Tag: Artist Life (Page 2 of 3)

The Overwhelming Stench

February 5, 2022 / Conal

It hit me like a fly hits the windshield of a speeding bus.

With the kids at school, my artist working in her studio, and me on a day off, I had stepped out of the house for a couple of hours to put up some of our Christmas light display on our western Canadian, suburban home. With 8,000 bulbs in our display, it takes a lot of time and even more thought to set it up.

By the time I had another 2,000 bulbs on the house, I was mentally drained.

I needed to shut my brain off. I needed to feel my cold-numbed fingers and toes. I needed to go inside.

So, I did.

The Christmas Tree

December 4, 2021 / Conal

It was time. My artist wife’s annual Christmas tree decorating tradition was about to be unleashed.

She was sitting in her blue easy chair in the corner working on her latest digital piece on her iPad. Through our 10-foot picture window, the sun was setting behind the house across the street and quickly drawing the light out of our living room. Our virtual fireplace was aglow on our television screen providing us with its light and warming our hearts while the furnace continued to warm our bodies. The 15 cm of snow from the week before still carpeted our front lawn. It was late November. It was winter. It was dreary.

I’d had enough. “It’s go time,” I decided.

The Cactus Car

November 20, 2021 / Conal

The sun was setting as I flew down the A1 in northern France in my grey cactus.

I had left work in The Netherlands two and a half hours earlier that Friday several years ago. In that time, I had driven across Belgium in my rented Citroën Cactus, apparently a popular model of car in Europe.

Despite the prickly car model, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Ghent were all in my rearview mirror. I continued to cruise down the highway in my little hatchback with the same glorious song repeating itself every 3 minutes and 48 seconds.

My wife is driven nuts when I listen to the same song repeatedly for hours, but I make no apologies because it helps me focus. Plus, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hearing an enjoyable song 42 times on the same drive. Right?

The Employee Discount

November 13, 2021 / Conal

“I’ve got a job,” my artist wife said, rushing into the living room of our fourth-floor walk-up apartment shortly after our honeymoon and long before the days of her established art business.

I know, I thought. You’ve been working customer service at the local department store in our suburban mall for over a year.

“A new job,” she continued, after my bewildered look betrayed my thoughts. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

“Oh really?” I asked. “Where?”

“DeSerres,” she said.

The Mitre Saw

November 6, 2021 / Conal

“You know what we need? A compound mitre saw,” my artist wife told me a couple years after moving into our suburban bungalow.

I paused, wondering if this was some type of trap.

She’s giving me permission to go buy a power tool, I thought. What’s the catch?

This required a delicate conversation to make sure no bubbles would burst. One mis-step might cost me a wife-approved power tool.

The Art Institute

October 16, 2021 / Conal

I thought I’d never see my artist wife again.

While I was walking out of the Art Institute of Chicago, this particular hallway struck me as fairly plain for an art museum.

Tucked into the quiet lower level, it had calm, white walls flanking a diagonally laid hardwood floor. To its left, an open-air courtyard nestled up against it, visible only through the windows. Straight ahead was a staircase to the main level. And, to the right, was a wall with a work of art on it. Which piece? I don’t remember. I was concerned mostly with what was behind me.

As I glanced back, worry, apprehension, and fear rushed toward me.