Red, Black, Tan and White

(Sunday, May 13, 2018) new moon Taurus / tarot 8 of swords

I am assigned the task of painting dozens, maybe hundreds, of large images that are about other people’s dreams. The dreamers are associates, not close friends. I have a crazy-short deadline to complete this huge project: Tuesday.

The illustrations are on sheets of paper about 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide. The initial renderings are white-on-white. I have to go through each painting with the dreamer and demonstrate to them elements of the artwork that appear the same but actually are different. I am required to use red, black, tan and white paint to define the imagery. The timeline feels impossible. And I don’t have enough paint to finish the job.

I rush to a craft store but they are going out of business. I beg with them to let me grab a few tubes of paint. The owner, a stern older woman, refuses my plea. I quickly head to a second small art supply shop but they don’t have the colors I need. Their inventory is very restricted.

Desperate, I decide to try The Home Depot. They have a tiny craft department with large tubes of acrylic paint. I run into the store and am greeted by two friendly young men. One recognizes me as the woman whose clay sculpture was shattered in shipping! I am amazed by this strange connection. They have the exact paint colors and sizes I need.

Day notes:

This last month has been the most stressful time in the 13 years I have worked at Ergotron. This week I have multiple deadlines for a huge print project using a color palette of red, black, white and grey. I am working with two young designers named John. John B. is guiding the project with very tight control. Type A personality. John R. is struggling to complete a series of drawings that were supposed to be done two weeks ago. This affects my deadline in a wicked way.

I bought a new, larger carry-on today for packing my clay pieces for the Paradise Valley art show. Now I just need some bubble wrap from The Home Depot. I took a workshop last weekend at Northern Clay called “Pack Like A Pro.”

Clearly this dream expresses my anxiety about the upcoming week. But I think it is also directing me to stop being dictated by other people’s dreams and motivations. Time is running out. Follow MY dream of a creative life. I felt so at home last week at Northern Clay and yesterday at the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. My favorite artist Jenny Mendes remembered me. She pulled me aside and shared some new pieces fresh out of the kiln. A great blessing. Her work is obviously highly spiritual, yet she doesn’t promote that. Like any clay artist, she is down-to-earth grounded. I bought this four-eyed bear from Jenny.