It’s our final few days before it gets dark ridiculously early. I’m already feeling the darkness creeping in as I’m sitting at my easel in the afternoon. I love winter and all that comes with it—soup, Christmas, hoodies and wool socks, football games, and snow—but I wish it came with more sunlight. I know you can’t have one without the other, though, so I’ve pulled some extra lighting into my studio so I can continue to work a full day despite the lack of light.
Here are my four things for the week: Austen, Austen, an introduction, and repetitive seasons.
what I’m reading
While in England, I had the chance to visit Jane Austen’s home in Chawton, which left me with a craving to read her books. (I will share more about that visit in a post next week.) I read Sense & Sensibility ages ago, but I have to confess it was a halfhearted attempt. I didn’t really get engrossed in it, and I often fell into my habit of skimming when I got bored. I have become a more curious and invested reader in the years since, and I have a new appreciation for the story, the characters, and her writing as I read it now. If you haven’t read any of her books, I would encourage you to do so. She is so dry, humorous, and wicked in her descriptions of people and situations, and it’s a delight to read. She really was a master of her craft.
what I’m watching
This Austen kick has also influenced what I’m watching. Since I’m almost done with the book (I’ll probably finish it later today), I decided to watch Sense & Sensibility, the 2008 BBC miniseries version. I love the 1995 movie, and I’ll probably watch that, too. I appreciate both for their interpretation of the book, and especially enjoy watching how Maryanne is portrayed. As someone who grew up in the theatre and was overly dramatic in almost every aspect of life, I can relate to her open and eager heart as well as some of the follies that result. I love watching her grow and change as the story unfolds.
what I’m loving
I must take this opportunity to share a young friend of mine with an entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve known Ella since she was in preschool, and she has started a business selling her handmade knit hats to earn money for college. She came to me a few weeks ago with a business plan and ideas for launching this new venture. I took some photos for her website, and we discussed her ideas, plans, and hopes for her idea.
So many established, savvy business owners took me under their wing as I meandered through the process of starting and running a business, and it’s an honor to pay that kindness forward. Ella made a hat for me, and I can attest that it is comfortable and well-made. It’s easy to throw on for a morning walk as the weather cools or for an outdoor event. They would also make nice gifts!
If you’re interested, you can check out her online shop and place an order HERE. She currently offers three colors in the collection and has plans to expand. If you are a shop owner in the mid-Atlantic area and would like to support a young creative entrepreneur and carry her hats, send me an e-mail, and I’ll get you in touch with Ella. (marian@missmustardseed.com)
what I’m working on
While my creative work can sometimes vary widely from day to day, there are seasons when my daily planner could just be copied from the previous day. I’m in that kind of season. Most days, the first two “big three” tasks on my planner are 1) blog post and 2) paint. The third one changes but is usually related to mundane business tasks like checking email, paying bills, and reviewing accounts, or to studio work that comes with selling original art. I’ll have to prep panels, inventory, and order more paints, varnish finished paintings, pack and ship orders, and sometimes just tidy my work areas. I was feeling a bit in a rut yesterday, but as I sat down at my easel to paint, I reminded myself that I am painting and writing for a living. And I love it.
Outside of work, I’ve been spending some evenings in the garden, trimming back spent hydrangea blooms, clearing out leaves, and removing clematis from the fence and trellises. I’l share more about that in another post.
Here is one of the pieces I finished this week. There have been a lot of dog paintings lately!
16 Responses
While you are on your Austen kick, may a recommend you get copy of Gill Hornby’s “Miss Austen”. A beautiful read! Hornby has captured Jane’s style perfectly and affords us another glimpse into that era. Masterpiece Theater on PBS has recently brought a faithful rendition to the TV screen and it captures the speech, dress and mannerisms faithfully. A real feast for any Jane lover.
I just ordered it from my library. TY fr sharing this with us!
Katherine, thank you for the recommendation. I just added “Miss Austen” to my watchlist on PBS Masterpiece!
I am always in the mood for Jane. But I am so excited you got to see her home. What a thrill – I’d love that so much.
I have read P&P and S&S as well as seeing various adaptations. You are right, Jane had a humorous streak. Would loved to have seen her home when I had the opportunity to visit England, but I did visit Chatsworth House that was used for Pemberly. The estates there are beautiful, even when they might be a cottage. There are several other Austen adaptations on Amazon. Some better than others, but worth a watch.
Hi Marian – I just ordered a hat from Ella and I can’t wait to receive it. What a roll model you are for young creators. We all need to strive to lift each other up.
oh.. with you! Dark when we get up and Dark before we watch the 6 o’clock news! I thought our politicians were going to change this????
just curious … do you have daylight saving in the US? in scotland where i grew up and in australia where i live now clocks change in summer to allow for an extra hour of daylight in the warmer months… except in queensland where they think it upsets the cows!
I’m perplexed by your comment. The number of daylight hours depends on the tilt of the earth’s axis and it’s position relative to the sun. On Dec. 21st in Washington DC, for example, there are only 9hrs 25 minutes of daylight. It will always be dark when you get up and dark before 6pm. Nothing the politicians do can change that.
I believe Mary is referring to the possibility of keeping either standard time or daylight savings time so we weren’t changing the clocks twice a year.
Jane Austin changed our whole vocabulary with her books. She invented so many sentence structures within her books that we still use today. I remember her human types were used in medical diagnoses as they were expertly outlined in her writing. I love it. And yes, the loss of daylight. Lots of people have trouble with it. Changes your whole inner clock rhythm. Perhaps a daylight lamp to work on your lovely paintings?
I am such a Jane fan! I think I have all the movie versions which I still cycle through when I want a worthy bit of literature. I recall giving my mother Pride and Prejudice to read (she never read anything but mysteries and murders). And she said “it was a good yarn”. High praise coming from her!
Marian,
I have thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful descriptions of each day and village you visited during your recent trip to England. I love Jane Austen and Sense and Sensiblity is my favorite of her books.
You are the best.
Karen B.
Thank you for sharing England with us through your posts. I agree with you on the darkness of the season. I love fall and winter, just not the early darkness. I checked out Ella’s website, the cranberry hat might have to be a new addition to my winter collection. Your dog portraits are beautiful. These two in this post look like siblings that belong to a fellow blogger. Can’t wait to see a portrait of Rosa Jo. I hope she is settling in nicely with your Mom and Dad. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Hi Mariam what is the content of Ella’s yarn. Acrylic, wool or a blend. It is not in her description or the washing instructions.
She has added it to the listings now!