day & tomorrow. Time to myself these days has been elusive. Remembering to take time for myself is not as easy as you may think. It took an intervention by one of my 3 daughters ( I believe the other 2 thought she could get through to me best)to say ENOUGH! As a full-time painter my 12 hour days of work were tiring but not as physically exhaustive as my 12 hour work days as the owner of my own bakery & cafe. Equal attention to both has proved to be frustrating and I need to accept that one will get more attention than the other ....for now. Hopefully this way of thinking will help me not be so hard on myself and begin to enjoy each day again. The days of longer sunlight are not far off with the beginning of Spring...my gardening,as well as my painting will be renewed....balancing the work days of baking.......hmmmmm...these are my plans........ Is that the sound of God laughing?

I am ever hopeful of returning to my studio to paint on a regular basis. Towards that goal, I am hosting an Art Show & Sale @ The Cookie Cab which will include my work as well as 3 other talented local women artists. I invite you to join us.