Too Old

I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with myself when we decided to move to Munich. I had a hunch I wanted to more aggressively pursue my career as an artist, and so I investigated going back to art school as an option. I found the website of the Akademie der bildenden Künste München and eagerly read through the information presented for those hoping to be admitted for an art degree course. I got so excited thinking about life as a full-time art student - how much I would enjoy the various challenges in each course, how much I could grow as an artist with all that new knowledge.

And then I started reading through the admissions requirements. And then I came to this bit: (Section 6.1.a.)

Minimum Age: Eighteen years at last birthday
Age Limit: Thirtieth birthday

Fabulous. My over-30-year-old-brain just isn't worth their time. Too shriveled and useless to benefit from art school!

Studio!

The single most exciting thing about our new apartment is that it contains a room which I get to use as my studio. A whole room just for my art! I've never had that before. It's thrilling. I love this room. It is big and bright and has a big window with a lovely view.

Except for my easel and art supplies, my studio is still pretty empty - I want to get to know the room a little bit before I decide what additional items I want to acquire for it. Plus I love how much floor space is available for me to spread out in.

Speaking of the floor, it is brand new - the landlord had it re-done right before we moved in. While it looks fabulous, the pristine surface has me terrified. What if I stain it? Get paint on it? Ruin it? For now I'm using a couple rolls of the fabric floor covering the movers left here (at my request) to keep myself sane, but I'd like to come up with a better (and more attractive) long-term solution.

The walls create a similar stress point: they are newly painted and hole-free. But the good news is that here in Germany we are required to re-paint them when we move out anyway, so in theory I can go ahead and mess them up as much as I want. Still, it's hard to make that first mark...

Getting back into things

I spent the last month and a half of 2007 traveling without a single art supply; so far 2008 has mostly been occupied with settling in in our new apartment in our new city (Munich). One of the most exciting things about this new apartment is that I have a studio in it. I'm still figuring out how I want everything arranged (and what additional furniture I'd like for the room), but I have managed to get the easel set up and have started a new painting. I'm very excited to get back into the rhythm of painting daily. I also plan to start updating this blog more regularly.

I have a few commissions that I need to get to work on. I also need to find a good local source of art supplies. I went to check out a couple shops in my new neighborhood, but their offerings are limited. So much to do...