Judy Leila Schafers Fine Art

Here is the inside of the old van before renos began. It is dark and dated and had some water damage.

There is no place I’d rather be than in my studio when there is snow on the ground, unless it’s somewhere tropical.

This winter, I decided to skip the annual trip to Yuma, Arizona, and encourage my husband Shane,  to go on his own. For about 30 years, with the exception of a few, we have always made this drive together, spending anywhere from three to 8 weeks at his parent’s acreage.

I felt that it would be much more beneficial for everyone if I stayed behind. Shane could come and go without concern about my timelines, get his much needed holiday away from the farm. The drive was something I really needed a break from.  Shane is a trucker and is very destination oriented, after all.  This way, I will have LOTS of time to get caught up with farm paperwork, paintings that clients are patiently waiting for and begin preparing for my summer solo show!

Of course I am delusional in that respect, always forgetting how slowly I move in the winter months….  Spending time in the cozy studio during these crisp days just feels so good and I get lost in every brushstroke. Before I know it, the month is gone.

My long list is currently a little over half complete. It contains everything from neglected household chores to farm paperwork to helping my daughter get prepared for her new adventure. This last item is a fun and challenging, time consuming project. We are helping her renovate an old camperized van in which she will live over the next year as she takes courses on the West Coast. It is turning out to be a lot more work than expected. We are having to figure things out as we go along, and don’t really know what we are doing. Good thing her skilled brother helps as much as he can and her innovative Dad will be lending a hand during the next few weeks. It’s starting to come together and it’s going to be amazing once it’s all said and done.

We are excited for her as she sets sail at the end of February! In between office work and Jilene needing assistance, I am also working on 2 commissioned paintings. I shall write about that process in my next blog post.

Here, the van renos are about half way done. Still lots of work to do, but it is already lighter and brighter!