Coming to Terms with Daycare

I tried for five months to juggle Joel, my son, at the studio and have finally come to terms with the fact that it doesn't work for me. I know lots of moms have businesses in their homes and are able to balance babies / work, but having to pay the rent and keep hours is different, plus finding focused time to paint. I really struggled with the question of daycare since I was fortunate to be raised by a stay at home mom. But, after talking to a few working moms who've done daycare I saw the benefit of it both for Joel and for me. I will be a better mom when I'm with him because I will be fully with him. And at work I will be fully at work. I already feel much calmer and ready to face the day, but look forward to him coming home tonight. So we'll see how it goes and in the meantime I have to get to work on a wedding cake portrait commission for next week. This change in care for Joel should mean more painting, so check back on the blog for new work. 

Eat, Art and Help a Cause

*You must eat at Andre's and bring in a postcard.

TraillWorks is partnering again with a local restaurant, Andre's, in Newton. Last summer I hosted Andre of Andre's Restaurant to promote his cookbook, and I also tutored Tracey, his wife, in painting. This Spring when you eat at Andre's and then buy art at TraillWorks I'll donate 10% of the sale to Katie's House, a local group home for young adults with disabilities. Enjoy a fabulous dinner, get inspired by art and help a local charity.

Perker Painting

Perker in-progress, Oil on Panel, 16" x 24", © 2009. Jennie Traill Schaeffer

This is my newest percolator, painted. I started this about a week or so ago and it's sitting on my easel waiting to be completed. Without a lot of time to ponder over my work, I set up the percolator and just painted. Using the brush and palette knife it has a lot of texture and movement to the paint. It's good to see this on the computer, on a smaller scale away from the easel, I see areas that need some work. Check back soon for the finished piece.

***Vote for TraillWorks as your Favorite NJ Gallery
Go to www.newjerseylife.com
click on The Reader’s Choice A-List and select Galleries

It's a Mixed Blessing

Wedding Cake Portrait Commission, In-progress, 6" x 6" ceramic tile

I am so grateful that in such a tough economy TraillWorks continues to grow and do well. In the first few months of 2009 I nearly filled all of my available lesson slots, sold a painting and received two Wedding Cake Portrait commissions. All of this while adjusting to life with a four month old. Up until this point, with the help of two wonderful moms (mine and my mother-in-law) and husband, Joel and I have been managing the workload together.

Now as more commissions come in, and my marketing and painting time have decreased I see the need for more help. I'm looking into all sorts of daycare options, from a college helper to actual daycare facilities. The entire prospect makes me feel very torn; sending him to someone else to care for him while I develop my artwork seems almost cruel on one hand.

On the other it's an opportunity for him to develop socially and eventually appreciate that his mom was able to run her own business (I hope). The success of TraillWorks is a mixed blessing for me and my new family, bringing new challenges and opportunities. I'd love any advice from moms who are artists!

***Vote for TraillWorks as your Favorite NJ Gallery
Go to www.newjerseylife.com
click on The Reader’s Choice A-List and select Galleries

The NJ A- List

Depression Glass, 7" x 5", Oil on Canvas, ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

This artistmom deserves to be in the A-list. Take a minute and visit NJ Life Magazine's web site and vote for TraillWorks as the best place to find the perfect painting. Scroll down to galleries and antiques and select TraillWorks. Voting will continue through April 15th and the "best of" businesses will be published in their October issue.

Above is a recent painting I just completed last week. A bit influenced by my October visit to see the Morandi exhibit at the Met. I had a strong urge to paint anything the other day and had about an hour to focus on this piece.

Snow Day

Yesterday with all the unfounded warnings of the worst storm of the year (Newton only got about 1.5") I cancelled my lessons and stayed home. I would have blogged yesterday, but miraculously I screwed up my networking connections and so my husband who worked at home had to use the internet on his laptop. So I was forced to spend the morning sleeping. 

Being an artist and a mom with her own studio to run, I rarely take time for myself to rest. I'm constantly going and constantly feeling I'm not doing enough. So yesterday's weather and networking mishap were a blessing in disguise to catch up on some long overdue shut-eye while Joel was sleeping. 

I'll be posting some new artwork next time I'm online, so check back soon!

First Painting of Joel

Joel for a Moment, 5" x 7", Oil on Canvas, ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

I'm finally sitting down on the computer after consoling Joel to sleep. I'm in the midst of trying to figure out the balancing act of being both a mom and an artist. There was almost a break down.

Saturdays are one of the few days I have to get into the studio and work without interruption. Today, my husband dropped off the baby so he could meet with a business contact. We didn't discuss the length of the meeting. This has left me feeling frustrated by wanting to care for Joel and accomplish some long overdue tasks. For any new moms out there who are wondering how to juggle all of this, my advice is to stay flexible and communicate. Lee and I try very hard to have equitable time with and without the baby, as well as have the needed time dedicated to our work. It doesn't always work out as ideal as we would like, but it is working. I'm much more at ease now that Joel has gone to sleep and have kept reassuring myself of the importance of my husband being able to have this meeting sans Joel. He would do the same for me.

In the chaos of being a mom and an artist with her own studio, I found time this week to complete two small paintings: one of Joel and one, a Morandi-esque still life. Above is the painting of Joel and I'll include the other in an upcoming post.