Vacation time

 This blog is late because of my vacation, but about vacation....

Everyone needs vacation time. To decompress, re-energize, disconnect and reconnect, rest, do nothing or do everything, stay home or go places, and so many other things. I've been on lots of different kinds of vacation. Driving cross country. Amusement parks, Solo European adventures. An Alaskan cruise. Staycations. Camping. None are as great as the one I've been taking for more than a few years now.

Each year I take a weeks vacation to go up north to what might be called a retreat. Several of the Martini Girls (The other Martini Girls does what she wants, too, it just isn't this week.) get together and spend some time: one on one, all three together, individually. I could speak generally for the three of us, but I'm not going to. Mostly, because even though we are a group and all of the MG's are my sisters, we are still individuals.

As an individual, this week is sacred to me. I look forward to it like nothing else. This week allows me to recharge, sleep late, complete at least 1 important to me piece of art, experiment and spend important time with my Martini Girl family. 

It starts with an almost 5 hour drive for two of us. We chat almost nonstop, sharing stories and experiences that bind us closer together each time we make the annual drive. Our arrival is a celebration of being together again. The whole week is about shared meals, sleeping in, coffee together each morning, working together in the garage turned studio, a few outings, rides on the lake, and connecting.

Outside of just being together, art is the most important part. We work in the studio, talk about ideas and wanna tries, go at least one art show/gallery. Usually, I bring a piece that needs to be completed for an upcoming show. Once in a while, my work takes a turn away from my plan. This is almost always a good thing, as it was this year.

I had big plans to complete a collage/assemblage piece where some of the elements extended beyond the cradled panel, increasing the size of the work. The plan isn't as important as the work, though. Quite a bit of the bits and pieces needed were created prior to this trip, but the assembly of the piece was finished completely within the week; no elements going beyond the edges of the panel. I thought about ways I could incorporate those bits. They just weren't needed.  My current obsession with transformed ephemera on my collage/assemblage work and love of circles merged almost magically. Some of that magic stopped it from being overdone. It was very satisfying and exciting to create this piece. With my sisters. On vacation. . 

These are always among my favorite pieces. Just a look at any one of them brings me right back to th.e week. We don't take nearly enough photos when we are together. Turns out, they really aren't needed; the weeks live in my heart and mind. 

Maybe this isn't your idea of vacation. That's okay. You need to do you and I hope you do find what can inspire you, that makes it wonderful to create your art and fills your heart. 

Patti Belbin