The Frog in Boiling Water

"Avocado Lights"
24 x 30 in Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas
ORIGINAL SOLD
Click here to view print choices
It's Avocado time again...April is the month of the Avocado Festival and Art of the Avocado show in Fallbrook.  The piece above is my entry in the Art of the Avocado, on display at Brandon Gallery in Fallbrook, California through April 27th.

What do frogs have to do with avocados?  Nothing, except that if I hadn't realized I'd turned into one, I wouldn't have finished my piece for the Art of the Avocado show. 

I've heard of the phrase "frog in boiling water," meaning that if you cook(?) a frog in boiling water that starts out cold, the frog doesn't realize what's happening until it's too late, since the water heats slowly, gradually increasing in temperature.

I spent a couple of months feeling gradually more and more fatigued, until I got so tired I could barely stand to get through the day.  I thought it was a post-baby issue. After all, waking up every few hours to feed a growing baby does take its toll.  I finally went to the doctor, who determined that I had a major vitamin deficiency.  Several weeks and a few heavy doses of prescription vitamins later, things are much better, and I am squeezing in some time to paint again.

I even managed to make it to a yoga class, and once I started the familiar stretches, I wondered why I had waited so long to go back to an activity I used to love.  I do the same thing when I go through a little painting dry spell-- when I finally get those materials out and start covering a surface, I end up chiding myself for going so long without painting.

I think it's one of those situations where fatigue begets more fatigue, and anxiety begets more anxiety.  I read somewhere that the fastest way to change your mindset is to just jump in and start doing whatever it is you'd like to accomplish.  Having a deadline helps, so if you find yourself having trouble getting your paintings done, try commiting to a show so you have a deadline. 

And don't forget to take your vitamins.

I'll be getting everything ready for my booth in the Avenue of the Arts at the Avocado Festival on Sunday, April 21st.  We don't have to use centralized checkout this year, so I'll be bringing lots of small pieces and prints in addition to a couple of bigger acrylics.

Here are a couple of little pastel studies going for auction on ebay...bidding is starting at a penny for these.
"L'Orange" 6 x9 in
Original Sold
Click here to view prints


"L'Orange II" 6 x 9 in
Click here to view listing
 

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