Travels and bridging the good old artistic slump

No news from me usually means I am so busy there is no time to post.
So here is a bit of an update about the busy March and April.
Except for working and teaching and drawing almost daily here is what we have been up to.
Scott and I drove down to New Jersey for a weekend with my best friend Fiona and her awesome fiance. We did some walking around, laughing, doodling and I did a photoshoot with Fiona in preparation for my next painting. As soon as we returned I had another photoshoot with a former classmate of Scott's. I am trying hard to build a bit of a reference database, because the biggest problem with painting portraits for me is that i run out of references and models quickly.

I started the underpainting of the new Fiona painting but didnt get very far before our big trip to Germany.

1 week before we left on "vacation", I received confirmation that I was accepted into 2 group exhibitions.

Between April 6th and 28th, my three 'flow of life' prints will be exhibited at Sequences: A/P Members' Exhibition at the Artpoint Gallery in Calgary.

I was also asked by Brian Lane from Printzero Studios to be part of the exhibition he is curating as part of the Hatchings series at the Cullom Gallery in Seattle. I am especially thrilled about this one because he is going to exhibit my three 2x8ft linocut scrolls that I produced during my thesis year. So to you Seattle Folk! Go check out the show! His theme Texture of Being goes extremely well with my work and I am super excited to be in this exhibition!

As soon as all artwork was packaged and mailed, taxes finished, apartment cleaned we left for the airport  to fly to Germany so Scott could finally meet all of my relatives that couldn't attend the wedding.

We had two very adventurous weeks away! We spent the first 10 days in Passau, the city that I grew up in meeting aunts & uncles and cousins and spending lots of time with my Grandma.
Then a one day stop in Leipzig where we were overwhelmed with beautiful buildings and history! Then Bitterfeld/Pouch were the other half of my family lives with a 1 day stop in Berlin (17 km city walk left us slightly exhausted).

Brandenburg Gate

Berlin Wall used to be right here. 

Of course I could post more of the two thousand photos that we took, but as always too many things to do!
One month ago I began a new painting and the process got so rudely interupted by our amazing travels, now that we have returned and daily routine is settling in again I should be continueing to paint but my head is still in Germany. Getting started is the hardest task. How do I bridge my current artistic slump?
A few things that I am doing to get back into the calm and settled painting mode.
I am working hard on my daily doodles for the dailydoodlez project.
Then I am following my own mantra of:

Scott and I spent this weekend re-arranging the living room and the bedroom, cleaning the apartment, chasing the evil winter spirits away. And looking for a fresh starting into the warmer seasons. Our efforts were rewarded with a rain-snow-hail-sleet storm the following night. You can't have it all ;).
We also joined the Gym near our house, its time to get my body back into shape especially my lungs, so that my asthma is easier to control.

Now the only thing that is left to do is to clean up my studio and sit down with a good Audio book. Mix some fresh paints and get started.
So wish me luck and I will post new work as soon as it is finished!